Saint E, I've seen the film in the last year, and I disagree once again with your points. I dare say the ideas and transitions in Final Fantasy are more connected than those in Le petit prince which I consider one of the best books ever written.
Regarding Monsters Inc. and your criticisms of my criticisms:
1. I never said I "hated" it. I said it was "mediocre". Compared to Pixar's other films, that's very bad, but it's still better than a great many other movies out there. In fact, I actually used the word "fun" in relation to Monsters Inc.
2. I never said that my primary objection with it was that you had to "unpack a metaphor". I just feel (and meant to imply, if it was not explicit enough) that the target audience would be unable to appreciate the moral you drag out of it.
Please stop building straw men to knock down.
And I've certainly heard enough about it culturally, but I as a child never had "monster under bed" fears, and was unaware of any of my friends having them. My five year-old half brother has also never had such fears (at least that I've heard expressed). However, even if this weren't the case, it's irrelevant.
The context of screams and laughter in Monsters Inc. is that they are used to power houses, appliances, etc. They are a source of electrical power, on par with solar or fossil fuels. Screams and laughter are not, to the best of my ability, a sort of physical fuel, in my world, or the functional world of any child. They can make believe, but the application, I dare assert, will generally stop there.
I'm not suggesting that the film is a bad one for youngsters to see, or that it wont be fun and enjoyable for them. What I am saying is that
a) I do not find the film enjoyable to watch.
b) I do not find the film particularly edifying, uplifting, or thought-provoking
and while I'm at it, I'll add this to stir up another can of worms:
c) While well animated and acted, I do not feel that the film contained any particular artistic merit.
My half-brother is only one child, but Monsters Inc. is actually one of films "he" owns that he asks to watch the least.