Monsters vs. Aliens Cast
Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rogen in DreamWorks Animation Movie
Reese Witherspoon, Hugh Laurie, Seth Rogen and Stephen Colbert are voicing roles in DreamWorks Animation's Monsters vs. Aliens
DreamWorks Animation has assembled its cast for 2009's Monsters vs. Aliens, and it includes such big names as Reese Witherspoon (Walk the Line), Seth Rogen (Knocked Up), Will Arnett (Horst the German sous-chef in Ratatouille) and Kiefer Sutherland (Dragonlance: Dragons of Autumn Twilight).
Monsters vs. Aliens is DreamWorks' sole animated offering for 2009, now that How to Train Your Dragon shifted to March of 2010. It's also the first animated movie to be released in what DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg calls "ultimate 3-D," which places it closer to 1950's 3-D 'classics' like Bwana Devil than the studio's previous CGI animated films, which were also referred to as '3-D animation.'
"This isn't our father's 3-D," Katzenberg told USA Today. Though the audience still needs to wear odd-looking glasses, "the digital projection puts a perfect image on the screen. There is no ghosting, no eye strain or nausea."
DreamWorks has also committed to releasing all subsequent CGI animated movies using this "ultimate 3-D" process, which adds another $15 million to each film's price tag.
Reese Witherspoon Plays Nearly 50 Foot Tall Woman
Monsters vs. Aliens follows a group of mis-matched monsters who must band together to defend Earth from an alien invasion. Much like Ilion Animation's Planet 51, it's a comedic spin on alien invasion B-movies of the 1950's.
Reese Witherspoon voices the leading role of Susan Murphy, a woman who was struck by a meteor on her wedding day, and grew to 49 feet and 11-and-a-half inches tall (a tip o' the hat to the 1958's Attack of the 50 Foot Woman). The military shanghais her into service, renaming her Ginormica.
"I got very inspired when the studio showed me storyboards," said Witherspoon, who is 5'2", to USA Today. "Playing a larger-than-life woman has given me my own opportunity to make tall jokes."
Joining Witherspoon are Hugh Laurie (House, Jeeves and Wooster) voicing Dr. Cockroach PhD, Seth Rogen as the blobby B.O.B, plus Will Arnett as the half-man, half-fish Missing Link. Paul Rudd (Knocked Up) plays Witherspoon's boyfriend Derek.
Other Monsters vs. Aliens cast members include The Office's Rainn Wilson voicing the villainous Gallaxhar, leader of the alien invasion, and Kiefer Sutherland, who takes on the role of General W.R. Monger (we're here all week, try the veal).
Comedian Stephen Colbert plays the president of the United States, "on steroids," according to Katzenberg.
Monsters vs. Aliens invades theatres on March 27, 2009.
Fun Fact: Despite leading Disney Animation through some of its most financially successful period in the late 1980's and early 1990's, Jeffrey Katzenberg was not liked by Roy E. Disney and the other animators. They found him domineering, too quick to take credit for others' successes, and ignorant of the art and craft of animation. (Source: Disney War by James B. Stewart)
