Monsters, Inc, was a funny reversal that worked spectacularly, the Monsters in question collected children’s screams which they used as energy to fuel their society, so the Monsters had to go through doors and scare little children. But the children themselves were toxic and the simple touch of a a little girl’s hand could kill a monster.
So what would happen if a child accidentally came into the monsters world?
It wouldn’t be pretty and for a kids movie it would be very cool, all the horror of monsters with the sting taken out of their tale.
The great pleasure in Voice Actors is the actors are timeless, as the lead monsters, John Goodman’s Sully and Mike Wazowski spoken by Billy Crystal, the two extremely talented actors are no longer Grandfathers, they are young monsters on the prowl and it it gives them the animated gleam of perpetual youth!
And, yes, only in Disney can the sands of change run in verse and we get Goodman and Crystal as college kids in the almost equally excellent backstory “Monsters University”. Before they were “scarers” Scully and Mike were trying to become scarers, Scully from a long line of ancestors who he has trouble following in their footsteps, and Mike who, for all his studying, just ain’t scary. Like all backstory movies, it is filled with presnetiments for stuff we know will come to pass. Especially a really nasty roommate!
Things start off bad and get far worse as the duo and assorted lamest frat on town buddies attempt to not get expelled from the program. Set pieces aplenty, all fair to middling, and some very good, including the very first one where Scully steals the opposing colleges Pig mascot. And I know, been there done that, didn’t the Marx Brothers pull that stunt in “Animal Crackers”? Well it still works so sucks to you.
A nice party seen with an EDM playing DJ ends up in a “Carrie” rip off and everything heads downhill for the duo and an inevitable showdown with Dean Hardscrabble –portrayed to a hiss by dame Helen Mirrin.
So, no U is not as good as Inc., but it is plenty fun.
Grade: B