Pixar shines again in the end.

Rating: 8/10 (29 March 2015)

Monsters University builds on the world first introduced to us in Monsters Inc. and brings to us the story of how Mike and Sully first met. Nice to see you again guys.
I was a little bit unsure about how good this movie would be like as one of the reasons I love Pixar is their ability to create original stories. Sequels or prequels kind of feel like they are trying to squeeze the most out of a known lucrative fountain, even if they don't have the story to justify it. The completely forgettable Cars 2 is an example of it. But as I also felt that way about Toy Story 3 before seeing it and I HAD NEVER BEEN MORE WRONG in my life.
And so we have this movie. I have to say, it was very fun seeing young Mike and Sully. The production and attention to detail in a Pixar movie is staggering, specially in the way they create their worlds. We see them as teenagers. We feel they are actually in a college and how they deal with their problems.
My only problem with the script is that it feels a bit cliché. The college underdogs, the problems with the dean, and everything else felt like we had seen it before. True, it was well done, but apart from the fact that they are monsters, it is not different from what we had already seen in other movies. We even have a bit of a back story for Randy that feels unnecessary. When the shenanigans wrap up, I thought that would be the end of the movie. Had it ended there it would still be an enjoyable animation movie, albeit a generic and forgettable one, not in par with what Pixar can do.
But it goes on. The last scenes, right up to the climax, are the best part. We can finally see what this movie is about and the magic of Pixar storytelling. The final act has a maturity, a bittersweet taste that is characteristic of Pixar stories that show the world can be a harsh place, but you shouldn't give up.
Not when you have friends like Mike and Sully.