Following up last year's Oscar-winning Brave is Monsters University, a prequel that sees several familiar faces from the studio's 2001 hit Monsters, Inc return to the screem - I mean... screen.
The story chronicles the relationship between Mike (Billy Crystal) and Sulley (John Goodman) when it was in its infancy - a time when the two weren't always best pals. Forced to work together in order to salvage their tainted reputations after the two cause a disturbance during the semester scare exam, Mike and Sulley join the misfit brothers of Oozma Kappa fraternity in order to compete in the annual Scare Games. The catch? If OK wins, all members receive admittance into MU's prestigious Scare School. But if they lose, Mike and Sulley will be expelled from campus. Can they pull it off and prove Dean Hardscrabble (a shudder-inducing Helen Mirren) and the rest of the naysayers wrong?
Monsters University is one of those movies that has absolutely no reason to exist besides milking the familiar, 12-year-old brand at the box office. But once you've seen it, everything about Monsters, Inc. makes much more sense. For all it's worth, I'm glad this movie exists.
Pixar's level of creativity isn't at its zenith here simply because they didn't have to invent an entirely new cast of characters or deviate that far in their conceptualization of how the Monster world should look. That being said, the attention to detail and the depth lent to the animation has never been better. The color palate appears to be infinite, with no two shades ever being the same. The apparent use of every color known to man, or monster for that matter, creates a sense of wide-eyed wonder for the audience. Just as Mike steps off the bus to marvel at MU's sweeping campus for the first time, the audience may as well have stepped off the bus right behind him.
In addition to the gorgeous animation, I can't give enough praise to the screenplay written by Robert L. Baird (Chicken Little), Daniel Gerson (Monsters, Inc.) and Dan Scanlon (Cars). The dialogue is hilarious with loads of clever references to the first film, including the origin of Sulley's scaring rivalry with Randall (Steve Buscemi) and the first sighting of CDA agent 001. It's also fascinating just to witness the relationship between the leads begin with nothing more than contempt and blossom into the friendship that audiences know from Monsters, Inc. Quite the exercise in character development.
Personally, I feel the same about Monsters University as I do about Toy Story 3. It's not so much a kid's movie as it is an animated movie made for the kids, like me, who grew up watching Monsters, Inc. and Toy Story. Toy Story 3 has a much more powerful emotional resonance than Monsters U. But as a college student I appreciate the humor much more than the six-year-old sitting next to me might. That being said, the film doesn't merit anything harsher than a G-rating. This isn't a cartoon version of Old School. No potty-humor; no cheeky, adult pop-culture references. Just good, old-fashioned fun that anyone ages 4 to 104 can enjoy.
That brings me to mention the star-studded cast of voice actors which features such big names, you'd think you were watching an animated feature from DreamWorks. Billy Crystal, John Goodman and Steve Buscemi reprise their respective roles as Mike, Sulley and Randall. Helen Mirren replaces James Coburn's Waternoose as the story's seasoned authority figure and head of Monsters University, Dean Hardscrabble. Mike and Sulley's Oozma Kappa brothers are voiced by Charlie Day, Sean Hayes, Dave Foley, Joel Murray and Peter Sohn, with Day's fun-loving Art stealing the show. Rounding out the cast are Alfred Molina as Professor Knight, the Scaring 101 teacher; Parks and Recreation's Aubrey Plaza as the president of Greek Council; Nathan Fillion as Johnny Worthington, president of the snobby Roar Omega Roar fraternity, and John Krasinski as Frank McCay, an employee of Monsters, Inc. and Mike's inspiration to attend Monsters University. Oh, and keep an eye out for another special cameo from John Ratzenberger, who's had a role in all of Pixar's feature films to date.
Monsters University is a prequel that has no business existing, but the human world is better with it than without it. While not quite a peak in creativity, dazzling animation, impeccable voice acting and a script riddled with smart, clean humor as well as a rousing climax make this a more than welcome return to form for Pixar Animation Studios. As a college student who can relate to much of the monstrous onscreen madness, I'd say that not only did I get more enjoyment out of this movie than Monsters, Inc., but Monsters University is the most unadulterated fun I've had at the movies this Summer, if not of 2013. Don't miss it.
9.5 / 10
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