The Star Online: Entertainment: Movies
The Star Online: Entertainment: Movies |
| Posted: 15 Jun 2013 04:41 PM PDT School is in session at Pixar's latest offering, and it promises to be a monstrously fun time. Mention Pixar's beloved movie Monsters, Inc. and a few things are bound to come to mind: an endless conveyor belt of coloured doors, the wacky yet wonderful friendship between James P. "Sulley" Sullivan and Mike Wazowski, and of course, the irresistibly wide-eyed Boo (and her adorably unintelligible lispings). But back before Sulley and Mike became best friends and Monsters, Inc.'s top scaring team, they were just a couple of young college monsters, with dreams of making it big as Scarers… and that is where Pixar Animation Studios takes us with its latest computer-animated offering, Monsters University (MU). A prequel to the critically- and commercially-successful Monsters, Inc., which came out in 2001, MU introduces us to a whole new aspect of Monstropolis: university life. Within the gorgeously-realised gothic campus, it is all about classes, frat parties and university games, with a monster twist, of course. And as it turns out, Mike and Sulley weren't always the best buds they are in Monsters, Inc.; Mike is a bookish nerd while Sulley is a self-important jock. How the two put their differences aside and end up becoming inseparable forms the core story of MU. Back to voice the lead characters are Billy Crystal as Mike and John Goodman as Sulley, whose hilarious back-and-forths provided some of the most memorable scenes in the first movie. Joining them to bring the various monsters to life is a whole slew of famous actors, including Oscar-winner Helen Mirren, Alfred Molina, Nathan Fillion, Charlie Day and Sean Hayes. Taking over the reins from Monsters, Inc. director Pete Docter is Dan Scanlon, for whom this is the first full-length Pixar feature. With the studio's reputation for producing stellar animated films (Toy Story, Finding Nemo and Up, to name just a few), and the first movie's massive fan base, one imagines there is a lot of pressure on him to deliver. Speaking during a recent interview at Pixar's headquarters in Emeryville, California, however, Scanlon simply seems like an overgrown kid who has been allowed to play with his favourite toys. "I love Monsters, Inc.!" he enthuses. "I was excited at the challenge of a prequel. The great thing was that we weren't in any rush to do another Monsters movie, it was only with a great idea that we moved forward. And once we did that, we knew it was important to think of it as a movie in itself." Part of the process of depicting Mike and Sulley in university was ageing them down, so that while they remain the characters we know and love, they are also believable as 18-year-olds. For this, Scanlon shares that they looked at pictures of themselves in college as a guide. "We slimmed them down, brightened their colours, and most noticeably, Sulley is not as bulky. The animators also made decisions on how they would move, which makes a big difference. All that, and we also had John (Goodman) and Billy (Crystal) juice up their performances!" For Crystal, famed for his distinctive voice and fast patter, this was not much of a challenge, particularly since Mike is a character he loves playing. "Mike has no blood, he has espresso!" he jokes. "I never think of it as me doing a voice-over, but rather, as me playing Mike." The fact that the 65-year-old comedian was playing an 18-year-old never stood in his way. "The scenes were so funny that it was easy! However, my favourite parts are actually the tender moments, those moments of bonding and friendship, when I feel that he's an actual 18-year-old kid, not a monster," says Crystal. Unlike most animated films, where voice actors record their parts separately, Crystal was insistent that Goodman and he record their lines together, a practice they started with Monsters, Inc. "That's what makes the comedy sing, and the dramatic moments real," he shares. The shifting of focus to Mike is one of the interesting changes in MU. While Mike was essentially the wisecracking sidekick in Monsters, Inc., MU puts him at the centre of the story. When Mike and Sulley unexpectedly find themselves members of the Oozma Kappa (OK) fraternity, which houses a collection of college misfits, it is up to Mike to rally them all together to win the annual Scare Games – despite being faced with ridicule from the likes of Johnny Worthington III, president of the prestigious Roar Omega Roar fraternity. "It wasn't planned (to have Mike as the main character). After a year or so of trying with Sulley, we realised Mike was the heart of the story. We knew then that we had to give it to him," says Scanlon. The tricky part, of course, is that we know Mike never achieves his dream of becoming a scarer, but rather, ends up Sulley's assistant. But instead of letting this hamper the story of MU, Scanlon and his team used it to their advantage. "The main thing is that we're telling the story of someone whose dreams didn't quite work out the way he planned. We wanted this to be its own story, because this is Mike's story, and so it had to have a different feel," explains Scanlon. And what of Boo, a fan favourite? Can there be a Mike and Sulley without her? Scanlon thinks there definitely can. "Mike and Sulley are at their best when they are working together to take care of someone else, and while we didn't mean to mimic it, we see a similar dynamic when they are taking care of the OK team," he says. Made in the tradition of classic college movies like Revenge Of The Nerds and Animal House, MU will strike a chord with anyone who has been in the position of the underdog. "We watched a ton of college movies (while working on MU), and there are definitely a lot of those familiar tropes in it. And one thing that we didn't plan, but ended up being rather nice, is that a lot of kids who grew up with Monsters, Inc. are in college now, so it fits in well with their own experiences," says Scanlon. And for all its jokes and roughhousing, MU holds a poignant message at its heart. "There are times in your life that define who you're going to be. Sometimes, you're not going to get everything you want. We learn that through Mike's journey, and that's a very important lesson," says Crystal. Monsters University opens in cinemas nationwide on June 20. Related Stories: |
| Posted: 16 Jun 2013 12:11 AM PDT University just wouldn't be the same without some familiar types. You may just be meeting them, but they are far from unfamiliar. Let's get to know some of the new characters on Monsters University. Johnny Worthington III The confident and sometimes overbearing president of the Roar Omega Roar (ROR) fraternity, which prides itself on having the most notable Scarers on campus. Scott "Squishy" Squibbles He may be a little tangled in his mother's apron strings, but Squishy is also sweet, naive and one of the nicest kids in school. Terri and Terry Perry These four-armed conjoined brothers are bickering opposites in almost every way; Terri is an optimistic romantic while Terry prefers to play the cynic. And when their patter gets started, you can forget about trying to get a word in! Don Carlton Formerly a sales monster, Don is back in school to pursue his dream of becoming a Scarer. Art He's that college guy that no one knows everything about, a laidback hippie with a questionable background. Claire Wheeler As student council president, she rallies the monsters' school spirit for the annual Scare Games – despite the I-don't-care exterior. Brock Pearson A big, loud jock who is Claire's vice-president and her over-enthusiastic co-organiser of the Scare Games. Related Stories: |
| You are subscribed to email updates from The Star Online: Entertainment: Movies To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
0 ulasan:
Catat Ulasan