Bob Peterson No Longer Directing The Good Dinosuar

What is going on with Pixar lately?! Pixar has no made 3 director changes over the course of 3 years! They did this with Cars 2, Brave, and now The Good Dinosaur. This is getting a bit out of hand.

Monsters University is a Brilliant Prequel to the Original Pixar Masterpiece

It's that amazing time of the year again. The time where Pixar releases their latest film. Monsters University is as brilliant, inventive and heartfelt as the original!

In Monsters University, we get to see how Mike and Sulley first met. However, they are enemies in this film. They can't stand each other! However, when their rivalry gets them kicked out from Monsters University, they must team up and join a fraternity called Oozma Kappa and win the Scare Games to get back in the university.

While the story makes it seem like a film with a theme about friendship, that is not the case. Where movies like Pinocchio teach you that anything can happen if you wish for it, Monsters University tells it like it is and tells you that you can't get your way or reach a goal because you wished for it. Mike is a bookworm. He will do anything for good grades so he can be a scarer. However, he lacks the scariness. However, Sulley is a naturally talented scarer who comes from a family of legendary scarers. However, he is lazy and doesn't put the effort into anything. This film is trying to say that no matter how many books you read, you will get the good grades, but they won't help you if you don't have the talent. It is also trying to say that you can't be lazy, either. No matter how talented you are. The theme in this film is brilliantly executed and is an extremely risky theme to pull off for an animated film, or any film for that matter. This theme of not always being able to make your wishes come true is one that filmmakers seem to shy away from. I love how Pixar is not afraid to take risks like this.

Speaking of originality, this film had twists that I did not expect it to have. The film is full of surprises. Prequels are always very bland since you know how they end. With this film, you know what happens at the end, but how the characters got to where they are will shock you. This lack of predictability is what makes it stand out from any other prequel. It also makes it a lot more interesting since it moves away from the formula of any other college or sports movie by adding these twists.

Having the film start off with a younger Mike really helps you get to know him and care for him. When he first enters the university, you can't help but say, "You did it, Mike. You're on your way." And it also makes you feel really bad for him when he gets kicked out of the university.

This may be Mike's story, but all of the Oozma Kappa members have their own little stories and develop throughout the film as well. They are all so lovable. There is not one member of Oozma Kappa I did not like. They are all extremely funny and it's really interesting to see their stories that they go through and seeing how they develop. Even though they aren't the main characters, they are still very lovable and memorable and are given a perfect amount of screen time and character development

All of the characters, especially the Oozma Kappa members are gut-bustingly funny, but I can't get enough of Art! He is a brilliant depiction of that one weird kid that everyone has met in school. He pretty much stole the show! He gave non-stop laughs whenever he would say something. The comedic timing in this film is top notch.

Another character that stood out was Dean Hardscrabble. She's this really creepy centipede/bat. When you hear her hundreds of tiny centipede legs when she walks, you can't help but shudder. She keeps to herself and seems to bottle everything up inside of her and you never know whether or not she might let out a sudden outburst.

The film also briefly focuses on how Randall grows to hate Mike and Sulley. This was handled brilliantly. His story makes sense and makes me feel for him and the other characters a lot more. Also, he didn't take up too much screen time.

I also love how Monsters University ends right where Monsters Inc. begins. You can watch these films back to back and not feel you missed any part of lives of Mike and Sully.

The score, composed by Randy Newman, is remarkable to say the least! I'm actually listening to the score while I'm writing this review! It feels like a mixture of the scores from Monsters Inc., A Bug's Life and Toy Story while still having it's own unique tune to it. It's easily one of my favorite Pixar scores!

And what kind of Pixar film review would this be if I don't talk about the short film that comes before it? In this case, it's The Blue Umbrella. It's an excellent short film with an amazing score. It's also Pixar's first time they tried photorealistic animation, and it looked beautiful. The short film may feel a bit like Paperman, but then when something (I'm not saying what) happened, I thought to myself "That wasn't in Paperman!" So it has some differences.

Overall, Monsters University is a remarkable masterpiece and is a more than welcome addition to the Pixar canon. It's easily the best film I've seen this year and probably the best prequel I've ever seen!

Film Grade: A+