The problem with prequels, is that they follow a strong standalone film, where the viewer has often little desire or just doesn’t want the director to reveal too much about the past of their favourite characters. However, Monsters University, Pixar’s long-awaited follow up to the 2001 smash hit film Monsters Inc, is a fun and unexpectedly wise prequel that chronicles an unlikely friendship.
Beginning as Mike (Billy Crystal) and Sully (John Goodman) enrol in Monsters University’s prestigious ‘Scare Programme’, where the two become enemies overnight, both monsters are soon tasked with working with the outcast and unpopular Oozma Kappa fraternity in order to stay on their course. Colourful, fun and energetic, Monsters University is a film that celebrates the underdog, that criticises the social hierarchy of school and university but most of all champions being truthful to your friends and yourself. While it is a little predictable in places, the strength of this film lies in its ability to surprise the audience and craft a tale of friendship that is suitable for children and adults alike.
Showing as part of the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2013
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