A more than worthy prequel, Pixar's best since Toy Story 3

Rating: 9/10 (14 July 2013)

Monsters University as a prequel did have a fair bit to live up to, seeing as Monsters Inc is one of Pixar's best films. It is not as good as that film though, it doesn't quite have the same degrees of originality and heart(though there is still a fair bit of heart here, just that the final 10 minutes of Monsters Inc were among the most heartfelt moments of any Pixar film), but Monsters University is still more than worthy to it without being one of their best. And it is Pixar's best since Toy Story 3, Cars 2 and Brave were not as bad as often said on IMDb but compared to what Pixar had done before they fell short. As always with Pixar, the animation is amazing. The details, vibrant colours, eye-popping backgrounds and beautifully rendered characters are all here and done in a way that makes it true to the style of the original film. The uplifting and beautifully composed music score is also something to look out for, as are the witty screenplay, the interplay between Sulley and Mike is loose and recognisable and is often hilarious, the clever sight gags and affectionate nods to live action frat comedies. The humour comes by at a breakneck pace, but still gives you time to breathe at the same time. The story, while not as original as Monsters Inc, is still interesting and paced in a way that allows all the family to be entertained. It is also full of endless charm, perfectly pitched humour and great heartfelt morals that don't preach, telling a good story is one of Pixar's strongest points and it shows. The characters are still wonderful, it is easy to love Sulley and Mike still even in their younger versions, there are shades of Randall's character in the original coming through here and Dean Hardscrabble is a great addition, a literal monster's answer to Rebecca's Mrs Danvers. The lack of Boo doesn't hurt the film, despite fears that it would do. The voice acting is fantastic, John Goodman and Billy Crystal carry their lead roles splendidly and Helen Mirren is wonderfully stone-faced and menacing. Everybody gives their character a personality and one that stands out. To conclude, while not quite as good as Monsters Inc or one of Pixar's best it does compliment the original Monsters Inc really well and is a step-up from their previous two films. 9/10 Bethany Cox