Fun, amusing & with exquisite animation, but not a classic for the Pixar canon.

Rating: 6/10 (23 July 2013)

Before Pixar upped the ante with WALL.E, their offering that found it's way into the DVD player most often was Monsters Inc. Beautiful, beautifully original, funny, fantastic vocal talent, characters the entire audience could engage with fully (whether hissing at them or wanting to hug them) and animation to drool over: "Wow, Scully's fur is sooo realistic. Look how it moves"
I'll admit it, bar the odd blip (Cars, Up – Yeah, I know but they just didn't work for me), I'm a sucker for Pixar. Cautiously, but with high hopes, I packed up nieces & nephews and headed out for the Sunday morning sermon of the cinema with fingers crossed that this sequel would match the quality of Toy Story 2 & 3.
Clearly, Monsters University is a prequel. A young, largely ignored and belittled Mike (Billy Crystal) is inspired by a school trip to Monsters Inc. and dreams of becoming a respected scarer. Fast-forward eleven years and Mike enrolls at Monsters University in the hope of achieving his life-long ambition. The trouble is, Mike just isn't scary as egotistical oaf, Sully (John Goodman), points out. Mike impresses Professor Knight (Alfred Molina) with his studious attitude but Professor Dean Hardscrabble (Helen Mirren) is a far greater challenge and his future at the university is in jeopardy unless he can prove he is fearsome.
I did enjoy Monsters University, as my star rating attests, but it lacks the magic and originality of the original. For a start, it feels like a slip backwards; we know that screams will be replaced by laughter, we know how Mike's and Sully's friendship blossoms and so there is no room for surprise, or at least no opportunity for surprise is seized upon by writer/director Dan Scanlon.
Instead of originality, Scanlon falls back on familiar devices to propel the story and it feels as though his mission was to make a Monsters sequel that swells the coffers rather than giving the audience a thrilling, warm, laugh-out-loud journey through the mind of Pixar again. Essentially, what we are served up is a group of misfits, failures and underdogs that must overcome their own issues and prejudices and to work together to overturn the odds and come out on top. Queue frat parties, student jealousy, initiation ceremonies and a villainess, Hardscrabble, who must be put in her place.
However, the familiarity (or lack of originality) also allows for some enjoyable nods and twists on what we know. A few characters from the future wander through Monsters University in supporting roles and cameos that allow us a knowing chuckle, chief amongst these being the welcome, albeit brief, return of Randi (Steve Buscemi).
The animation is exquisite. Post-viewing, we put the original on for the youngest who didn't come to the cinema and, compared to the blend of colours and movement of Monsters University, it looked dull and clunky. That's how far Pixar has evolved in the past decade.
Monsters University is a fun film. It's a good addition to the Pixar canon and the children will love it. My little companions all claimed they enjoyed it more than the original. However, that was two minutes after the credits had finished rolling. My wife, however, echoed my view that, fun though it is, it's no classic and when both DVDs stand side by side on the shelf, it will be Monsters Inc. that will continue to be alternated with WALL.E.
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