Are man-eating zombies not your thing? If not, then Pixar's latest film, Monsters University is the film for you. It takes the cast of Monsters Inc. and explains how they met.
As established in the earlier film, Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal) and James “Sulley” Sullivan (John Goodman) are monsters who specialize in scaring kids. It's all for a good cause: the screams of children are their world's power-source.
But in this film, Mike and Sulley are students of the prestigious Monsters University. It's the Alma-matter of the best scarers around, which the hard-nosed Dean Hardscrabble (Helen Mirren) takes very seriously.
By the end of the semester, Mike and Sulley are in trouble. They're not cut out for the Scaring Major, says Hardscrabble. But they have a chance: the Scare Games. They pit MU Teams against each other in tests of scaring aptitude. Enlisting in the Oozma Kappa (OK) Frat House, the duo has to get its members in shape to face the jock house: Roar Omega Roar (ROR).
As established in the earlier film, Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal) and James “Sulley” Sullivan (John Goodman) are monsters who specialize in scaring kids. It's all for a good cause: the screams of children are their world's power-source.
But in this film, Mike and Sulley are students of the prestigious Monsters University. It's the Alma-matter of the best scarers around, which the hard-nosed Dean Hardscrabble (Helen Mirren) takes very seriously.
By the end of the semester, Mike and Sulley are in trouble. They're not cut out for the Scaring Major, says Hardscrabble. But they have a chance: the Scare Games. They pit MU Teams against each other in tests of scaring aptitude. Enlisting in the Oozma Kappa (OK) Frat House, the duo has to get its members in shape to face the jock house: Roar Omega Roar (ROR).
Pixar's first prequel is a good effort. Its plot is kind of easy to sniff out from a mile away. But it genuinely surprises at the end with some great plot revelations. It was also fun to see the OK House using teamwork to overcome its Scare Game challenges. Its real big drawback was its too lighthearted tone, playing much more to kids than overall families.
As usual, Pixar gets points for its production values. Its monsters are cuddly and creatively designed. The world they live in is wonderfully bright and colorful. Its sound design includes some incredibly strong roars and screams. Hopefully, they'll be strong enough to be noticed by the Academy, just as it nominated Monsters Inc.
Some have called this an Average film by a once great Animation House. But Monsters University passes because it succeeds in being a decently entertaining film. Its opening short, The Blue Umbrella, though, is certainly better than average.
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