Review: Monsters University

When you ever see a trailer for Pixar's next installment, you just have to see it. You may not know what the story will be, but you know you will get something that will warm your heart.

This time, we get Pixar's first every prequel. They decided to choose the classic and emotional Monsters Inc. and show how the relationship of Mike Wazowski and James P. Sullivan began.

As usual, with every Pixar we begin with a short animation. I always love this distinguishing feature, as it shows that they have not left their roots. This one, titled The Blue Umbrella, was a very touching one. Despite it being approximately 5 minutes, it makes you change to several emotions. It will make you laugh, smile and cry. The animation looked very real, and they seem to be making even newer grounds into their technology which is pleasing to see.

On to the main feature, and the start is pretty basic I felt for Pixar's standards. But it still got you geared for what is to come. There is a nice flow, but it did not feel like a full-on Pixar yet.
As the film goes on, there are several returns of characters from the Monsters movie which was pleasing to see. There were obviously some new ones, where I felt the best one was voiced the always stunning Helen Mirren. Her voice made her character a lot more intimidating then you expect. From that point on, every time she appears on the screen, you know there is evil on that screen.

The final third of the film was definitely the best part, as we get the epic conclusion on what makes Mike and Sully click and it was worth the wait. It definitely felt like a Pixar classic by the end of it and set the scene nicely for 2001 classic. Even typing that makes it hard to believe that it has 12 years since Monsters Inc.

The whole thing reminded of Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire and even Cheaper By The Dozen 2. It is a good origins story, and it will no doubt get A LOT of box office. It didn't feel like I had just seen a new classic, but I still think it is a memorable watch with a strong pay-off. The last Pixar that really touched me was probably Toy Story 3, which was in 2010. They are still making terrific films that are putting Dreamworks to shame, but they are not instant classic and their rivals are slowly catching up in terms of their ideas. I really hope their next installment (Inside Out) will bring back the Pixar we all know and love. I have no doubt they will, because magic quite literally comes out from their California studio, and I already can't wait for summer 2015.

Rating: 8/10