Margie and I have been real slugs when it comes to movies, especially over the past few years, since Katherine was born. Which is why the two big animated features of last year — Shrek and Monsters, Inc. — went unseen until they came out on DVD. Having now (the latter Sunday night) seen both, all I have to say is ...

... well, wow, because that computer animation gets more and more impressive each time something new comes out. And ...

... Monsters, Inc., by a length.

Don't get me wrong. Shrek isn't a bad movie by any means. It's funny. It's cute. It's imaginative. It's even got a good lesson.

One of Shrek's weaknesses, though, is its strengths: Eddie Murphy. Shrek comes across as an Eddie Murphy vehicle (overwhelming both John Lithgow and Mike Myers), and even though I like Murphy in small doses, when I look back on the movie, it's his nattering and jiving away that I remember.

Monsters, Inc. could have had the same problem, but Billy Crystal's character doesn't overwhelm the screen (for all the nattering that he does). And, frankly, I was so charmed by Boo that I could have just seen a movie with her in it. In concept, imagination, and (ironically) the sheer humanity of the lead characters (particularly John Goodman's Sully), Monsters, Inc. is a must-see for anyone — and that doesn't even include the mandatory need for anyone who has, or knows someone who has, a 2-3-year-old to see this flick. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll just feel good.

We will be picking up our own copy post-haste.