Monsters University is another lovable, kid friendly romp from Disney and Pixar. It continues the story of the beloved children’s classic Monsters Inc., but this film is actually a prequel. Monsters University starts some ten years before the events of Monsters Inc., and adds depth to the events of that film with greater revelations about the characters.
Monsters University features all the stars who loaned their voice acting talents to the original film. Billy Crystal reprises his role as the one-eyed green monster Mike Wazowski, who must attend the prestigious Monsters University so that he can some day get a job scaring children at Monsters Inc. John Goodman returns as the voice of James P. Sullivan and Steve Buscemi is back as the voice of the sinister Randall Boggs, who are both young college students looking to study scaring. Frank Oz, Bonnie Hunt, and John Ratzenberger also join in the fun, and the score will once again be by Pixar favorite Randy Newman. The film had its American premiere on June 21, 2013, and was rated G. In theatrical release the film is preceded by the Pixar short film, The Blue Umbrella.
Monsters University has received generally good reviews from the critics who feel that it does a good job of enhancing the characters but adds relatively little to the overall plot. The madcap, frenetic pace of the original Monsters Inc. was difficult to maintain in this film. The fraternity hijinks of this film simply do not have the same high emotional stakes as the battle for the young girl’s life in the first film. Monsters University is fun, but it is hardly an essential statement on the franchise. Rather, it is a gentle romp through a nostalgic college world. It hearkens back to the classic university farces of the 1980s far more than it pushes the story forward. It’s a shame, because the original movie had a hectic charm to it that audiences really responded to. Monsters University does its best when it evokes the pleasures of its predecessor, and in that sense it is a successful film. Unfortunately, it has nothing new to say.
Although scaring people is a major theme of the film, Monsters University is not a particularly frightening film. Children will be delighted by it, and parents won’t mind it.