The Last New Review of 2013..."Monsters University"

Every story has a beginning...

Sometimes we just don't see it until later.

The Story:

Mike (Billy Crystal) wants nothing more than to grow up and be a Scarer!  He follows his lifelong goal and enrolls in Monsters University.  It is there that he meets Sully (John Goodman) and to say that the two don't hit it off would be an understatement.  When the boys wind up on the bad side of the Dean (Helen Mirren), they will have to put aside their differences and team with some...underwhelming Scarers if they have any hope of getting back into the Scare Program.

I have gone on record as saying that Monsters Inc. is probably my favorite of all of the Pixar movies.

Billy Crystal is one of my favorite comedians of all time, and the relationship between Boo and Sully brings a tear to my eye every time I watch the movie. 

Yes, still.

So going in to the prequel, I tried to set the bar low. 

Real low.

There's no way that they could achieve that level of greatness in my eyes.

And they didn't.

It's good.

Better than the Cars franchise, and way, way better than Brave.

But not nearly as good as the first Monsters Inc.

That said, I'm okay with that.

It was still pretty funny and as beautiful as Pixar can make it.

The closing montage was a nice bridge between the movies too, and I kicked myself for doubting that John Ratzenberger was finally going to NOT be in a Pixar movie!

Final Grade: B+

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Yes to both.

Beginning tomorrow, it's a walk down memory lane and a look back at some of 2013's higher points.

Pixar Stumbles for the First Time..."Brave"

Pixar attempts to outdo what Disney does best: the Princess Movie

The Story:

Scottish princess Merida (Kelly MacDonald) is at odds with her family.  It seems that her mother and father (Emma Thompson and Billy Connolly) are doing what all good Scottish clan leaders did back in the day: attempting to marry off their daughter to another prince to solidify their empires.  Unfortunately, Merida wants nothing to do with the idea.  She's a tomboy who prefers shooting a bow to dancing with guys.  Merida stumbles upon a witch in the woods and begs for a spell that will change her destiny.  The witch obliges, and turns her mother into a bear.

Congratulations, your destiny has been changed.  Good luck saving your mom from your father and everyone else who now wants her dead...

This is the latest Pixar release that I really wasn't sure about watching.  Having been pleasantly surprised by Ratatouille, Up and Wall*E, you would think that I wouldn't question Pixar's abilities.

And yet...

Something about Brave just struck me wrong from the opening trailers.

I don't want to see another Disney Princess film.  If I did, I'd watch Tangled again.

That is Disney territory, let it be.

However, Pixar once again decided to fool me, this wasn't a Disney Princess tale.

No!

It was a different version of Brother Bear!

 

: /

Again...already done by Disney, and done better.

So, while this was a typically great Pixar production: Great voice casting, beautiful to look at...

I can no longer say, and I quote myself : " The worst Pixar movie is still better than the best movie from any other animated studio ."

That this film won the Academy Award tells me that voters simply see the word "Pixar" and punch the ballot.

That is a shame, because of the list of animated movies I've seen since the beginning of the year, this ranks only above Frankenweenie, which I simply despised, but below everything else.

Final Grade: B-

Would I Own It: Only if the kids really want it, and so far, they were left unimpressed.