Pixar goes back to school

Rating: 8/10 (29 July 2013)

Pixar, of late have not been the quality film makers they are known to be. Every since the release Toy Story 3 in 2010, it seems like they have been on a downward slope. Even though I didn't see Cars 2, I did see Brave and even though I liked it, it felt disjointed as it felt like two entirely different films spliced together, the villain was extremely weak which was disappointing as Pixar's previous films have given us some great villain's in the form of Hopper and Randell and just didn't have the polish that they're previous films are used to. It felt like the once legendary film company should be put out to pasture. However, with the release of Monsters University, Pixar are back on form.
Monsters University marks Pixar's first prequel and adds to the already intriguing Monsters' universe, diving deeper in the profession of the screamer, showing that there is more to it than just simply being scary. This is one of Monsters U's shining spots as it shows that the idea for showing Mike's and Sully's university years isn't just a gimmick.
The story starts of with showing us Mike's primary or grade school years and what inspired him to become a scarer. In one of Pixar's brilliantly crafted opening title sequences it shows us Mike's journey on getting to university. From then on in we get introduced to other characters from the original film such as Randell and of course Sully. We also get a couple of glimpses of George. With Mike and Sully not being friends at first they naturally start to bump head. Then a conflict between them results in them both getting thrown out of the scaring program and having to prove their worth the the head of the scaring program, Dean Hardscrabble, by taking part in the Scare Games where the winners are said to be "the scariest monsters on campus", but to do so they have to join a fraternity called Oozma Kappa which, at first glance, consists of the lamest monsters you have ever seen. The story is well thought out, clever and worthy of the Pixar name closing out on one of the best climaxes in animation movie history.
The performances are brilliant with Crystal, Goodman and Buscemi being as good as they were in the original. However, it is the new cast members that really shine. With great performances by Charlie Day as the purple fuzz ball on legs Art, Nathan Fillion as the leader of rival fraternity Roar Omega Roar, Johnny Worthington and of course Helen Mirren as the legendary Dean Hardscrabble.
Overall, Monsters University is a return to form for Pixar and, for me at least, is better than Monsters Inc with it's superiour story, characters and and jokes.