♥♥♥♥♥
A great congregation of monstrous but hilarious characters are gathered on this poster for Dan Scanlon's Monsters University
We first travel back to a glimpse of the trying first school years for one-eyed, green monster Mike Wazowski, until he finally gets to go to Monsters University, his life-long dream, - where he will train himself to become a scarer. But again things line against him: No fraternity except the pariah Oozma Kappas (OK) fraternity will take him in, and what's worse; no one thinks he's scary. The arrogant, impressive blue monster Sullivan is thrown out of school at the same time as Mike, and they both decide to sign up with the OK fraternity to the school's Greek Games in order to win back their chance to become scarers.
Monsters University is the excellent prequel to Pixar's hit animation adventure family movie Monsters, Inc. (2001). It is Pixar's 14th film, and its first prequel. It is written by great Michigander filmmaker, co-writer/director Dan Scanlon (Tracy (2009)), Daniel Gerson (Monsters, Inc. (2001)) and Robert L. Baird (Ferdinand (2017)).
In the course of the story, Mike and Sully learn about work moral, working as a team, conducting yourself with integrity, - and how true friendship can be greatly rewarding. Monsters University is a surprisingly solid, funny and heart-warming follow-up to the wonderfully original first movie, in which a human child got out in Monstropolis and came into Mike and Sully's unfamiliar care.
Billy Crystal (Analyze That (2002)) and John Goodman (Downwardly Mobile (2012, TV movie)) are back to voice the main characters, and Steve Buscemi (Double Whammy (2001)) voices a younger, less evil version of Randy. Helen Mirren (Cause Célèbre (1987, TV movie)) is the imperial Dean Hardscrabble, and other enjoyable voices include those of Bill Hader (Her (2013)), Sean Hayes (The Bucket List (2007)) and Alfred Molina (Angie Tribeca (2016-17)).
A reason to see many good animation films are for their characters, and Monsters University doesn't disappoint. Besides the beloved protagonist pair there are plenty of new, funny, eye-popping characters.Careful brainstorming and research has obviously gone into Monsters University in its depiction of American college life, and it really pays off: From first being a praise of the world of a major, (U.S.) college, we go through classes, student types, clubs, parties, fraternities, and the imaginative Greek Games. Especially funny scenes include a basement initiation for the OK fraternity's two new residents, and a Game discipline about stealth abilities game by way of capture-the-flag under the blurry gaze of an ancient, tentacled monster librarian. The film is really funny, - it oozes with joy in its material, and Randy Newman (The Paper (1994)) has made a terrific, percussion-filled score that lends a full dimension to the grand, high-spirited material.
SPOILER The ending yields yet another valuable lesson about life, which is that college isn't the only way to get to where you're going, and to not give up on your dreams when the straight path you'd imagined proves blocked.
Monsters University is an amazing, wonderful time, - and it can be watched just as well with or without kids.
Related posts:
Dan Scanlon: 2013 in films - according to Film Excess
Watch a trailer for the film here
Cost: Estimagted 200 mil. $
Box office: 743.5 mil. $
= Big hit (returned 3.71 times its cost)
[Monsters University premiered 5 June (London) and runs 104 minutes. Sequel rights-holder Disney had been developing a sequel prior to their acquisition of Pixar in 2006, at which point their project was scrapped, and the reins instead handed back to Pixar's people. Production took place from May 2008 - May 2013 in California. The film opened #1 to an 82.4 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent another weekend at #1 and then another in the top 5 (#4), grossing 268.4 mil. $ (36.1 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Japan with 90.1 mil. $ (12.1 %) and the UK with 47.1 mil. $ (6.3 %). The film was nominated for 2 BAFTAs, among other honors. The-numbers.com estimate that it made in excess of 134 mil. $ at the North-American home video market. Scanlon returned with Onward (2020). Crystal returned in 6 TV and short credits prior to his theatrical return in The Comedian (2016); Goodman in CollegeHumor Originals (2013, TV-series) and theatrically in The Monuments Men (2014). Monsters University is certified fresh at 80 % with a 6.80/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]
What do you think of Monsters University?
No comments:
Post a Comment