If you grew up loving the book and you remember it, this movie hits the mark and exceeds it VISUALLY. An absolutely stunning representation of the characters and Max's imagination. The movie however is not exactly a childrens movie with regards to the plot, and really, even the book was not exactly happy. Each of the monsters reflect a small portion of his personality, and how he learns to deal with it. Unfortunately the dialogue was a bit weak and the movie could have used a bit more happiness thrown in, but it doesn't seem like that was spike jones intent.