Monsters University

"Before they were incorporated, they had to be educated."

2013 1h 44m EN

👍

7.1

SOLID

★7.1TMDB · 11,589

AnimationFamilyComedyFantasy

Synopsis

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A look at the relationship between Mike and Sulley during their days at Monsters University — when they weren't necessarily the best of friends.

“Before they were incorporated, they had to be educated.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Billy Crystal
Mike (voice)
John Goodman
Sullivan (voice)
Steve Buscemi
Randy (voice)
Helen Mirren
Dean Hardscrabble (voice)
Peter Sohn
Squishy (voice)
Joel Murray
Don (voice)
Sean Hayes
Terri (voice)
Dave Foley
Terry (voice)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Dan Scanlon
Writers: Rosana Sullivan, Louis Gonzales, Kelsey Mann
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Budget of $200M — blockbuster tier. Only ~1% of films ever made reach this.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 3.7× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 13 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Monsters, Inc. Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CAST

Did you know

530+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Dan Scanlon, shot by Jean-Claude Kalache. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Randy Newman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Greg Snyder shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Dan Scanlon directs. Jean-Claude Kalache behind the camera. Randy Newman scores. Greg Snyder cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Budget of $200M — blockbuster tier. Only ~1% of films ever made reach this.
2Made its money back 3.7× over at the box office.
3Released 13 years ago.
4Part of the "Monsters, Inc. Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
5530+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.
6Directed by Dan Scanlon, shot by Jean-Claude Kalache. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by Randy Newman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor Greg Snyder shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Billy Crystal and John Goodman and Steve Buscemi carry the top of the cast.
10Marketing tagline: "Before they were incorporated, they had to be educated.".
11IMDB entry: tt1453405 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
1211,589 TMDB user ratings logged — serious cultural footprint.
13Classified under 17 themes, including "friendship", "monster", "door", "training camp".
14Released under 20 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Jean-Claude Kalache
Original score: Randy Newman
Editing: Greg Snyder
Production design: Ricky Nierva
VFX supervisor: Jon Reisch
Sound: Tony Sereno
Runtime: 104 min · 1h 44m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $200,000,000
Box office: $743,559,465
Return: 372% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): G
IMDB: Monsters University (2013)

Awards

Annie Award

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Part of

Monsters, Inc. Collection

The Monsters, Inc. Collection is a heartwarming animated series set in a world powered by children's emotions. With imaginative storytelling, quirky characters, and vibrant visuals, it explores friendship, fear, and personal growth through the lens of lovable monsters navigating unexpected challenges.

Also by

Dan Scanlon

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Gimly2017-05-13
★ 7/10
Monsters University, it’s great, it’s the best thing Pixar’s brought out in the past three years leading up to it. It’s enjoyable, it’s well casted and it’s cute without being too cheesy. It’s also the third miss in a row for Pixar. MU, just like Brave (and unlike Cars 2) is filled with merit, and well worth watching. But in 1995 when Pixar came out swinging with Toy Story, people expect that sort of a trend to continue. Which it did! Right up until 2006, when they released their seventh film (Cars); the first film they’d gotten behind that didn’t blow audiences world wide out of the Goddamn water. Pixar’s limped up and down the approval ladder ever since, with MU sitting comfortably somewhere in the middle. It is a great film. Especially for a kids’ film, especially for a prequel, all of that, but it is not the return to greatness audiences keep hoping for. It plays it safe, it lulls in the dreary, rarely well-pulled-off format of “College Comedy” (which is again, a safe area to sit in). It may not be as triumphant as the original, but it’s not all together disappointing either. The film does what virtually any film with large amount of money behind it does: It stands in front of you for an hour and a half, does its job in the entertainment industry of “entertaining” you, then it sidles out, leaving you smiling, but not thoroughly satisfied. It takes as few risks as possible, and vehemently avoids anything new, just in case it pisses people off, and risks not making their money back. It’s fine, people of the world are used to this, it’s a fun ride, and then it’s done. Worth your money, worth your time, but not what people have come to expect from the powerhouse of Pixar’s heyday. 74% -Gimly
r96sk2020-07-18
★ 7/10
A fun prequel to <em>'Monsters, Inc.'</em>. It isn't on the same level as the preceding film, but <em>'Monsters University'</em> is a pleasing film nonetheless. It takes a trip backwards in time to see Mike and Sully pre-Inc. and it comes out good, it doesn't have as much as heart but the comedy is still there at a strong level. John Goodman (Sully) and Billy Crystal (Mike) are again fantastic, while Helen Mirren comes in as a new character, Hardscrabble, and gives a pleasant performance. I don't love the other new characters, but they certainly serve a purpose and play a part. The plot is entertaining, it drops a little bit once the competition begins but everything is still enjoyable - the 104 minute run time flies by. I think I would've preferred a sequel story featuring a grown up Boo (admittedly not sure in what way), but this production is a suitable attachment to the quality 2001 original.
John2021-04-07
★ 10/10
This is a great movie. The quality of animation is amazing, and they captured the University feel perfectly. Lots of fun little scenes, backgrounds, and homages to the original movie.