It’s been a long time since I saw ‘Monsters Inc’, the inspiration for the latest Disney Pixar film, which serves as a prequel to the 2001 film, but I can remember the key points and remember enjoying it as a fifteen year old, more so than the last couple of Pixar films such as ‘Ratatouille’, ‘Cars’ and, I await the backlash, ‘Toy Story 3’, which were decidedly average compared to their own oeuvre, which has always set high standards, but also to an increasingly competent range of animated films released by other houses including ‘Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs’ and ‘How To Train a Dragon’. Though I haven’t seen ‘Cars 2’ or ‘Brave’ to judge them, ‘Monsters University’ feels like a return to form for Pixar with a film that, though not doing anything massively groundbreaking, is warming, comforting and a pleasure to watch.
The film follows Mike who, following a school trip to what will be his future workplace, decides that he wants to go to Monsters University to learn to be a scarer. So, flash forward many years, and he’s off to the campus to learn his profession where he meets Sullivan as a fellow student and rival. Characters established in ‘Monsters Inc’ appear here, alongside many new faces in a busily populated campus. Mike and Sulley soon find themselves thrown off the course, though, after flunking the semester one exam, and their only hope of return is by winning the Scare Games as part of the uncool frat house ‘OK’.
It goes without saying that ‘Monsters University’ looks lovely, and the technical advancements of a decade can be seen, but I found myself too engrossed in the story to really admire how it looks, but the number of characters populating the campus shows how much grunt the computers can now manage. It’s the story and characters of the prequel that shine, with Mike taking centre stage and becoming a really engaging character, alongside the other five that make up their house, who all get enough development to be cared about. Dean Hardscrabble (voiced by Helen Mirren) is another welcome addition to the cast, as the scary University head, and there’s plenty of foreshadowing for fans of the first film to enjoy.
I wouldn’t really call ‘Monsters University’ a funny film; there weren’t really any moments when I laughed, but it does have its fair share of tension, interesting set-ups and a strong structure, especially when it gets into the area of the Scare Games. The plot itself never strays too far from being predictable for most of the running time, from the familiar set-ups to the knowledge that it’s got to eventually resolve things as set-up for the original film, but there are some excellent set pieces and some moments of suspense and tension that you wouldn’t expect from a children’s film, plus the conclusion isn’t quite how you think it will resolve itself, so perhaps it’s not too much of a path well trodden.
Overall the stars align for this prequel and make it one of the stronger films in Pixar’s growing collection of films. It’s relatively predictable and the plotline overshadows any advancements they make graphically, but it’s the characters and their adventures that really shine here. Throw in another brilliant short film called ‘The Blue Umbrella’ ahead of the movie – rating next to ‘Wreck It Ralph’s’ ‘Paperman’, and this is a film well worth seeing. It definitely held my attention for its considerable running time, but the younger members of the audience I was in saw a lapse in attention, and to me the final quarter is quite dark for a kids film, but resolved in a light and quirky ending montage.
A great film, plus, Claire Wheeler is pretty cute for a CGI character!
(7.5/10)
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