Disney and Pixar are clearly turning their eyes towards monsters with marketing picking up for the 3D re-release of Monsters, Inc. in December. Six months following that, the prequel film, Monsters University, will be making its way into theaters, almost 11 years after the original film. The prequel will be a comedy set on campus while Mike and Sulley were not the greatest of friends. We are sure there will be a plethora of clever jokes in the film, as we have become accustomed to seeing in Pixar films. The viral website for Monsters University has just launched, and oh boy, it shows just how clever the marketing angle can be as well.
Built like a college website (the address of MonstersUniversity.com even redirects to an address that ends in edu), we are given historical facts, maps, news Alumni pages, and most impressively a store.
The brief history states:
Established in 1313 following a land grant from the city of Monstropolis, Monsters University has grown from a small local center of learning to a leading global institution of higher education. Upon this hallowed ground, some of the most fabled academic buildings in the world have been built, serving the hundreds of thousands of alumni that have walked the halls and grounds of MU.
The viral site launch has even snuck in a new piece of artwork that is visible across the top of every page of the site:
A map shows the layout of the campus:
The best part may be the store, which is selling MU-branded shirts, sweatshirts, mugs, and more. It is the type of merchandise that you normally only see at the Pixar Studio Store at the studio’s headquarters. It redirects to the Disney Store website, where checkout can be completed.
Check out the awesome Monsters University viral site now!
Monsters University arrives in theaters on June 21, 2013.
