A stand alone prequel, and a fun family treat!"

Rating: 8/10 (22 August 2013)

Monster's Inc. still remains in my heart as one of Disney/Pixar's most lovable creations. The story is both heart-warming and hilarious, and Mike Wazowski and James P. Sullivan, or "Sully", are charming character's that most definitely share a special place in our hearts and memories of childhood.
As such, when I heard that there was a sequel in the works I will admit that a lot of red flags jumped up in my brain! Disney/Pixar has made some very good sequels in the Toy Story franchise, but it's not their specialty by any means. The majority of their success as a company is built around the fact that their stories are animated beautifully, their plots are almost always seamless and original, and the worlds and characters they create are original and invite us to share an experience with them. But, when the magic is over, it's over...and we're satisfied because the story was complete. Ratatouille, Wall-E, and UP are such examples of their more recent film-making successes that follow this tactic. A sequel may not be entirely bad, and could enhance the story and expand the universe, but they aren't necessary to satisfy an audience. Sequels are only good if they have a genuinely new story to tell that enhances the already established universe, and takes the characters in an entirely new direction. Thus far, only the Toy Story franchise has been successful at achieving this. "Cars 2" on the other hand did not, and the upcoming Disney spin-off "Planes" at the moment may follow in the same fashion.
But onward to the film itself. When I first saw the trailers for Monster's University, again, red flags went soaring! "This is a prequel?" "They're in college?" The main question I'm sure that was on many people's minds was "Is this a good idea?", specifically because of how the original Monster's Inc. ended. Everything was wrapped up for the most part, and there was a beautiful, heartwarming "little mystery" of the continued relationship between Sully & Boo that made a satisfying ending although it was not resolved. In all honesty, I think the typical American audience would be more interested in a sequel about what happened AFTER the events of the first film than what came before it! This further perpetuated my worries that this was going to be at best an average "lackluster prequel" that focused on the very generic, and way overdone, "life of a freshman at college" plot that just happened to include the lovable and memorable characters from Monster's Inc.
But thankfully, Monster's University has restored my faith in Disney/Pixar's creativity, and my pre-judgments have proved folly. This is a fun and exciting prequel that took me completely by surprise! While it may not have the snuggly and cutesy "Boo & Sully" charm that the first film did, this film has it's own unique charm to it and it conveys a different, but equally powerful moral message about friendship and dedication that will keep you entertained and heart-warmed throughout. Perhaps their biggest accomplishment is the fact that one could genuinely begin watching this movie without ever seeing Monster's Inc, and still be entertained and enlightened.
While I'll admit the story does have a couple tiny inconsistencies that don't entirely match up with the original film, it's still a great viewing from beginning to end, and I'm especially proud that Disney/Pixar refrained from using "cheesy gimmicks" more than they needed to to tell the story. Like the Disney/Pixar classics of old, everything is well thought out from beginning to end and all of the conflict is resolved seamlessly and satisfyingly!
The quality of animation between the two films has also improved tremendously! Sully's fur and many other hairy characters in the film are even more lifelike than ever before, and some background, clothing, and prop textures throughout are very impressive. I swore that the Monster's University hat that Wazowski receives in the first few minutes of the film was real!
Be sure to take your entire family to this brand new chapter in the lives of the monster's of the Monster's Inc. franchise. Disney/Pixar has created another fantastic story that further showcases their capabilities as animators and storytellers. What fears and red flags I may have had for another recently announced sequel of theirs: "Finding Dory", have been currently alleviated after seeing the level of dedication they put into making this a truly good prequel to an already great story. It just goes to show that sequels can be fantastic when they are done right, and Monster's University is living proof of that!
Two thumbs way up, and 4 solid stars!