Not quite upto the standards of Monsters Inc, but still an enjoyable family film.

Rating: 7/10 (29 July 2013)

12 years after the extremely successful animated hit Monsters, Inc was released, Disney Pixar under the directorial guidance of Dan Scanlon, have released the highly anticipated prequel Monsters University, seeing the return of monsters Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal) and James P. "Sulley" Sullivan (John Goodman).
The 2001 original follows both Mike and Sulley as they work on the scarers floor of the Monsters Corporation. Human screams are what power their world and it is down to the scarers to capture those screams. However, they are faced with the problem of an escaped child who enters their world and as havoc ensues with the help of main antagonist Randall Boggs (Steve Buscemi), it is upto the pair to come to the rescue. Despite the fantastic tale that unravelled in the original, we still did not know how Mike and Sulley became scarers and best friends. This is what Scanlon's new film sets out to tell us.
Both Mike and Sulley end up at Monsters University, the renowned scaring institution, and clash immediately. Mike, who has dreamed of becoming a scarer since he visited the scarers floor on a school visit, and Sulley, who lives off of his families name, certainly do not see eye to eye, of which eventually ends in disastrous consequences. The prequel is an enjoyable ride through their experiences of university and successfully answers the vital questions set out above. It is a fun-filled experience, but lacks the same charm and humour that made the original film so successful. Randall Boggs added the sinister factor to Monsters, Inc, but MonstersUniversity fails to capture that same feeling with the strict Dean Hardscrabble (Helen Mirren). The relationship between Mike, Sulley and the 'O.K' fraternity of which they become apart of is the most charming aspect of the film. The lovable quartet the pair join with for the Scaring Games, a competition to prove your scaring capabilities, consisting of Don (Joel Murray), Terri (Sean Hayes), Terry (Dave Foley) and Art (Charlie Day), will bring a smile to even the most miserable of audience members faces.
Monsters University is a film of strength and persistence personified by the relationship between Mike and Sulley. Both are shown as vulnerable in contrasting ways, but by the end of the film that all changes. Scanlon has done a good job in capturing the spirit of the original, and although it still does not quit hit the heights of Monsters, Inc in regards to quality, it is a worthwhile cinematic experience suitable for the whole family.
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