Monsters University

Theatrical Release Date: 2013 06 21 (USA - 3D) / 2013 06 21 (USA)

UPC: 786936831757

Studio: Walt Disney

MPAA Rating: G   Contains:null

Summary: Take a trip back in time to when star Monsters, Inc. employees Mike Wazowski (voice of Billy Crystal) and James P. "Sulley" Sullivan (voice of John Goodman) were just two promising young students at Monsters University in this frightfully fun Disney/Pixar prequel. Long before they were lurking in closets for a living, Mike and Sulley were just two Scaring majors at Monsters University, dreaming of the day they would make children shriek in terror. When their heated competition to be the most fearsome in their class gets out of hand, however, Mike and Sulley find themselves ejected from the prestigious Scare Program, and they are forced to seek the aid of their oddball friends in order to get their education back on track. Dan Scanlon (Tracy) takes the directorial reigns for this prequel featuring additional vocal contributions by Steve Buscemi, Dave Foley, and Julia Sweeney. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Category: Fantasy

Awards: Best Animated Feature – British Academy of Film and Television Arts

Features: The blue umbrella theatrical short (rated G)
Audio commentary
Campus life
Story school
Scare games
Monthropology
Welcome to MU
Music appreciation
Scare tactics
Color and light
Paths to Pixar: MU edition
Furry monsters
Deleted scenes
Set flythroughs
Art gallery
Promo picks

Monsters University

Format: Blu-ray

Release Date: 10/29/2013

Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Alternate Wide Screen

Audio: DTHD, DD2 Dolby Digital Stereo, DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1, DD+

Runtime: 104 Minutes

Sides: 3

Number of Discs: 3

Language(s) English,French,Spanish

Subtitles: English,French,Spanish

Chapters: Disc #1 -- Monsters University
1. Field Trip
2. Titles
3. Freshman Orientation
4. Roommates
5. First Day
6. Not My Room
7. Pig Chase
8. A Challenge
9. 1st Semester Showdown
10. Kicked Out
11. Dream Over
12. Mike's Plan
13. OK Brothers
14. Initiation
15. First Morning
16. Toxicity Challenge
17. My Way
18. Keep Quiet
19. Party Like Scarers
20. Cute-Ma Kappa
21. The Big Leagues
22. Teamwork
23. A Seed of Doubt
24. Final Competition
25. A Betrayal
26. Door Breach
27. Searching for Mike
28. Shut Down
29. The Big Scare
30. Separate Ways
31. Epilogue
32. End Credits

Perry Seibert

For the most part, the Pixar films have worked so effectively because they draw you into an emotional storyline early and efficiently. From Toy Story to Brave, they've always presented a reason for us to care about the characters while dazzling us with their imagery. Partly because it's a prequel, Monsters University is one of the few films from the gigantically successful studio that fails to deliver an emotional payoff.

Billy Crystal returns as the voice of Mike Wazowski, a short, round, green creature with a single giant eye and a burning desire to graduate from the titular academic institution with a degree in scaring -- though he's so adorable he'll never even startle a fly. He immediately butts heads with James P. "Sulley" Sullivan (John Goodman), the son of one of the most revered scarers of all time. While Mike knows more about frightening children than anyone in school, Sulley coasts through on his ferocious roar.

When Dean Hardscrabble (Helen Mirren) kicks the two out of school after they get into a fight that breaks her most prized possession, the enemies must join together in order to win the Scare Games, an annual campus event to find the most frightening fraternity or sorority on campus. Teaming up with a band of unscary misfits, the duo do everything they can to put their differences aside and achieve their dreams.

Maybe because we know already from Monsters, Inc. that Mike and Sulley go on to work as a team on the scare floor of the powerful energy company, there is little drama in the conflict this prequel establishes. That would be less of a problem if the film were non-stop funny, but the humor in Monsters University is sadly lacking. In the past, when Pixar films have fallen short on the story level, they've been jam-packed with business and jokes -- like Mater's confrontation with a bidet in the underwhelming Cars 2 -- and breathtaking visual artistry. With Monsters University, it's possible that audiences may begin taking Pixar's continued state-of-the-art technical mastery for granted; people aren't as easily impressed if they don't care about what they're watching.

Director Dan Scanlon's low-budget comedy Tracy concerned a beloved local children's television show host. It has a creativity and a sense of satire that's missing entirely from his big-budget debut. Because Monsters, Inc. exposes how scaring turns out to be far from the most efficient way to power the monster world, there were great opportunities with the prequel to comment on how colleges have come more and more to be used as trade schools. While that might be a bit too ambitious for a family film, they could have at least nodded to the humorous irony that our lead characters are knocking themselves out to learn something that's going to be totally useless one day. However, instead of shooting for depth, the filmmakers stick with efficiently presented but uninspired one-liners and visual gags.

Pixar is known for giving its directors constant feedback from the talented brain trust (John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, Lee Unkrich, etc.) that built the studio into the powerhouse it is. But Monsters University is the first time the finished product feels like it was produced by a committee, rather than an artist with something to say. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Randy Newman  Composer (Music Score) 
Pete Docter  Executive Producer 
John Lasseter  Executive Producer 
Andrew Stanton  Executive Producer 
Lee Unkrich  Executive Producer 
Daniel Gerson  Screenwriter 
Dan Scanlon  Director 
Dan Scanlon  Screenwriter 
Kori Rae  Producer 
Robert L. Baird  Screenwriter 
Billy Crystal  Actor 
John Goodman  Actor 
Steve Buscemi  Actor 
Helen Mirren  Actor 
Peter Sohn  Actor 
Joel Murray  Actor 
Sean Hayes  Actor 
Dave Foley  Actor 
Charlie Day  Actor 
Alfred Molina  Actor 
Tyler Labine  Actor 
Nathan Fillion  Actor 
Aubrey Plaza  Actor 
Bobby Moynihan  Actor 
Noah Johnston  Actor 
Julia Sweeney  Actor 
Bonnie Hunt  Actor 
John Krasinski  Actor 
Bill Hader  Actor 
Bill Hader  Actor 
Beth Behrs  Actor 
Bob Peterson  Actor 
John Ratzenberger  Actor 

Country: USA