Monsters University full movie part 1

The following is free of spoilers. Any specifics about the movie that are mentioned are either explicitly shown in trailers or heavily implied by them.

1. Will my kids like it?

Yes, to a near certainty, and that’s true even if they (for whatever reason) aren’t huge fans of Monsters, Inc.. The humor in Monsters University is largely unsubtle, rarely if ever sophisticated or obscure, and yet often laugh-out-loud funny even for adults. Kids will just eat it up, despite its lack of jokes related to flatulence. The visuals are gorgeous, the voice acting is top-notch, and the story is, well, simple — which if you think about it is a pretty big change from most other major movies of the past several months. I mean, when the new Superman movie is several times more complicated than any such film that preceded it, it’s comforting to have an animated film with a simple, straightforward plot. It’s not the best film to come out of Pixar, but it will make audiences happy.

As far as scary scenes go, there’s not much to worry about here. There is one bit not far from the end that could scare smaller kids for a few minutes, but other than that and a few startling moments, I’d think that most kids old enough to comprehend what’s going on in the story would have no problem. It’s rated G, and I can’t argue with that.

(Oh, by the way, you should know that the disco ball scene from the TV spots does not actually appear in the movie — whether it was cut, or made just for the ads, I don’t know. But in case your kids were looking forward to it, you should know it won’t be there.)

2. Will I like it?

Again, yes, and particularly if you went to college. The sly references to events and people you’d encounter on a college campus are fantastic, and there are a few jokes that were clearly aimed higher than most kids. But there’s certainly plenty in the film to enjoy even if you don’t have that grounding — this is a Pixar film, after all, and as usual they manage to make it work on multiple levels. Do keep in mind that it is basically a fun college film about monsters aimed at kids, so it isn’t going to give The Incredibles, say, a run for its money as far as overall quality is concerned. But it’s still pretty darn funny.

3. When’s the best time for a bathroom break?

The story moves pretty quickly, so there aren’t any particularly great times. If someone really can’t wait till the end, though (the film is 102 minutes long, so that could well happen), I’d recommend going right when Mike and Sulley arrive to their new home at the Oozma-Kappa frat house. You’ll still miss some good stuff, of course, but it’s a bit more drawn out than most similar seenes.