Monsters University (2013)

All Critics (148) | Top Critics (39) | Fresh (115) | Rotten (33)

"Laurence Anyways" is a formidable display of French Canadian director Xavier Dolan's prodigious talents, but also a case study of a young talent still finding his way to greatness.He'll get there one day, soon, but this film doesn't quite do it.

June 27, 2013 Full Review

David Lewis

San Francisco Chronicle

Top Critic

This is a safe, predictable, edge-free, nearly bland effort from a studio that rarely hedges its bets.

June 21, 2013 Full Review

Richard Roeper

Richard Roeper.com

Top Critic

As prequels go, Monsters University is pretty nifty.

June 21, 2013 Full Review

Peter Rainer

Christian Science Monitor

Top Critic

Although it falls short of the best Pixar has brought to the screen over its long association with Disney, it's nevertheless worth a trip to the theater, especially for kids.

June 21, 2013 Full Review

James Berardinelli

ReelViews

Top Critic

[It] is true to the spirit of the original film, "Monsters Inc.", and matches its tone. But it never seems content to turn over old ground.

June 21, 2013 Full Review

Matt Zoller Seitz

Chicago Sun-Times

Top Critic

[It] conforms to [Pixar's] apparent drift toward the average, with toy sales taking priority over originality.

June 21, 2013 Full Review

Liam Lacey

Globe and Mail

Top Critic

The inventive world-making and comic inversion of expectations regarding the relationship between humans and monsters is dulled because it is forced into a college comedy formula, which eliminates virtually all potential for surprise

July 5, 2013 Full Review

James Kendrick

Q Network Film Desk

Like Monsters, Inc., Pixar's latest skews younger than its best titles, but it's also genuinely funny and sees fit to include more depth this time around.

July 3, 2013 Full Review

Stephen Carty

Flix Capacitor

What could have been an easy cash-in is instead a film that delivers the goods for kids and adults alike. It's a charmer.

July 1, 2013 Full Review

Mike McGranaghan

Aisle Seat

While it's nothing ground-breaking, 'Monsters University' is really, really nice once it gets past the idea of Mike and Sully being at odds.

June 29, 2013 Full Review

Jeff Bayer

The Scorecard Review

It doesn't take a doctoral degree to see that the high quality of Pixar continues in 'Monsters University,' a prequel to 'Monsters, Inc.'

June 28, 2013 Full Review

Linda Cook

Quad City Times (Davenport, IA)

Creatively, there's clearly something going on at Pixar...though Monsters University is consistently enjoyable and never less than entertaining, it does have a quality of sameness that we never used to associate with Pixar pictures.

June 28, 2013 Full Review

Jim Schembri

3AW

We've seen and loved the characters before so this wasn't a "must have" prequel, still they do entertain.

June 26, 2013 Full Review

Jackie K. Cooper

jackiekcooper.com

It may not be the sequel that Monsters, Inc. deserves, nor as classic as some of Pixar's previous efforts, but that doesn't mean that it's not worth a place on our cinema screens.

June 26, 2013 Full Review

Jamie Neish

HeyUGuys

Passes basically any test you would be likely to throw its way, except for the one where it justifies the fact that it exists.

June 25, 2013 Full Review

Tim Brayton

Antagony & Ecstasy

The picture is very funny, and the animation is beautiful, and yet it's all a bit forgettable, by Pixar standards. That's the price of success.

June 25, 2013 Full Review

Michael Smith

Tulsa World

Monsters University, however funny, leaves you longing for a time when this kind of world was an original idea, not a sequel.

June 24, 2013 Full Review

Nathanael Smith

The Skinny

If the Monsters Inc. concept was never Pixar's most graceful one, the original film at least had a high quota of warmth, which is harder to locate amid the snide jocks vs nerds standoffs here.

June 24, 2013 Full Review

Hannah McGill

The List

Pixar has created another charming child's film that will entertain adults.

June 24, 2013 Full Review

Jolene Mendez

Entertainment Spectrum

Lesser Pixar ... charming and occasionally clever, although the story is familiar and unmemorable.

June 24, 2013 Full Review

John Serba

MLive.com

A little sleepy but still manages to dig in an emotional hook

June 23, 2013 Full Review

Cameron Williams

The Popcorn Junkie

If Pixar would simply take chances on original ideas and thoroughly explore them like they used to, there's a good chance that they could jump right back on top, instead of churning out films that are half-baked.

June 23, 2013 Full Review

Jeff Beck

Examiner.com

This college collage feels stale and lazy, and only gets across the line thanks to nostalgic goodwill and some decent gags.

June 23, 2013 Full Review

Matt Neal

The Standard

Lacks Heart

June 23, 2013 Full Review

Diana Saenger

ReviewExpress.com

Pixar has done it again. Literally. Monsters University has loads of laughs and heart.

June 23, 2013 Full Review

Pete Hammond

Movieline

• 1. Art: You wanna dream journal?
  – Submitted by Adam P (7 days ago)
• 1. Terri: I'm a dance major!
  2. Terry: And I'm not!
  – Submitted by Adam P (7 days ago)
• 1. Mike: Yes you can. Stop being a Sullivan and start being you!
  – Submitted by Oliver G (7 days ago)
• 1. Dean Hardscrabble: You two did something no student had over done before, you surprised me.
  – Submitted by Paul H (8 days ago)
• 1. Art: Out of all the sewage tunnels in this place, this one has always been my favorite.
  2. Terry: You've been here before, Art?
  3. Art: I have a life outside the house you know!
  – Submitted by Paul H (8 days ago)
• 1. Don: Want to join Oozma Kappa?
  2. Squishy: We've got cake.
  – Submitted by Lucas M (10 days ago)