Ever since a childhood field trip to Monsters, Inc., Mike has dreamed of being the best scarer around; no matter, he’s pretty small, and not particularly scary looking. What he lacks in looks, he makes up for in dedication. From his first day at Monsters University, Mike is committed to studying, and memorizing all the necessary scares. On his first day there, Mike runs into Sulley, and the two don’t exactly hit it off. Sulley is the exact opposite of Mike: a legacy student, Sulley intends to coast through school on his father’s reputation, and have lots of fun doing it.
A popular jock, Sulley is courted by Roar Omega and its sycophantic president Johnny J. Worthington III (Nathan Fillion). However, when Sulley’s pride gets the best of him and he’s booted from Roar Omega Roar, he’s forced to join the laughing stock of the annual Scare Games: Oozma Kappa; the much maligned geek frat on campus that counts Mike as a member. In order to win, Mike and Sulley must find a way to get along; Mike’s brain and Sulley’s brawn could put them over the top. If they can’t find a way to come together and win, straightforward dean Abigail Hardscrabble (Helen Mirren) has vowed to kick them out of the Scare program for good.
Prequels can be a tough business, but Pixar made a great choice here. Watching a young Mike on a field trip to the Monsters, Inc. scare floor, completely fascinated with the process of door selection, and the bedroom interactions sets the perfect tone. We understand from the opening moments that Mike has built his life around his goal of being a scarer. Director and co-writer Dan Scanlon sets an inspirational tone, as we watch this little guy, who virtually nobody believes can be a scarer, work as hard as he can to obtain his dream.
The voice acting is great from top to bottom, and the animation is superior. The hundreds of unique monsters that populate the film are amazing, helping to make Monsters University as visual stunning as anything else Pixar has released in the past.
Presented in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio, this 1080p transfer absolutely pops from the screen with bright, vivid colors. Fine details are stellar throughout; you can see individual strands of Sulley’s blue coat. Image wise, this disc is demo stuff.
The Dolby TrueHD 7.1 mix is very impressive. The entire soundfield is utilized, making it feel as though viewers are right in the middle of the action. The rears are well used for effects, and the crystal clear dialogue is nicely placed in the center channel.
English SDH, English, French and Spanish subtitles are available.
The following extras are included:
- Blue Umbrella (Disc 1, 6:46, HD) Pixar’s latest short film Blue Umbrella, is a sweet story of anthropomorphic love, between blue and red umbrellas on a crowded, rainy street.
- Audio Commentary (Disc 1) Director/co-writer Dan Scanlon, producer Kori Rae and story supervisor Kelsey Mann discuss the development of the story, creating younger versions of the first film’s characters, the difficult choice to ignore a line in the original that suggested Mike and Sulley met in the fourth grade, voice casting and animation, the challenges of delivering a prequel, etc.
- Campus Life (Disc 2, 15:14, HD) Scanlon and company host this day in the life video journal detailing the team’s day to day routines, from arrival to breakfast, creative meetings, animation dailies, voice recording sessions and beyond.
- Story School (Disc 2, 8:38, HD) A look at the work of the writers and story artists, featuring concept art, pre-visualizations, storyboards and more.
- Scare Games (Disc 2, 4:30, HD) “Pixar takes its fun very seriously!” Collaboration, unity and teamwork, courtesy of competition inspired by the Scare Games.
- Monthropology (Disc 2, 5:47, HD) Designing, puppeting, animating and breathing life into the Monsters University students and faculty, using every tool and technique at the Pixar team’s disposal.
- Welcome to MU (Disc 2, 6:09, HD) Scanlon provides an overview of the prequel and its production.
- Music Appreciation (Disc 2, 7:29, HD) Scoring Monsters University at Sony Studios with Scanlon, music editor Bruno Coon and longtime Pixar collaborator and composer Randy Newman.
- Scare Tactics (Disc 2, 5:15, HD) The perfecting of the perfect MU scare.
- Color and Light (Disc 2, 5:16, HD) A before-and-after look at the film at its every stage of production, each step with increasingly dramatic color, light, shadow and depth.
- Paths to Pixar: MU Edition (Disc 2, 7:40, HD) Scanlon introduces several team members, who share personal stories about the paths that brought them to careers in animation and ultimately, Pixar.
- Furry Monsters: A Technical Retrospective (Disc 2, 5:02, HD) Comparing the animation of 2001’s Monsters Inc. and 2013’s prequel.
- Deleted Scenes (Disc 2, 22:04, HD) Four unfinished deleted scenes with director introductions: “Rivalry” (an alternate version of Mike and Sulley’s meeting), “Recon,” “Movie Night” and “Drama Class.”
- Promo Picks (Disc 2, 13:41, HD) “Monsters Mashup,” “College Campaign” and “Theatrical Campaign” commercials, promos, teasers, trailers and tie-ins for Monsters University.
- Set Flythroughs (Disc 2, 6:25, HD) Tour various sets.
- Art Galleries (Disc 2, HD) View a large collection of artwork divided into five categories: “Characters,” “Color Keys,” “Development Art,” “Environments” and “Graphics.”
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