The Lowdown: In 1995, a little animation company called Pixar made Toy Story (1995), which went on to revolutionize animated films and become the front-runner of the industry. What made their animations stand out from the rest, aside from the computer animation, were the rich and wondrous stories being told, as well as the unique human qualities imbued in them. Films like Up, Wall-E, and the Toy Story trilogy became instant classics because the stories were lighthearted enough to enthrall and entertain, but the characters in them were full of so much human charm that they could appeal to people of all ages. In the past couple of years however, it seemed as if Pixar had begun to lose its way. Films that were being made were sequels or spin-offs of existing Pixar properties. Toy Story 3 and Cars 2 were sequels to established franchises, and their next film is Finding Dory, the sequel to Finding Nemo. In the case of Cars 2, the general consensus was that it was a disappointment; many felt the story was inferior to past films, and it was also noted that Cars was a very lucrative property for toy and video game manufacturers. Fortunately, Monsters University, the prequel to Monsters, Inc. (2001) is anything but a disappointment. Rather, this is very much a joyous return to form for Pixar. Monsters University doesn’t simply build upon an existing franchise like Cars 2, but fleshes it out and adds a layer of depth to it that was somewhat absent from Monsters, Inc.The basic story isn’t exactly original, but it is told in such a gleeful manner that, when combined with Pixar’s wonderful visuals, it becomes a film for anyone and everyone.
1. The Plot: Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal) is a small, green, one-eyed monster whose dream is to become the greatest scarer ever. The problem: he isn’t scary, at all. However, he attends Monsters University, the best scare school, and proceeds to study constantly to achieve his dream.
He dared to dream...
It is at MU where he meets James Sullivan, a.k.a. Sully (John Goodman), the son of a long line of scarers. Sully is scary, without a doubt, but he is full of himself and thinks he can get by on his family’s name alone. It becomes clear that Mike and Sully are about as far removed from each other as they can possibly get. The two end up getting into an argument in which they get in trouble with the fearsome Dean Hardscrabble (Helen Mirren), who promptly kicks both of them out of the School of Scaring. Dejected, Mike is about to give up on his dream when he finds out about the Scare Games, an event that pits fraternities and sororities together to find out which is the scariest. Mike wagers Dean Hardscrabble that if he wins the Scare Games, she must let him back into the School of Scaring. Sully, not wanting to be left out, joins the team, which happens to be the lamest fraternity on campus, Oozma Kappa. Can Mike and Sully become friends and accomplish their dream of becoming top scarers?Um...spoiler alert?
2. The Characters:The odd squad.
Billy Crystal and John Goodman make a great team as Mike and Sully, even when they are pitted against each other like in this film. What this does is flesh out the two characters so much more than in Monsters, Inc., where they were already established and didn’t have as much room to grow. As college students, Mike and Sully are archetypes; Mike is the nerd and Sully is the jock. However, the screenwriters imbue Mike and Sully with human characteristics, allowing us to relate to them. The great voice acting by Crystal and Goodman helps out a lot too. Speaking of great voice acting, the character who steals the show is Dean Hardscrabble, played by Helen Mirren (The Queen). She is arguably the best character in the film because she dominates every scene she is in. Helen Mirren gets her stern, condescending tone just right, and the animators make her look quite unsettling. For instance, in nearly every scene she is in, she is never illuminated by light, preferring to stand in the darkness where ominous shadows are cast over her face. As the figure of authority in the lives of Mike and Sully, she is initially the villain of the film. It becomes clear later that she is somewhat of a guiding force, helping them grow and mature as the film progresses.The remaining characters help flesh out the Monster world. Oozma Kappa, the lamest frat on campus, is comprised of Don, Squishy, Art, and two-headed monster Terri-and-Terry. These characters exist to provide liberal doses of humor that is almost always funny. Randall Boggs (Steve Buscemi) returns as a friend of Mike who ends up becoming a member of the rival fraternity, Roar Omega Roar, which is full of snobby jocks.
3. The Blue Umbrella:Every Pixar film comes with an excellent Pixar short. This time around, we are treated to The Blue Umbrella. This short is somewhat reminiscent of Paperman, the Oscar-winning short from Wreck-It-Ralph(not a Pixar film), but is notable because it it so photorealistic. It seems to be a mixture of live-action footage and animation, but you may be blown away to discover that it is entirely animated. The animation is wordless, but is able to convey truly affecting moments. This is somewhat astonishing given that the short is about two umbrellas that fall in love in a city on a rainy day. Really, it is a cute short film and is enough to put a smile on anyone’s face.They found love in a hopeless place... :)
4. Suffer By Comparison: Pixar doesn’t make bad films. They may have stumbled a bit in recent years, but I think a part of that may be the fact that Pixar set their bar quite high with Wall-E, Up, and Toy Story 3 in three consecutive years, and then everything afterwards suffered by comparison. Cars 2probably suffered the worst as it had an uninspired storyline and it was difficult to view it as anything but an easy cash grab. Monsters University isn’t something new, but there is enough of a different spin on it that no comparison is really necessary. It may not be as good as Up, but honestly, not much is.The Bottom Line: I grew up with Pixar films. I was just a kid when I saw Toy Story back in 1995, and I was a freshman in college when Toy Story 3 rolled around. Now, I have just graduated from college and I’ve kicked off my summer with Monsters University. It’s unbelievable how Pixar has managed to influence an entire generation with their films, but there you have it.
Brings back the memories.
With all of that said, Monsters University is rather a superb animated film that ranks up there with their better films. It is a great blend of colorful animation, a witty screenplay, hilarious humor, and human elements. This film is also an example of a prequel done right; instead of relying on imagery from the first film, Monsters Universityembellishes and provides new insights into the world and the characters that we know from the first film. The result is a new, fun experience and an awesome time at the movies. All I wish now is that I could apply to Monsters University…Monsters Universityis property of Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Animation Studios. This review was written by me.
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