Monsters University appeals to viewers young and old

Rarely does a prequel work. For every Rise of the Planet of the Apes, there are three or four Phantom Menaces or Dumb and Dumberers. But the idea of taking a couple of beloved characters and exploring how they met is an intriguing one: did they get along at first? Did one steal the other’s girl? So when you can find a way to make the story work, everyone has a good time. And when it is Disney and Pixar behind the flick, you know it’s going to be a success.

Monsters University follows a 10-years-younger Mike Wazowski and Sulley Sullivan as they navigate the waters of the best Scarer-school around. The pair couldn’t be bigger opposites: Sulley is a legacy with the build to match, the latest in a long line of top-notch Scarers. But he’s relied on his scary body and big ROAR to get him this far instead of hitting the books and honing his craft. Mike doesn’t have that luxury; his small frame and less-than-scary look means that he has to study every bit of Scaring Theory. When the boy with the silver spoon in his mouth meets his counterpart with a chip on his … erm … “shoulder,” hijinks ensue.

Everything that works about 2001’s Monsters, Inc. is back in full form here. John Goodman (Sulley) and Billy Crystal (Mike) return to voice the leads. Pixar’s animation is as perfect as it ever was. The story is a fun – though familiar – tale: after a poor start to their collegiate career, the two are forced to team up with a group of outcast students to win a campus wide scaring competition to ensure their place in the school. Returning from the original is Steve Buscemi as Randy  — and a host of cameos – joined by newcomers Helen Mirren, Nathan Fillion, Joel Murray, Sean Hayes, Dave Folley, Aubrey Plaza, Tyler Labine and an almost unfair number of other familiar voices.

I’ve been a fan of Pixar’s work ever since Finding Nemo, particularly the studio’s ability to produce features that appeals to all age groups. The jokes in Monsters University target everyone; from parents to their children, with even a fair amount of humor targeted at my age group – you could tell when the row of press attendees were laughing the hardest. Pulling off a flick with such wide-ranging appeal isn’t easy, and Pixar does it time and time again.