Monsters University

Marvel, Pixar, Disney and DreamWorks Live-Action CinemaCon Recap; Includes First 30 Minutes of BRAVE, WRECK-IT-RALPH, FRANKENWEENIE, More

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: April 25th, 2012 at 12:06 pm

When Disney took the stage for their CinemaCon 2012 presentation yesterday afternoon, they didn’t mess around.  Loaded with footage, movie stars, filmmakers and information, the presentation was definitely aimed at letting exhibitors around the world know that the Disney umbrella (which now includes Pixar, Marvel, Walt Disney films, and distributing DreamWorks live-action films) is loaded with a lot of big properties and they have no intention of slowing down.  While some of the upcoming properties just had the stars and filmmakers talking about the movie (The Lone Ranger), others like Frankenweenie had Tim Burton on stage with Sean Bailey (President of Production at Disney) talking about why he wanted to make a stop-motion black and white movie, followed by the screening of a full scene.

In addition to what I just mentioned, Kevin Fiege from Marvel talked about Iron Man 3, Captain America 2, Thor 2, and The Avengers.  Pixar’s John Lasseter talked about their next four years of movies including director Lee Unkrich‘s untitled Dia de los Muertos movie, Bob Peterson‘s The Good Dinosaur, Pete Docter‘s untitled movie, Monsters University (including world premieriing the teaser trailer) and a clip of Finding Nemo in 3D and the first 30 minutes of Brave.  More after the jump.

John Goodman and Missi Pyle Talk THE ARTIST, Robert Zemeckis’ FLIGHT, Pixar’s MONSTERS UNIVERSITY, EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE, More

by Sheila Roberts    Posted: November 16th, 2011 at 11:46 am

John Goodman and Missi Pyle were intrigued when they were approached by director Michel Hazanavicius to play supporting roles in The Artist, his heartfelt and entertaining celebration of Hollywood moviemaking at its most magical. Missi Pyle plays Constance, an actress who is none too pleased when she’s upstaged by Hollywood’s reigning silent screen idol, George Valentin (Jean Dujardin). Goodman portrays Al Zimmer, the cigar-chomping mogul of Kinograph Studios, who walks the line between coddling and corralling his contract stars during the silent film era. In 1929, Kinograph is preparing to cease all silent film production as Hollywood transitions to talking movies, but some actors will prove more adept than others at making the change.

We sat down with Goodman and Pyle at a roundtable interview to talk about what attracted them to the unique project set during a pivotal moment in Hollywood history and told in a silent format. They told us what it was like playing characters that had no dialogue and where everything had to be conveyed visually, why they found the process liberating once they realized they didn’t have to worry about remembering their lines, and how shooting on location in Los Angeles helped inspire their performances. They also discussed what projects they have coming up next, including updates on Robert Zemeckis‘ Flight, Pixar’s Monster’s University, the Awards contender Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, whether or not Goodman will appear in Kevin Smith‘s Hit Somebody and more.

Exclusive: Director Dan Scanlon Talks About Pixar’s MONSTERS UNIVERSITY at D23

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: August 22nd, 2011 at 4:25 pm

At this weekend’s D23 (essentially Disney’s Comic-Con), I got to speak with director Dan Scanlon about Pixar’s Monsters University.  For those that don’t know, Monsters U is a prequel to Monsters Inc. and it’s the story of how Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal) and James P. “Sulley” Sullivan (John Goodman) meet.  As you can probably tell by the title, it was at college when they were 18.

During the interview, Scanlon talked about the challenge of making a prequel to such a successful film, how Pixar will rip apart their storyboards until they get it right, the voice cast, what’s the big challenge the animators have to overcome on Monsters U, what did they show the fans at D23, has he started thinking about any Easter Eggs for the film, and more.  Hit the jump to watch.

D23 Animated Recap: BRAVE, MONSTERS UNIVERSITY, FRANKENWEENIE, and WRECK-IT RALPH

by Tommy Cook    Posted: August 21st, 2011 at 9:07 am

At the D23 Expo, Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar previewed their upcoming slate of animated films, showing exclusive footage with select cast and crew present. Among the highlights of the jam-packed panel: Pixar’s Brave and Monsters University, Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie, and Disney’s November 2012 release Wreck-It Ralph (about an arcade video game bad guy) all screened exclusive new footage. For the bullet point highlights from the animated portion of the panel, hit the jump.  And for coverage on the live action portion of the panel, featuring The Muppets, John Carter, Oz: The Great and Powerful, and The Avengers, click here.

Presentations for D23 2011 Announced; Includes THE AVENGERS, THE MUPPETS, JOHN CARTER, BRAVE, FRANKENWEENIE, and More

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: August 9th, 2011 at 10:33 am

Disney is probably done with Comic-Con for good.  The studio now has its own convention, the D23 Expo, and they’re using it to promote their upcoming films.  This year, D23 will have presentations for The Avengers, The Muppets, John Carter, The Odd Life of Timothy Green, Brave, Wreck-It Ralph, Frankenweenie, Oz the Great and Powerful, and more.  The presentations will include appearances from Jason Segel, Taylor Kitsch, Kelly Macdonald, Jennifer Garner, Jack McBrayer, unnamed cast members from The Avengers, “and other surprise guests.”

Hit the jump for the full press release, which also announces presentations from the Pixar Creative team, a behind-the-scenes look at Monsters University, an advanced screening of The Lion King 3D and more.  The D23 Expo runs from August 19 – 21st at the Anaheim Convention Center.  Collider will be on hand to cover the event.

MONSTERS UNIVERSITY Preliminary Synopsis and Logo Revealed; Will Be Released in 3D

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: May 12th, 2011 at 3:32 pm

Back in April, we reported that the release date of Pixar’s Monsters, Inc. prequel Monsters University had been pushed back from November 2012 to June 21^st, 2013, and we also unveiled what appeared to be the official logo for the film. Well now Disney/Pixar has released the logline for the flick, as well as the full logo in color (the other one was black and white). The preliminary synopsis is as follows:

“Mike Wazowski and James P. Sullivan are an inseparable pair, but that wasn’t always the case. From the moment these two mismatched monsters met they couldn’t stand each other. Monsters University unlocks the door to how Mike and Sulley overcame their differences and became the best of friends.”

The film is said to take place in college, where Wazowski and Sullivan first meet. Disney also confirms that the film will be released in 3D (naturally). To be fair, the 3D for Pixar’s Up was fantastic, so I have no doubt that Monsters University will benefit. The film is being directed by Dan Scanlon, with Kori Rae producing. Billy Crystal and John Goodman are set to reprise their roles from the first film.

MONSTERS UNIVERSITY Kicked Back to June 21, 2013; Official Logo Revealed

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: April 4th, 2011 at 3:31 pm

Pixar has been able to keep pace of one film per year, but 2012 was looking to get a little crazy with Brave set for the summer and the Monsters, Inc. prequel Monsters University scheduled for the holiday season.  The film would take a look the college days of James “Sulley” Sullivan (John Goodman) and Michael “Mike” Wazowski (Billy Crystal). However, it looks like Pixar will now have more time to work on Monsters University as the Exhibitor Relations Facebook page is reporting that Pixar has moved the film’s release date to June 21, 2013.  No other film currently occupies that date, and I’m glad that Pixar now has some breathing room for Monsters University.  The film’s old date, November 2, 2012, will now be occupied by Disney’s animated film Reboot Ralph.

In a related story, The Pixar Blog uncovered the logo for Monsters University, which you can see above.

Exclusive: John Lasseter Confirms Dan Scanlon as Director of MONSTERS UNIVERSITY

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: March 31st, 2011 at 5:36 pm

Just the other day it was announced that the sequel to Pixar’s Monsters Inc. would be a prequel, titled Monsters University. Well now we have confirmation from John Lasseter that the director of the sequel will be Dan Scanlon. Scanlon was a writer on the first Cars and co-wrote and co-directed the short Mater and the Ghostlight. Lasseter confirmed to us that Scanlon will direct the film, saying:

“Yes! Dan Scanlon is directing Monsters University! We’re very excited about it. Kori Rae is producing.”

Monsters University tells the story of how best friends Mike and Sully met in college. However, their friendship didn’t start out so strong, as the two initially were not that fond of each other. The film features Billy Crystal and John Goodman returning as the primary voice talents and is set for a November 2012 release.

MONSTERS, INC. Sequel Titled MONSTERS UNIVERSITY

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: March 29th, 2011 at 5:47 pm

Disney revealed today at CinemaCon that the official title to Pixar’s sequel to 2001’s Monsters, Inc. is Monsters University. While details on the film are, in true Pixar fashion, being held tightly under lock and key, the film is said to be a prequel. The rumored plot involves the tale of how Mike Wazowski (voiced by Billy Crystal) and James P. Sullivan (voiced by John Goodman) become best friends in college, at the University of Fear no less, after starting out as enemies.

No word on which cast members will return for the sequel besides Crystal and Goodman, but hopefully Steve Buscemi’s character Randall makes an appearance. Monsters University is currently slated for a November 2^nd, 2012 release.

Copyright ©2005 - 2012. All Rights Reserved. California web design