Monsters University

Monsters University.

Monsters University is the prequel to 2001's Monsters Inc which was also made by Pixar Studios. Since its release Monsters Inc has been heralded as a classic among Pixar's outstanding repertoire. This prequel chronicles how Mike and Sully met at college and went from enemies to best friends and working at Monsters Inc on the Scare Floor. John Goodman and Billy Crystal reprise their roles as Sully and Mike, respectively. We also get a glimpse of bad guy Randall in his college years who is voiced again by Steve Buscemi. Outside of those 3 guys, most of the voice cast is all new, because there are so many all new characters.

The Positive: The voice cast is phenomenal, the new additions fit in perfectly as do their characters. As per usual, Pixars animation is absolutely amazing, that's never a let down. The story is great, while predictable it's told in a great way that doesn't feel overused. The movie is fun, loaded with humor and and the heart that Pixar has come to be known for. Cars 2 and Brave were mildly disappointing, but Monsters University is a great step in the right direction, it feels like they're back in their comfort zone and are just killing it.

The Negative: Honestly, not much. The pacing is pretty good, the movie is just under 2 hours which is a bit longer for Pixar but it doesn't feel long at all. The animation is above par. The only gripe I really have (MILD SPOILER ALERT) is that I was hoping for some kind of nod/Easter egg about Boo and I looked pretty hard throughout the movie and never found one. But besides that there are Easter eggs everywhere for fans of the first movie and Pixar really seems to reward their longtime fans.

Overall: Monsters University is not only a great family film but a great film in general. With an arsenal as impressive as Pixars it's hard to place where this movie belongs among the rest of them, time will tell if this installment will be remembered as a great one. There's really no reason not to see this movie, even if you haven't seen the first, this movie is good enough on its own. While not as good as its predecessor it fits in perfectly and is a great companion movie to Monsters Inc.

Rating: 5/5: Pretty Damn Awesome, go see this movie.