Movie Review: Monster High: Ghouls Rule

Monster High: Ghouls Rule
Mattel Entertainment, Nerd Corps Entertainment, USA, 2012. 

Halloween is coming but that's not a good time for monsters as Mr. Rotter warns. Normal humans a.k.a Normies hunt monsters and do naughty tricks. It is Frankie's first Halloween so she is scared and confused. It is also hard time for half-normie Jackson Jekyll who is living between the two worlds. In his monster form he turns into super-DJ Holt Hyde when he hears music. Maybe Holt should also try power metal genre with his rock screams.

Frankie

Mr. Rotter

Jackson Jekyll

Bunch of normie bullies, led by monster hunter Van Hellscream's (see "Fright On!") niece Lilith, vandalize the school. Cleo De Nile is pressurized by her Pharaoh dad and her sister Nefera to show leadership, so she organizes an avenger group against the normie school. The relatives also demand that Cleo must break up with her boyfriend Deuce Gorgon. The retaliation plan divides the school. The plot goes wrong and Jackson gets arrested by Sheriff, who demands a cruel & unusual punishment! 

Holt Hyde & Manny

Nefera & Cleo

Deuce Gorgon

Meanwhile Draculaura is trying to arrange a blind date for Clawdeen Wolf. This recycles the episode "A Perfect Match" of Monster High web series where blind dates were for Abbey. Well, the variation is still amusing with some eccentric boyfriend candidates. The giant cyclops boy of the original does not appear in these CGI films, and his role seems to be replaced by the eyeball guy. More essentially to the plot Frankie, Abbey, Spectra and Operetta explore the dungeons and find proof that once humans and monsters were friends and celebrated Halloween together. And there are also humans such as Clair and Chad who think that monsters deserve a chance. 

Draculaura's smug look

Exploring the dungeon

Mmm tasty.

Frankie's reaction is worth seeing when Abbey finds age-old candy. As things go from bad to worse the girls have to find a way to bring the monsters and the normies back together. Ghoulia Yelps' hacking skills come once again useful. And nothing brings people together like a nice party.  

Ghoulia helps

First feature length special is a continuation of ideas from "Fright On!" or more like a redux of the ideas. The backgrounds of some characters are given a bit more meat. Cleo's royal family has high demands and Draculaura's family was chased away from their home village after the tomato incident. A new student is introduced: rollerskating robot Robecca Steam.

Venus McFlytrap & Robecca Steam

This goes also nicely like the previous films, without any drastic changes in quality. The adventure is not the most original but goofy humour and likeable characters go a long way.

There are also three short web-episodes from season 3

Flowers for Slow Moe
Ghoulia solves Riemann's Hypothesis and Fermat's Theorem and Slow Moe feels stupid. He drinks Cleo's Intelligence potion and becomes annoying besserwisser.

I Scream, You Scream
Cleo tries to successfully cook with telepathic guidance from Scarah Screams.

No Ghouls Allowed
The boys plot something and the girls spy on them.

Rating: Good

Voice actors: Erin Fitzgerald, Steve Staley, Ogie Banks, Salli Saffioti, Evan Smith, Dee Dee Green, Kate Higgins, Mark Mercado, Ira Singerman, Cam Clarke, Cindy Robinson, Andrew Duncan, Julie Maddalena, Laura Bailey, Audu Paden, America Young, Wendee Lee 

Directors: Mike Fetterly, Steve Sacks

Monster High: Escape From Skull Shores

Monster High: Escape From Skull Shores 

Mattel Entertainment, Nerd Corps Entertainment, USA, 2012. 

It is Spring Break! First the students celebrate and go to a fun fair where they participate in carnival games. After that Lagoona Blue invites them to her home at Great Barrier Reef (renamed Great Scarrier Reef in later adventures). She wants to introduce her boyfriend Gil Webber to her family. 

Lagoona and Gil go American Gothic

The cruising and chilling gets a watery end when Kraken sinks their boat. Actually Kraken is very sorry about that. Greedy merchant Farnum and his sack headed helper Kipling save the students. Farnum plans to use them in his freak show and takes them to Skull Shores. Wooden Tiki-people live there and begin to worship Frankie Stein while Cleo gets no royal treatment. Those plebeians! 

Partying and cruising

Bartleby Farnum

Rescued at last

Farnum has a plan. A giant beast lives on the island so Farnum uses Frankie as a bait to catch him. The giant appears and kidnaps Frankie, King Kong style. However the monster's alter ego is a lonely hermit boy Andy, who escaped to the jungle because people feared him. The girls decide to take him to Monster High, but first they have to escape Farnum and the Tikis. 

Kipling

The Tikis

Giant kidnaps Frankie

It is the first Monster High special that takes the characters outside the school to a jungle adventure. Whereas the previous part was syrupy, this feel more balanced with right amount of humour, adventure and some romance. Some of the funniest moments happen when Abbey and Ghoulia team up. And Tikis are comical too with their rotating mouths.

Andy & Frankie in the cave

Andy gathers some admiring looks

Consistent with the theme of the series, the plot handles how people shun different people and consider them as freaks. But in Monster High everyone is accepted as they are. Andy as a beast is inspired by King Kong, and perhaps also Beauty and the Beast. I wonder if Kipling's character is a tribute to Elephant Man.

It is a fun little adventure that expands the monster universe a bit.

Some trivia: Bartleby Farnum's character is based on showman, politician and scam artist P. T. Barnum (1810 – 1891) who founded the Barnum & Bailey Circus that was later merged with Ringling Bros. World's Greatest Shows that was briefly owned by Mattel Company in 1971.

Rating: Good

Starring: Laura Bailey, Ogie Banks III, Cam Clarke, Malcolm Danare, Debi Derryberry, Erin Fitzgerald, Kate Higgins, Jonathan Lipow, George Newbern, Audu Paden, Cindy Robinson, Salli Saffioti, Keith Silverstein, Evan Smith, America Young
Directors: Steve Ball, Andrew Duncan

Movie Review: Monster High: Why Do Ghouls Fall in Love?

Monster High: Why Do Ghouls Fall in Love?
Mattel Playground Productions, Nerd Corps Entertainment, USA, 2012.

As this is Monster High's Valentine's Day episode, it is all about luv and more sugary than usually. Consider yourselves warned.

Draculaura is about to have her 1600th birthday and has high hopes about the party. The hype is causing stress to her Fearleader-friends and especially to boyfriend Clawd Wolf. Clawd is well-meaning but clueless about what would be a proper and lovely present for her.

Draculaura

Clawdeen & Cleo

Clawd

Toralei plays a nasty trick on Draculaura (bad kitty!). She invites Draculaura's old boyfriend Valentine who is a real charmer. Valentine has evil intentions and much to the shock of the Fearleaders, Draculaura starts to hang out with him. Gossip blogger Spectra Vondergeist finds out what is really going on.

Toralei

Valentine

Spectra

To make Draculaura love Clawd again requires Fearleaders to get help from Cupid, Messenger of Love (or God's Tinder as Finnish comedy show Putous would put it). Meanwhile Ghoulia tries scientific approach to decide who would be a perfect match for Valentine's Day party. Nothing goes as expected. Cupid's bow gets into wrong paws and everyone falls in love with wrong persons. Even Manny and Slo-Mo have a brief bromance.

Cupid

Manny & Slo-Mo

Finally status quo is restored and our old acquittance Eyeball Guy has trouble watching 3D movies.

3D is useless if you have only one eye

This was the first Monster High made with 3D computer animation instead of cartoon-like 2D animation. The characters have been transferred to new form quite nicely and the amusing background persons have been retained. I wouldn't classify it as the best of the series although it has some fun ideas. Although I gave lower rating for this than the previous parts, Monster High fans should be pleased but I wouldn't recommend to watch this as the first introduction to the series. They are not always quite so sugary stuff. It is fun though with much to like. Bluntly honest ice queen Abbey substituting Cupid in the radio show was fun, as well as Ghoulia's side plot. 

Abbey

Rating: Average

Voice actors: Laura Bailey, Ogie Banks, Cam Clarke, Debi Derryberry, Erin Fitzgerald, Kate Higgins, Jonathan Lipow, Evan Smith, Audu Paden, Cindy Robinson, Salli Saffioti, America Young, Mark Mercado

Directors: Dustin Mckenzie, Steve Sacks