Rating of
3/4
An Origin Story Worthy of the Pixar Name
Chris Kavan - wrote on 10/17/13
I admit that I have always admired Pixar because of their ability to create quality original films. Wall E, The Incredibles and Up are not just among my favorite animated films - but they are just some of the best films around. Recently there has been a rash of sequels (both released and upcoming) and I also admit it was a bit worrying. I thought the Toy Story movies continued to get better and better, but I didn't think many other films needed any more help. Monsters University isn't a sequel, it's a prequel and, I'm happy to say, it continues the Pixar tradition of having a strong story, incredible animation and top-notch talent involved all-around.
Monsters Inc. pretty much spells out that although Mike (Billy Crystal) and Sully (John Goodman) are good friends - they may have not always been so close. What Monsters University delivers is how the two quite different monster met up and formed this initial bond. Setting the film in college is genius because it opens up a wide range of settings and characters. My absolute favorite addition here has to be Helen Mirren, who voices Dean Hardscrabble - a combination of a dragon and a centipede (and, I admit, pretty darn creepy and/or terrifying on its own). She brings a certain gravitas to the role but the delivery is perfect - the right mix of dark and authoritative.
The story really follows Mike - we see him first as a gradeschooler on a tour of Monsters Inc. - the proud employer of monsters whose sole job is to scare children and power the city - and he hitches a ride with a top "scarer" and knows he has a goal in life - to became a scarer himself. Once in college, the bright Mike immediately finds himself at odds with Sullivan - who cashes in on his family name to get him where he's going. But while Mike excels in class, Sully is not the academic type. When both are essentially expelled from the scare program by Dean Hardscrabbled, Mike vows to win the annual "Scare Games" - but in order to join, he needs a team, so he joins the Oozma Kappa fraternity (of course full of "losers" and outcasts) and, finding himself on team member short - has no choice but let Sully join their group. Of course the film is full of important messages: following your dream, being part of a team, playing by the rules - but they don't hammer you over the head.
Two things stand out that make this better than an average sequel (or in this case, prequel). For one, the vocal talent is excellent. Aside from those mentioned, you have Steve Buscemi back as Randall Boggs (I only wish he had been given more to do) plus a lot of great roles from the likes of Nathan Fillion, Aubrey Plaza, Dave Foley and Sean Hayes (each one voicing on part of a two-headed monster), Charlie Day as a spaced out "arts" major, Alfred Molina, John Krasinski and Julia Sweeney - so much great talent that even the small roles seem relevant.
My other big reason for liking this is that it manages to keep adults interested by reminding us (or at least me) of some of my favorite college films. It owes a lot to Revenge of the Nerds (underdogs beating the big, bad frats) but there were plenty of other references from Animal House to numerous tropes (stealing the rival team's mascot - the "jock" frat) that didn't detract, but added to, my enjoyment of the film. Also, I'm pretty sure the main Scare university building was based on Cthulhu - being an H.P. Lovecraft fan, I admit it make me smile.
This is a movie that took a lot of time and effort to make look good - and it shows. From the many different monster designs - to the amazing detail put into both the buildings and monster design - this looks just as good as any Pixar movie I've seen. Also, the score (and music) from Randy Newman is to be commended as is the drum line thrown in to give it a real college feel. The music is just as important to me as the CGI and it is a great match to the film.
While I'm not quite ready to put this on the same level as Up or Wall E - I have to say that for a prequel, it played much better than I was expecting. If this is the quality we are going to be getting - I'm all for Pixar revisiting some of their more popular characters. Now someone get Brad Bird on the line and get another Incredibles film in the works.
