If you and your kids find the grotesque creatures of Disney/Pixar’s new Monsters University (a prequel revisiting the beloved characters of Monsters Inc.) more lovable than terrifying, you’re not alone. Even some of the scariest horror movies in history, from 1931’s Frankenstein on, have featured monsters whose tragedy is that they’re as misunderstood as they are scary; approached gingerly, they may even be friendly.
If we can’t empathize with the despised creature, at least we can laugh with him at the absurdity of his situation. That’s the lesson of Pixar’s Monsters movies, and of these 10 films featuring surprisingly amiable monsters.