Not As Good As Monsters, Inc, But Still Enjoyable

Rating: 7/10 (15 January 2015)

In Monsters University, we join Mike & Sully again but this time it's before their Monsters, Inc days as this is a prequel that takes us through their school days and how they met. Young Mike Wazowski has a dream of becoming a Scarer at Monsters, Inc so he works his way through school to get to Monsters University and it's there he meets James P. Sullivan. Unfortunately they get along together like Tom & Jerry, but after making a deal with Dean Hardscrabble that he and his fraternity of loser friends can win the university's Scare Games he's forced to work alongside Sully when his group is short by one member. Will it be a continuance of butting heads, or Mike & Sully manage to put their differences aside to work together? This is yet another good Disney/Pixar animation, but unfortunately it's nowhere near one of the funniest. While there are slightly amusing parts dotted throughout the movie and it does have it's certain moments, there is a definite lack in the hilarity department. The animation, however, is top notch as always (and as we have come to expect), especially on Blu-ray, with the visuals being crystal clear and really well done.
The voice casting is good as well with the return of John Goodman as Sully and Billy Crystal as Mike and even though I'm not a big fan of Billy Crystal as I think he's about as funny as a funeral, him and Goodman do work well together as the main characters. Steve Buscemi makes a return as Randall Boggs, and Helen Mirren is good as the hard, steely faced, and serious Dean Hardscrabble.
As with Disney/Pixar as well, this movie is good for kids and adults of all ages and even though it has a G rating, there may possibly be two or three scenes that might just be a wee bit scary for the really younger children of the 4 or 5 age group, but overall it's a movie made to be enjoyed by everyone, young and old.
Monsters University may not be as good as the slightly better Monsters, Inc but it's still a decent family movie to watch.