The long awaited prequel to Disney’s 2001 classic Monsters, Inc. hit theaters this past weekend with anticipation from a mass fan base who were highly knowledgeable of Pixar’s ability to produce stunning sequels.
Monsters University is the very first prequel to be released by the acclaimed Pixar company, leaving people curious as to what took so long to produce this clever hit.
Set at the nominal Monsters University, Pixar shows audiences how the duo that fans know and love, Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal) and Jimmy “Sulley” Sullivan (John Goodman) meet as members of the highly acclaimed “Scare Program” on campus.
As the story unfolds, Wazowski and his skew-ball appearance are neglected attention from peers and awfully picked on for his lack of a “frightening appearance”. Sulley, offspring of the highly famous Phil Sullivan, carried himself in the most atrocious of ways and was perceived conceited jerk that had an obvious problem with the cyclops with a big brain full of goals, Wazowski.
After an early run through of the prestigious scaring program and the rarity of being accepted as a freshman, Wazowski and Sulley ironically find them selves facing expulsion after threatening their futures and relationships with the spooky Dean Hardscrabble (Helen Mirren).
With no viable options, the only way for the boys to earn their way back into the scaring program is to participate in the annual Scare Games involving sororities and fraternities campus-wide. With their fate in Dean Hardscrabble’s hands, Wazowski and Sullivan join the fraternity of losers Oozma Kappa (OK) with hopes to win their ways back into the program.
Of course, all the collegiate trappings — fraternities, cliques, athletic rivalries, academic struggles — are the jokes mainly there for adolescent and adult benefit. How would children understand the underlying jokes featuring dorm life and the college atmosphere? Young audiences, however, should appreciate the cooperation that Mike and Sulley partake in and the ideals of hard work truly paying off, with several laughs in between the reality checks.
Crystal, 65, and Goodman, 61, are a long time out of college, but somehow manage to bring the youthful liveliness out of themselves to produce the same heartfelt and hilarious scenes that made audiences fall in love 12 years ago.
The oddities of the monsters appearances and personalities may spark youth’s interests, but it’s the talent of the cast and crew that show their flawless techniques on the big screen and continue to leave viewers beyond content with cravings for more.
★★★★
G. Contains brief, mild spookiness. 103 minutes.