Monster's University reviewed

Image courtesy of Disney•Pixar

It was easy to think that Pixar movies were incapable of being poorly created or received.  For 15 years they had put out nothing but fantastic, story-driven movies that were visually amazing and reached the audience on emotional levels.

And then the summer of 2011 was upon us and Cars 2 hit the theaters, proving to be something of a bust, running Pixar right off the track. What a terrible pun. I'm sorry.  So what did Disney•Pixar do?

They released Brave.  Which bounced the company right back into the sort of success they have always been known for.

But wait, you say.  I thought this was a Monster's University review.  All you've done is rehashed stuff we already knew.

I'm getting there.

Monster's University is a great movie.  There you go.  That makes two in a row now, so we'll call that a "new" streak going for Pixar.

In M.U., we are treated to a prequel of Monster's, Inc.  That gave the creative team some room to play with in terms of character development and storyline.  How did our main characters get to be where we last saw them?  What challenges did they have?  Where was John Ratzenberger's voice going to pop up?  Will Randy Newman's songs sound any different than they do in all the other Pixar movies he's done?  The answers to the last two questions are 1.  He does do a voice and 2.  No. Randy Newman's songs always sound the same anytime and everywhere.  Moving on...

Mike Wazowski and James "Sulley" Sullivan are a fantastic duo.  Like a modern day "odd couple", we are treated to the comedy that ensues from the battle between obsessive Mike and carefree Sulley as they embark on their journey through college together.

We glimpse at the movie's opening what drives Mike in his youth, and Sulley makes his first appearance in an unforgettable manner.

M.U. is filled with twists and turns for our pair of future Scare Floor heroes, as they team up with the less-than-cool monsters in a sprawling campus battle of scares and wits against the very system itself.  The storytelling in M.U. really gets you feeling as if you are a part of all the antics going on and provides an immersion in the environment amongst the characters that a lot of comedy and action movies frequently fail to deliver on.

With peeks at many characters' beginnings and changes, M.U. fills the audience in with more of the enjoyment we received in Monstropolis the first time around with Pixar.  On top of the obvious things we are shown in the movie, there are probably plenty of "Easter eggs" tossed in, as well.  Unfortunately, I was too engrossed in the story and characters to watch for stuff on my first viewing, so I can't tell you anything to look for.  There is a very short segment after the credits are finished if you want to stick around for it.

If you were a fan of Monster's, Inc. then I'm confident in saying you will really like Monster's University, too.  It's theater worthy.  Especially if you have children.
I'm giving this:        7.5 out of 10