It’s been a decade since Monsters, Inc. and it’s two top scarers Mike and Sulley first proved that things that go bump in the night could be fluffy and just as cute. Pixar is returning once more to fright factory with Monsters University. The prequel follows the monsters from the first film during their formative years in college, where they learn how to become the great frights we see in the original film.
Billy Crystal and John Goodman return to voice our heroes Mike and Sulley, along with wonderful performances from Helen Mirren, Dave Foley, Sean Hayes, Charlie Day, Nathan Fillion and Steve Buscemi. The result is one enjoyable family movie.
The past few Pixar movies haven’t been that great. Let’s be honest: Cars 2 (if you saw it,)wasn’t good. And there are disagreements over if Brave was worthy of all the awards it won. So when I saw that Monsters, Inc. was getting a prequel instead of a sequel I was skeptical. I always feel you never need to go back and tell a story, because if you told your story good enough the first time, why are we going back? I think it’s far more interesting to go forward and see how things progressed since we last saw characters we enjoyed.
That’s how I felt going into Monster University. Did I need to know how Mike and Sully met? No. But the movie was enjoyable nevertheless.
We start off with Mike, as a child, who wants nothing more than to grow up and be a “scarer”. One slight issue, Mike’s not scary. But nothing is going to stop him. He enrolls into Monster University where all the top scarers come from. On his first day he meets Sulley, who already is scary and thinks he can skate by just on that. The two don’t get along and after some college shenanigans go wrong they are kicked out of the scarer program. To get back in, they must learn to work together and help a frat full of not-so-scary monsters become the scariest monsters ever to win the Scare Games.
The movie is fun, bright and full of wonderful monster designs. All the monsters look and feel real for the world we are in. The always evolving animation from Pixar is nothing but amazing here. Each movie with its new technology allows them to become better and better at their craft, making ever-more believable results grom the hair and texture to the expressive eyes of each character they bring to life on screen.
Add an amazing voice actor each creature and everything comes together.
We already know that Billy Crystal and John Goodman are great in the roles from the first movie. But here they add some new characters with some great talent behind them. Dean Hardscrabble (Helen Mirren), the Headmistress at Monsters University, is the main advisory for the film. She doesn’t think Mike and Sulley have what it takes to become scarers. She doesn’t outright try to stop them at every turn, but she doesn’t go out of her way to help either. She is a great character, past her prime but still holding onto her glory days. Her great design makes her the scariest of all the monsters and a pleasant surprise in the film. The animators make a choice to keep her in darkness and allow for her mystery to unfold as the movie moves on.
Also joining the fun is nerd/sci-fi icon Nathan Fillion as Johnny Worthington president of the rival frat house, Roar Omega Roar. He embodies that perfect frat villain that we have all come to know from countless 80’s college movies, a jock right down to his flipped-up collar. His frat is the leading champions of the Scare Games, and he will not lose to Mike and Sulley and their lesser-known frat Oozma Kappa. The Oozams are your typical nerd frat that’s the bunt of every joke on campus. But like all good Disney fashion they come together, looking past their differences to save the day.
As most animated movie have an underlining message for kids. In the original Monster, Inc. the message was mostly about never needing to be afraid. Monster University’s message is simpler, just be yourself and don’t let other make you feel about being yourself. I think most kids will take that message in a good way. If Mike and Sulley can be themselves why can’t you?
Also unlike some other animated movies where the parents are miserable, this isn’t one of them. Many great jokes and fun are to be had for the adults too. Pixar knows how to communicate to several ages at once.
Overall, Monsters University is neither a bold return to form nor another misfire, but a charming, colorful coming-of-age-tale that can speak to everyone. The question does still remain why a prequel or sequel for a studio so often prized for its originality. Are their glory days behind them? Why keep going back to the well? Is that Disney’s influence on Pixar?
We may never know. But for the time being, Monster University is a very pleasant animated movie for family entertainment.