Fur and flips: "Monsters, Inc." on ice

Want to revive sweet memories of the 2001 Oscar-nominated film "Monsters, Inc." and be dazzled (if not actually terrified) by 60 gigantic monsters, 24 flying doors and a 14-foot "Child Detection Agency" vehicle?

Check out Disney on Ice's "Disney/Pixar's Monsters, Inc.," an adaptation for 33 skat-

ers of the popular, warm-and-fuzzy film. It opens Thursday in Tacoma, then plays in Everett.

In case you've forgotten, "Monsters, Inc." tells the story of Sulley, a monster who brings a little girl named Boo into his monster's world, where she isn't quite welcome. Along the way, Sulley and his Cyclopsian partner, Mike, discover something rotten in the state of Monstropolis, as well as an alternative fuel to the now-scarce children's screams that have powered their factory.

Acrobatic skating, special effects, chase scenes, sparkling choreography, hot-color costumes and gigantic sets are the order of the day in this fantasy spectacle for kids and adults.

Producer Kenneth Feld says it's larger and more complex than past Disney on Ice productions, including "Beauty and the Beast," "The Little Mermaid," "Finding Nemo" and others.

Director Jerry Bilik, in a prepared statement, noted, "All of the monsters, the props, the scenery — everything is gargantuan. The monsters are so big that even if you're sitting in the highest seat of the arena, you will feel like you are right there in Monstropolis."

Oversized sets include frozen drink glasses and menus in Harryhausen's Sushi Bar, a kidney-shaped reception desk with a vase of orchids at the Monsters, Inc. factory and a battalion of doors that fly through the air.

Barry Lather, who has worked with pop stars Janet Jackson (we trust not at the Superbowl) and Paula Abdul, as well as skaters Kristi Yamaguchi and Brian Boitano, choreographed this extravaganza, which includes a precision number by more than two dozen skaters in bright-yellow safety suits.

The rock musical score includes classics, new pop tunes and old standards, including Randy Newman's "If I Didn't Have You."

Principal skaters Raegan Brierton-Quick, Jason Graetz and Dustin Rousseau are veterans of several Disney on Ice productions. Brierton-Quick, who plays Boo, skated competitively for six years and in 1999 appeared in Disney On Ice's "The Little Mermaid."

Paul de Barros: 206-464-3247 or pdebarros@seattletimes.com