2013 HOLIDAY HIT – Disney-Pixar Monsters University Blu-Ray

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Monsters University

• DVD Release Date: October 29, 2013
• Rated: G (General Audience)
• Run Time: 104 minutes
• Number of discs: 3
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0), English (DTS-HD High Res Audio), French (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Studio: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
• ASIN: B008JFUPOY

Ever since college-bound Mike Wazowski (voice of Billy Crystal) was a little monster, he has dreamed of becoming a Scarer—and he knows better than anyone that the best Scarers come from Monsters University (MU). But during his first semester at MU, Mike’s plans are derailed when he crosses paths with hotshot James P. Sullivan, “Sulley” (voice of John Goodman), a natural-born Scarer. The pair’s out-of-control competitive spirit gets them both kicked out of the University’s elite Scare Program. To make matters worse, they realize they will have to work together, along with an odd bunch of misfit monsters, if they ever hope to make things right. “Monsters University” bravely explores themes of self-discovery and the revelations that come with growing up.

Joining Crystal and Goodman as part of “Monsters University’s” monstrously talented voice cast are Steve Buscemi (voice of Randy Boggs), Helen Mirren (voice of Dean Hardscrabble), Alfred Molina (voice of Professor Knight), Charlie Day (voice of Art), Sean P. Hayes (voice of Terri Perry), Dave Foley (voice of Terry Perry), Nathan Fillion (voice of Johnny Worthington) and Aubrey Plaza (voice of Claire Wheeler). Featuring a score from recent Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and award-winning composer Randy Newman (“Monsters, Inc.,” “Toy Story 3”), MU also includes music from Axwell and Sebastian Ingrosso of Swedish House Mafia.

Bonus Features:

• Campus Life – What’s it like being on a production crew at Pixar? Get a look at a day in the life of the “Monsters University” crew through their own eyes.
• Story School – This documentary examines the challenges of creating a prequel as well as themes that run through the story, and the change in focus from Sulley to Mike. We’ll also look at how gags are developed – from writing jokes to brainstorming a million ideas, only 5% of which actually end up in the movie.
• Scare Games – At Pixar, we play hard while we work. The same people who keep the film production moving – producers, managers, coordinators and artists – are also the ones who bring spirit and excitement to some of our extracurricular activities. We check out the MU production teams as they go head to head in the mostly playful Pixar Scare Games competitions.
• Welcome to MU – Sets aren’t just buildings, they are the worlds our characters live in and explore. This look at the Monsters University campus and its development is told from the perspective of the artists who created each piece of the campus from the architecture to the ivy leaves. .
• Music Appreciation – Randy Newman’s scores are a mainstay of Pixar films, and this documentary will give you a privileged look at his creative process. We follow the “Monsters University” scoring process from spotting to writing and on to the scoring session. including special college-themed recording sessions.
• Scare Tactics – Animators are actors who digitally bring the characters to life. In this look at how the MU animation team worked, you’ll see their process of how they channeled their own monster-selves and created moments on screen that were really funny, really scary and also really serious, sometimes all at the same time.
• Color and Light – How can a single painting set the tone for an entire scene? We’ll look at the creation of the colorscripts and how they were realized technically in the final film. Along with the process, this piece explores the many layers of technical innovation required to produce such a naturalistic feel.
• Paths to Pixar – MU Edition – When one door closes, sometimes another door opens – one with an even more exciting opportunity behind it. Members of the MU crew tell their own compelling backstories and share the challenges they overcame along their paths to Pixar.
• Furry Monsters: A Technical Retrospective – Explore the difficulties in creating characters that are 20 years younger with tools that are 10 years more advanced in this contrasting look at the differing technical challenges that arose when making “Monsters, Inc.,” and “Monsters University.”
• Deleted Scenes – Four separate scenes – “Rivalry,” “Recon,” “Movie Night,” and “Drama Class” – are highlighted with an introduction from director Dan Scanlon.
• “The Blue Umbrella” – This animated short film from Pixar Animation Studios, directed by Saschka Unseld and produced by Marc Greenberg, played in theaters in front of “Monsters University.” “The Blue Umbrella” tells the story of an evening commute in which the rain starts to fall and the city comes alive to the sound of dripping rain pipes, whistling awnings and gurgling gutters. And in the midst, two umbrellas—one blue, one not—fall eternally in love.
• Additional Bonus Features – Audio Commentary, Promo Picks, College Campaign, Theatrical Campaign, Set Flythroughs, Art Gallery and more!

Did you see Monsters Inc? If you did, maybe you wondered how the characters got to that point. Well, Monsters University answers that question. When Monsters University opens, viewers see a very young Mike Wazowski on a school trip to the scare factory. Even back then he is shunned by his classmates. It’s at that point he is mesmerized by “scarers” and decides that’s what he wants to become when he’s older. Fast forward to present day, when Mike is beginning his first semester at Monsters University, a college known for it’s scaring program.

Mike’s a serious student that’s prepared to work hard and do what it takes to graduate from the scaring program, so he can be a scarer. Unfortunately, Sully gets in his way. Sully is also a freshman who’s made it to the University on his family’s fame as scarers. Sully is prepared to do as little work as possible, confident that a big roar is all he needs to know how to do. An accident between the two puts them under the Dean’s eye and gets them ousted out of the program. Mike remembers a campus competition known as the Scare Games and decides to compete to get back into the program. He joins up with the fraternity Oozma Kappa, and finds himself one man short to qualify to compete. Sully, recognizing what may be his only shot at getting back into the program, joins as the final member of the team. Judging by outward appearances, the band of “misfits” that is Oozma Kappa has no shot at winning the competition and being in the scarer program. That’s bad, because if the tam doesn’t win, Mike and Sully will be expelled from the university. The band of Oozma Kappa frat brothers will have to overcome physical and mental challenges, as well as deal with their own doubts, fears and weaknesses. With a lot of hard work, and a little luck, things start coming together. It’s down to the wire, only two fraternities remain, Oozma Kappa and their arch-enemy. having no faith in the team, someone (you’ll have to watch to see who) cheats so that Oozma Kappa wins. The underhanded behavior comes to light and Mike and Sully are sent packing.  You might think that’s the end. It’s not. After all, we know from Monsters Inc that they work at the scare factory. It will take a crazy stunt and facing some harsh truths for Mike and Sully to be recognized as capable scarers and send them to the next step of their journey.

This is a fun movie with an underlying message. I’ve seen it several times and it remains funny and doesn’t get old, which is why it’s a 2013 Holiday hit.

Here’s a clip called First Contact.

First Contact – Monsters University Blu-ray Clip on Disney Video

And a closer look at the MU campus and the details that make it monstrously awesome!

Designing the Campus – Monsters University Featurette on Disney Video

And last but not least, some Monstrous Halloween Activities!