Monsters University

"I am going to scare circles around you this year."

Since childhood Mike Wazowski (Crystal) dreamed of attending Monsters University to become a Scarer at Monsters, Inc.  He reads anything and everything about scaring tactics, and is thrilled to be accepted to the University.  His roommate, shy Randy Boggs (Buscemi) who can disappear, is also a Scaring student, and they instantly bond.  While Mike is the smartest student in class, he is constantly shown up by lazy James “Sully” Sullivan (Goodman), who comes from a long line of well-known Scarers and excels without opening a book.  Sully and Mike instantly dislike each other, and an incident involving the Fear Tech mascot solidifies their rivalry.

Their animosity escalates quickly and they are kicked out of the Scaring program.  Both are miserable in their new classes, but Mike has a plan.   He wants to join the Scare Games, the ultimate competition for the Scaring Program students.  But the Scare Games are only open to fraternities, so he joins the outcasts of Oozma Kappas.  He makes a deal with Dean Hardscrabble (Mirren): if his team wins, he will be allowed to rejoin the Scaring Program.  She agrees with some additions: if they win, the entire fraternity can join the Scaring Program; if they lose, Mike will leave.  Sully sees an opportunity and also joins the fraternity so he can compete.

The Oozma Kappas are the campus losers and laughingstocks.  Don (Murray) is a mature student that returned to college after a long career in sales.  Terri (Hayes) and Terry (Foley) share a body, but have nothing else in common and constantly fight.  Art (Day) is a free spirit, and Scott "Squishy" Squibbles (Sohn) is shy and nervous.  The fraternity house belongs to Mrs. Squibbles (Sweeney), who tries to mother all of the boys and continually embarrass her son.  None of the other fraternities respects the O.K.s, especially the jocks of Roar Omega Roar, led by Johnny Worthington (Fillion).  Can Mike and Sully put aside their differences and lead their team to victory, or will the other fraternities, including the jocks of Roar Omega Roar, leave them in the dust?

 

I have been excited about this film for months... don't judge me... the trailers were funny and Pixar has yet to disappoint me (I haven't seen Cars 2 and don't intend).  So, I went to a "Special Preview" of the film the night before it opened (again, don't judge me, there were other adults in the audience that didn't have kids with them).  And it did not disappoint!

 

In 2001, Pixar released their fourth film: Monsters, Inc.  The film was a twist on the childhood nightmare of monsters under the bed/in the closet, focusing on the monsters who are terrified of the children they scare.  The film was a success and led to talk of a sequel.  Ultimately Pixar chose to make a prequel, which gave them the difficult task of creating a unique beginning to the beloved characters.

Director Dan Scanlon and the writers chose to take the characters back to college to show how Mike and Sully first met and became the success they are in the original.  They brought back the majority of the main characters, many in simple sight gags or brief sightings, and gave them a slight twist.  All of the characters, including the new ones, are fully fleshed with unique mannerisms.

Billy Crystal and John Goodman are perfect as Mike and Sully.  They play off each other well, and easily carry the film.  Helen Mirren is intimidating as Dean Hardscrabble.  Sean Hayes and Dave Foley are brilliant as the Terri/Terry's, you completely buy them as brothers.  The voices are fun, and it was entertaining to look at the cast list later.  And sit through all the credits to see the scene at the end.

Another hit for Pixar!  And check out the website: http://monstersuniversity.com/edu/

Monsters University (2013) 110 minutes
Director: Dan Scanlan
Starring: Billy Crystal as Mike Wazowski
John Goodman as James Sullivan
Steven Buscemi as Randy Boggs
Helen Mirren as Dean Hardscrabble
Peter Sohn as Squishy
Joel Murray as Don
Sean Hayes as Terri
Dave Foley as Terry
Charlie Day as Art
Nathan Fillion as Johnny Worthington
Aubrey Plaza as Claire Wheeler
Tyler Labine as Brock Pearson
Julia Sweeney as Sherri Squibbles