Monsters University: So well animated, it’s scary

Monsters University is the much-anticipated prequel to the beloved 2001 Pixar buddy comedy, Monsters, Inc. The film shows us how animated odd couple Mike (Billy Crystal) and Sully (John Goodman) first met while studying to pursue their lifelong ambitions: to be professional Scarers. Mike is a booksmart outcast who, after a particularly inspiring school fieldtrip, focused all his energies on pursing a career of being that monster in the closet or the thing that goes bump in the night. Sully is a self-assured jock with plenty of natural talent, a great lineage and very little drive. The two take a fairly immediate dislike to one another and in the midst of their rivalry cause an accident that gets them expelled from their program by the very scary and tough-as-nails Dean Hardscrabble (Helen Mirren).

All seems lost when Mike finds a possible way back into the program, betting Hardscrabble that his team can win the annual Greek Scare Games.   He and Sully are forced to team up (with a band Oozma Kappa misfits) to compete.   Their collective talents, confidence and character are tested as they face a series of creative challenges.  The G-rated comedy gives more than a nod to earlier coming-of-age movies  that give rag-tag teams of underdogs a shot at glory like Animal House and Revenge of the Nerds (and even a little Harry Potter).

From extolling the virtues of teamwork to encouraging the appreciation of individual differences, there are a lot of life lessons packed into this 110-minute film, yet it manages to not to come off as didatic or heavy-handed. As always, the animation is gorgeous and detailed, creating a stunningly realistic and rich world. (There is one point where the bus pulls up and it almost looks like HD video rather than computer animation.) Did we need an origin story detailing how Mike met Sully? Probably not. Did we thoroughly enjoy revisiting these old friends? Most definitely.