Here is the trailer for the sequel to Monsters Inc, titled Monsters University.
The basic plot so far is: Sully and Mike from Monsters Inc all started by going to 'scare school' (a university in this case) and various parody college-hijinks ensue.
My opinion on this is divided - I did enjoy Monsters Inc, but I have a few hang-ups about this sequel (as usual, everyone has their opinions on movies, so bear with me):
This is being released after the plot of Toy Story 3. What happened at the end of Toy Story 3? Andy goes off the college. The audiences who grew up watching Pixar films will continue their journey alongside Mike Wazowski and Sully. That seems way too convenient. While it has also been 10 years since Monsters Inc was released, it's a little strange how Pixar chose to make a sequel to this film, first (I'm still wondering is Brad Bird will want to do anything about The Incredibles and a sequel).
I wonder if Monsters University was made with the now-adult audiences in mind, thanks to Toy Story 3 drawing them back in?
As Pixar is now releasing a film about their characters growing up and going through milestones in their lives alongside the audience, I wonder what this will mean for the future? Next year it's Monsters University, but what about 5 years from now? 10? Will Pixar make films around getting married? Starting a family? Adding to the family? They've touched on aging and (in some ways) death with Up and I suspect that Brave will be dealing with both the rebellious young girl and how her parents are addressing it, but I feel that Pixar can go further with it.
I wonder if this has anything to do with the executives leading Pixar aging as well? The people in the head of story aren't the 30-somethings with young children (as the lists of Production Babies show) that they used to be, and try as they like, that has to be even a subconscious influence on the stories green-lit and produced. These were the people who were on the tail end of the Baby Boomers, and Pixar is doing its best to capitalize on this notable wave of audience who want to still watch movies with their almost-adult children. It's certainly the easiest path to follow, but what could it mean for the future?
