Monsters University

I really like it when trailers give you meaningful insight into the plot of a film. It's something that is extremely helpful in picking out what to see; movie trailers now, on average, are around two and a half minutes in length and usually give viewers the funniest lines, coolest moments, and main plots points of the film. It's annoying. Sometimes. This is why I find it so refreshing when I find a trailer that manages to pique my interest while simultaneously giving me something great to look forward to, but not giving me the greatest parts of the film.

Case in point with one of the trailers that's been around for an animated movie since last summer, Monsters University. 75% of the trailer is basically an "introduction" video; each of the main characters telling us who they are, what they do, what they want to become, things like that. It's insightful, and a way to show audiences the faces of characters that they'll be seeing in the film while actually giving audiences something to work with, but still managing not to give anything important away. The entire trailer gives you pertinent information that a viewer needs in order to make an educated decision on whether or not to see the film, but doesn't ruin the story for you in any way.

I've always thought that this was a great marketing tactic. It usually succeeds, at least, in getting me to do a little more research on the films to learn a bit more about it before I go to see them. This trailer did exactly that for me. Monsters University is a prequel to the 2001 animated Pixar film, Monsters, Inc., which was written and directed by Pete Docter. The plot summary, in one sentence via IMDB, is this: "A look at the relationship between Mike and Sulley during their days at Monsters University -- when they weren't necessarily the best of friends." Ok, now you've really got my attention. Haven't Mike and Sulley always been friends?

The company behind the film, Pixar Animation Studios (which--fun fact--originally only catered to American government agencies and the medical profession) is the same company behind Up and the Toy Story series, two really great--and kind of emotional--animated projects. The director, Dan Scanlon, has worked as an animator on Joseph: King of Dreams and The Indescribable Nth. He also worked as a storyboard artist for the Pixar film, Cars.

With a cast that includes Billy Crystal, John Goodman, and Steve Buscemi, I'm glad I went out of my way to see this film last summer. It was certainly one of the best animated movies of 2013. I'm sure you didn't hear it here first.

Monsters University

In 2010, a sequel (or rather a 'sequel prequel' as Billy Crystal puts it) to Pixar's smash hit Monsters Inc. was announced to hit theaters in November 2012. The film is entitled Monster University and divulges into Mike & Sulley's glory days at college where they went from rivals to the unstoppable duo that we know and love. Billy Crystal and John Goodman have eargerly agreed to reprise their roles as Mike Wazowski and James P. Sullivan (Sulley). Steve Buscemi will also be returning as Randall Boggs (though I'm not entirely sure how his role will be worked into the movie) and new voices to join the cast include Dave Foley (Flick in A Bug's Life), Julia Sweeney, Joel Murray, and Peter Sohn (Emile in Ratatouille). However, in order to avoid competition with the release of yet another movie of the Twlight Saga, the release date was pushed back to June 2013.

Not much was released about the film other than it's wildly appropriate logo (below) until August of this year, when director, Dan Scanlon and animator, Ricky Nierva hosted a panel at the Disney Expo that revealed more images of how exactly creators were going to make a giant eyeball and a furry monster look 18 years old.

According to creators, Mike is "slightly smaller, has less freckles and wrinkles" while also supporting a retainer that he will apparently be loosing quite a bit throughout the movie.

Sulley is thinner and scruiffer, his hair resembles somewhat of a mullet and his brow doesn't seem as defined.

I personally think a prequel is a great idea for a movie that already has a large fan base because I am not a big fan of sequels and how much pressure they have to live up to (though if anyone can pull them off, Pixar can). In a prequel, as long as the story is developed properly, you can almost do anything with these characters because the audience is familiar with who they become, they know and love the "end product," now all creators have to do is have a good time getting them there. This journey can be really anything, because everyone (including our favorite monsters) goes through personality change after personality change to get to where they are at any given point in their lives. College especially is a great time to focus on because literally anything can happen. It also seems that the animators have been having fun de-aging the characters, so I look forward to seeing what else lies ahead (or behind) for Mike & Sulley. For more information on the the prequel, click here.

Below, director Dan Scanlon discusses the possibilities of a monster college, Pixar's animation process, and the research that went into making college buildings both believable and monstery: