You know the Toy Story theme "You've Got a Friend in Me"? Well, it totally describes Arthur's friendships in Here Be Monsters! When Arthur gets trapped aboveground in the town of Ratbridge, he readily makes friends with Willbury the retired lawyer, a handful of friendly monsters, and even some former pirates. Arthur wins over pretty much everyone he meets, with the exception of Snatcher and his minions.
Come to think of it, we don't ever see Snatcher interacting with his goons in a way that could be described as anything like friendly. We don't think it's just because Snatcher lacks a winning personality; it's also because Snatcher only sees people as means to an end, not as potential friends. In the world of Ratbridge, the ability to make friends in unexpected places seems like a much higher predictor of success and happiness than the ability to win over minions for your crazy cheese-driven revenge quest. Just sayin'.
Questions About Friendship
- How would you describe Arthur's friendships before and after he gets stranded in Ratbridge?
- Why do you think Willbury is friends with all these underlings?
- Once we learn who Herbert is, how would you characterize his friendship with Grandfather?
- Why doesn't Snatcher seem to have any friends?