MANILA, July 01, 2013 – Disney/Pixar’s comedy adventure “Monsters University” graduated at the top of Philippine box-office with honors as it amassed a sensational P58.22-million nationwide gross for its five-day opening weekend June 26-30. This was announced today by Victor R. Cabrera, managing director of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Philippines.
“Monsters University’s” opening now represents the most successful launch for a Pixar title, outpacing the old record of 2010’s “Toy Story 3” at P55.6-million. Industry-wide, it nabbed the second biggest opening ever for an animated title, as well as the fifth highest bow ever for a Disney film – animated or live-action. In the U.S., the prequel to the 2001 blockbuster “Monsters, Inc.” was No. 1 for the second consecutive weekend, reaching a stellar $171 million through Sunday. The movie has so far earned just north of $300 million worldwide, including nearly $130 million from 37 overseas territories. Back in the Philippines, “Monsters U” rolled out in 132 screens, posting its largest receipts from SM North EDSA with P2.71-M, followed by SM Mall of Asia with P2.46-M and Trinoma at P2.38-M. Also performing exceedingly well are Power Plant (P2.36-M), SM Megamall (P2.01-M), Glorietta 4 (P1.74-M), Eastwood (P1.52-M), Greenbelt 3 (P1.40-M), Alabang Town Center (P1.38-M) and SM Southmall (P1.32-M). Rounding up the Top 20 cinemas are Newport City (P1.17-M), Gateway (P1.14-M), SM Fairview (P1.09-M), Robinsons Galleria (P1.027-M), Festival Mall (P1.025-M), Shang Cineplex (P1.01-M), SM Marikina (P 979,642), SM San Lazaro (P 958,300), Ayala Cebu (P 906,156) and Robinsons Ermita (P 876,422). Screaming with laughter and oozing with heart, “Monsters University” tells of the early adventures of monsters Mike and Sulley as college students. Ever since Mike Wazowski (voice of Billy Crystal) was a little monster, he has dreamed of becoming a Scarer—and he knows better than anyone that the best Scarers come from Monsters University (MU). But during his first semester at MU, Mike’s plans are derailed when he crosses paths with hotshot James P. Sullivan, “Sulley” (voice of John Goodman), a natural-born Scarer. The pair’s out-of-control competitive spirit gets them both kicked out of the University’s elite Scare Program. To make matters worse, they realize they will have to work together, along with an odd bunch of misfit monsters, if they ever hope to make things right. Now playing across the Philippines in Disney Digital 3D, 2D and regular theaters, “Monsters University” is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International through Columbia Pictures.
To Dean Hardscrabble, there are scary monsters and there are all other monsters. It’s no surprise she feels this way—she is, after all, a legendary Scarer and Dean of the School of Scaring at Monsters University. Aspiring Scare students must be up for the challenge to impress her, though she is convinced that her assessments of who is truly scary are never wrong.
Oscar-winning actress Helen Mirren (“The Queen,” “Red,” “National Treasure: Book of Secrets”) provides the voice of the esteemed dean in Disney/Pixar's new, 3D animated comedy “Monsters University.” “Hardscrabble has been arguably the hardest character that I’ve ever worked on in the 15 years I’ve been here,” says character art director Jason Deamer. “We had as many as 12 people working on her. She had to be terrifying and creepy, but at the same time beautiful and graceful.” Filmmakers recruited a rare centipede for inspiration—Scolopendra Gigantea, also known as the Amazonian giant centipede. “We didn’t want her to be just a pure centipede,” says production designer Ricky Nierva, “so we thought having a dragon-, bat-wing motif would be cool. She can get from point A to point B really quickly, and her wings provide great opportunities to illustrate her emotions—when she gets angry, she can unfurl them quickly.”
With 30 legs, spectacular wings and a lifetime of experience, Dean Hardscrabble knows Scaring. She has no use for mediocrity—and her students know it. So when the hard-to-please Dean witnesses the spectacular culmination of the rivalry between Mike (voice of Billy Crystal) and Sulley (voice of John Goodman), she takes swift action, dashing their dreams in an instant. Unlike Hardscrabble, Helen Mirren, who lends her voice to the character, appreciates Mike Wazowski’s work ethic. “Following your dream is all very well, but without the hard work it’s nothing. I think too many people think all you have to do is just have a dream and it will happen, and this movie very adroitly and very elegantly teaches a lesson to young people—success is 10 percent inspiration and 90 percent sweat and hard work. And even then, there are no guarantees.”
In “Monsters University,” ever since college-bound Mike Wazowskiwas a little monster, he has dreamed of becoming a professional Scarer—and he knows better than anyone that the best Scarers come from Monsters University (MU). But during his first semester at MU, Mike’s plans are derailed when he crosses paths with hotshot MU legacy James P. Sullivan, “Sulley,” a natural-born Scarer. The pair’s out-of-control competitive spirit gets them both kicked out of the University’s elite Scare Program. To make matters worse, they realize they will have to work together, along with an odd bunch of misfit monsters, if they ever hope to make things right. Now showing in Disney Digital 3D, 2D and regular theaters, “Monsters University” is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International through Columbia Pictures.
Reviewing Monsters University courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Philippines. Opens June 29 and featuring the voices of Billy Crystal and John Goodman as Mike and Sully respectively.
It's a return engagement to the world of Sully and Mike Wozawski this time however, we take a step back to that time before the events of Monsters Inc. to find out the origin of Mike and Sully's friendship as well as how they actually got to where they are. In the grand scheme of things, Monsters University is the first daring risk that Walt Disney and Pixar has taken. They've always been known for making sequels but never a prequel. Did they pass the mark? Did they actually do good in this type of feature film story telling? The answer is yes.
There's a lot of cute moments here in Monsters U that will appeal to folks of different ages. It's also chock full of meta stuff, which is amusing considering that all that plus more is wrapped in such a movie. Still after all these years, I'm also still impressed with how Disney managed to cast it's traditional magic in this new movie. The characters are also evenly matched to their voices; Serenity's Nathan Fillion comes into the film as Johnny the Jaw, Sean Hayes [of Will and Grace] as Terri, Charlie Day as Art and Helen Mirren as Dean Hardscrabble all fit the characters to the T.
Being that it's a prequel, nothing earth-shattering or career ending happens here. No villain dies and Randell Boggs [played by Steve Buscemi] is still alive and still the laughing stock in one form or another. As I mentioned earlier, there are a lot of metas that come into play in this movie. One of the most recurring ones happen to revolve around Mike and how he pines to be a scarer, no, the top scarer for Monsters Inc. Of course that doesn't happen in the first movie as its actually Sully who becomes that. While Toy Story delved around friendship and acceptance of what you are, Monsters University focuses more on friendship and growing up together. It's an evolving friendship as seen in the relationship between the two main characters.
Another great thing about Monsters University is the gags. It starts slow but by the time we get to see the big scare fest, you'll be chuckling not only at the antics of Mike and Sully but also with the other OK (Oozma Kappa) members such as Art and Terri & Terry.
Major props to the production crew for giving us a couple of easter eggs in the movie. Oh and to answer your question, YES, THERE IS ANOTHER POST-CREDIT SCENE and you do not want to miss that.
Overall, Monsters University is a great movie to catch this weekend. Be sure to bring the kids and make it a family bonding moment. Oh and I also advice you to watch it in 3D as it gives more life to the already lively gang of would-be scary monsters. Special thanks once again to Walt Disney Studios Philippines. Catch Monsters University as it is released today (June 26).
Mike Wazowski’s lifelong dream is to become a Scarer at Monsters, Inc.—and he’s sure he knows just how to do it. Comic actor Billy Crystal returns to Pixar’s recording studios, giving voice, humor and a heightened level of emotion to this beloved little green one-eyed monster, in the new comedy adventure “Monsters University.”
In the film, ever since he was a young monster, Mike’s had his eye on Monsters University, home of the monster world’s top Scare Program. Now a freshman and hopeful Scare student, he’s well versed in the rich history, theory and technique required to reach his goal, and he has more confidence, enthusiasm, determination and heart than all of his classmates combined. Then he meets James P. Sullivan—Sulley—and life gets tricky. “He gets little guy’s disease bad,” says Crystal. “He has a chip on his shoulder when it comes to Sulley—this big handsome monster who’s everything Mike really wants to be.” The problem, of course, is that Sulley fails to nurture his natural abilities, while Mike works extra hard—to little avail. “This movie does something that is rarely done,” says director Dan Scanlon. “It shows someone who has a dream and a desire that doesn’t work out the way he expects it to. I think that happens to everyone in some way or another, so we really wanted this movie to show that sometimes when you reach those walls, there’s something better around the corner. It’s not the end of the world. Mike Wazowski is the perfect guy to tell that story.”
Ever since “Monsters, Inc.” opened in theaters on Nov. 2, 2001, the team at Pixar Animation Studios knew that Mike, Sulley and the monster world had touched audiences worldwide in a significant way. So the idea of bringing them back to the big screen in “Monsters University” was a welcome one. How to do it, exactly, was another story—literally.
Says executive producer John Lasseter, “When we create an original film at Pixar, by the time we’re done with it, we know the characters—they’re like friends; they’re like family; they’re part of us. It’s always bittersweet to say goodbye to characters like that. It’s so much fun to start thinking of new ideas that you can do in a world you already love, but we had to come up with a story that is as good or better than the original.” To fuel Pixar Animation Studios’ well known collaborative process, the creative leadership team, dubbed “the brain trust,” hosted a brainstorming session, inviting some of Pixar’s best storytellers, including several members of the original “Monsters, Inc.” team. The idea of doing a prequel was certainly appealing to this group. Imagining the backstory for Mike and Sulley—a natural part of the filmmaking process—had been happening since the original film was made.
Filipino artist Nelson Bohol, a veteran of several Pixar films like “Finding Nemo,” “The Incredibles,” “Cars” and “WALL-E,” figures in the fun facts released by Disney/Pixar regarding its upcoming animated comedy “Monsters University.”
Read on below and find out what Bohol did to deserve the citation.
Disney/Pixar has issued a new “Monsters University” poster dubbed `Global All-Character' which features the film's entire cast of monsters.
Screaming with laughter and oozing with heart, “Monsters University” is directed by Dan Scanlon (“Cars”), produced by Kori Rae (“Up,” “The Incredibles,” “Monsters, Inc.”) and features music from future Rock-and-Roll-Hall-of-Fame–inductee and award winning composer Randy Newman (“Monsters, Inc.,” “Toy Story 3”). In the film, ever since college-bound Mike Wazowski (voice of Billy Crystal) was a little monster, he has dreamed of becoming a Scarer—and he knows better than anyone that the best Scarers come from Monsters University (MU). But during his first semester at MU, Mike’s plans are derailed when he crosses paths with hotshot James P. Sullivan, “Sulley” (voice of John Goodman), a natural-born Scarer. The pair’s out-of-control competitive spirit gets them both kicked out of the University’s elite Scare Program. To make matters worse, they realize they will have to work together, along with an odd bunch of misfit monsters, if they ever hope to make things right. Opening across the Philippines on June 26 in Disney Digital 3D, 2D and regular theaters, “Monsters University” is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International through Columbia Pictures.
Disney/Pixar has just launched a brand new trailer of “Monsters University,” the highly anticipated prequel to the 2011 blockbuster, “Monsters, Inc.” You may view the trailer here at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l79mEDBybqE&feature=youtu.be.
Synopsis: Ever since college-bound Mike Wazowski (voice of Billy Crystal) was a little monster, he has dreamed of becoming a Scarer—and he knows better than anyone that the best Scarers come from Monsters University (MU). But during his first semester at MU, Mike’s plans are derailed when he crosses paths with hotshot James P. Sullivan, “Sulley” (voice of John Goodman), a natural-born Scarer. The pair’s out-of-control competitive spirit gets them both kicked out of the University’s elite Scare Program. To make matters worse, they realize they will have to work together, along with an odd bunch of misfit monsters, if they ever hope to make things right.
Disney/Pixar has just released the full, new trailer of “Monsters University,” the highly anticipated prequel to the 2011 blockbuster, “Monsters, Inc.”
Mike Wazowski (voice of Billy Crystal) and James P. Sullivan (voice of John Goodman) 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.
Disney/Pixar has just revealed the domestic and international posters of “Monsters University,” the highly anticipated prequel to the 2011 blockbuster, “Monsters, Inc.”
In the film, Mike Wazowski (voice of Billy Crystal) and James P. Sullivan (voice of John Goodman) 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.
