- "Oh, not the CDA."
- —Mr. Waternoose
- "2319!"
- —Anonymous CDA operative
The Child Detection Agency (or CDA for short) is a decontamination team from the film Monsters, Inc. They are a hazardous materials disposal team whose main job is to search and take away any type of children contaminant. They come in a wide variety of forms and all wear bio-hazard suits, to avoid contamination. If any human object appears in the Monster World, they arrive to destroy it using a metal dome that will cause whatever that's placed under it to explode harmlessly and decontaminate any who come in contact with such objects. Their decontamination methods are often painful: Anyone who has been decontaminated by the CDA will be forced to wear a plastic cone over their heads like a pet who has been given surgery and is not allowed to lick the wounds.
CDA Agent 001 is Roz, as revealed towards the film's end.
Monsters, Inc.
The CDA is first seen arriving at the Monsters, Inc. factory after Jerry calls the agents upon hearing Charlie's alert about a child's sock on George Sanderson's back. The agents arrive at the factory to remove and destroy the sock. The agents then decontaminate George by shaving off his fur, showering him, and placing a cone on his head. The agents are seen again arriving at Harryhausen's after the Bartender calls the CDA about a human girl in the restaurant. They arrive at the restaurant and round-up most of the patrons, including Celia Mae, for decontamination, and they envelop the restaurant in a gigantic green force field.
The CDA thoroughly search the Monsters, Inc. facility for evidence. Upon learning that Mike Wazowski and Sulley are the ones who have brought Boo in, Mr. Waternoose tries to have the CDA arrest Mike and Sulley but they ultimately turn on him and arrest him when they learn of Waternoose's plan to kidnap thousands of children to satisfy his own agenda. Roz, the clerk who works at Scarefloor F's front desk, is revealed to be the leader of the CDA. The CDA are last seen taking Waternoose to prison for his crimes.
Monsters University
The CDA makes their first chronological appearance in Monsters University. Following Mike and Sulley's intrusion in the Human World, an emergency was declared and the CDA was dispatched to take charge of the situation. Roz is seen overseeing the operation.
Trivia
- Their decontamination methods are often painful.
- Despite their menacing appearance, they are extremely well-mannered, as they often can be heard "Coming through, please" and "Watch yourself" to bystanders.
- Their name (Child Detection Agency) may be a take on the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency).
- The CDA may also be the monsters' equivalent of the police, especially the SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) or the FBI, since they have the authority to arrest even high-ranking monsters for serious crimes.
- The signal for the CDA, 2319, is a reference to the letters "W" and "S", which are the 23rd and 19th letters of the Latin alphabet. WS stands for "white sock".
- Agent 00002 is the only member who is revealed to be a father.
- There are at least six different CDA body types.
- Many of them have the same number, but this is an error.
- The number "2319" can briefly be seen on the side of a subway railcar in Soul, during the scene where Joe (in the cat's body) and 22 (in Joe's body) spot a person playing an instrument on the underground platform.
- In Monsters, Inc., the scene in which the CDA decontaminate Harryhausen's originally featured them destroying the restaurant in an explosion. However, the scene was altered in response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks of 2001, instead having the CDA envelop the restaurant in a force field. One element of the original scene is still present in the final film: the bag in which Sulley smuggled Boo is noticeably charred when the CDA show it to Waternoose after recovering it from the restaurant.
Quotes
- "We can neither confirm nor deny the presence of a human child here tonight."
- "Stay where you are. Number One wants to talk to you."
- "Can I get your autograph? [...] Could you make that out to Stephanie, my daughter?"
Gallery
