While Pixar films have received mixed responses from critics over the last few years, the general public continues to come out in droves. The Pixar brand is the strongest in Hollywood, with all 13 of its prior films debuting at the top spot of the weekend box office during their opening weekends. In North America alone, those films have together brought in over $3 billion. Monsters University, which opened this past weekend, has kept the perfect streak going, raking in approximately $82 million. Find more details after the break!
Watch: Final ‘Monsters University’ Theatrical Trailer
Monsters University is currently screening for college students and faculty around the country, and judging from the overall consensus, the film is on track to delight audiences across the globe. To raise and maintain awareness of the film’s release, which is less than two months away now, Disney/Pixar has just released the final theatrical trailer. Watch the final Monsters University trailer after the break!
‘Monsters University’ Director Dan Scanlon Explains Why Sulley Was Not Jealous Of Mike’s Good Looks In The 4th Grade
In early April, I was invited to visit Pixar to preview its upcoming films for the year, Monsters University and The Blue Umbrella, and to speak to the filmmakers that worked on them. One of the concerns (translation: nitpicks) that some Monsters, Inc. fans had after the announcement of prequel Monsters University was the comment Mike made to Sulley in the original film that inferred they knew each other in the fourth grade. With the prequel film revolving around the story of how Mike and Sulley met in college, there was a vocal minority that complained about what seemed to be a contradiction. After the break, read what MU director Dan Scanlon had to say about that!
CinemaCon 2013: Positive Reactions Emerge From Early ‘Monsters University’ Screening
Yesterday, Disney held a presentation at CinemaCon, the event where studios preview their upcoming films as a way to rally support among members of the movie theater industry. The studio confirmed that Pete Docter‘s 2015 film that takes place inside the human mind would be called Inside Out. Additionally, attendees were lucky to be one of the first audiences outside of Pixar to view a near-complete version of Monsters University. Given that the film is a prequel to Monsters, Inc., which starred several beloved characters, expectations are high. Based on the brief reactions from the press present in the audience, it looks like the prequel film is on the way to being another Pixar hit.
Get To Know The ‘Monsters University’ Fraternities and Sororities
Fraternities and sororities can often have a major impact on student life, especially if those joining are far away from home. There is a reason why group members come to call each other brothers and sisters – pledges can develop close bonds with one another that are of immense help through college and afterwards. Given that Monsters University has been described as a “college movie,” it comes with little surprise that the college groups will play a major role in the upcoming film. After the break, find details and images on all the fraternities and sororities of Monsters University!
Creative ‘Monsters University’ Window Clings Appear At Movie Theaters
With the sheer number of ads that we are presented with while at movie theaters, it is normal for the marketing of some films to be overshadowed by others. One of the important concepts in advertising is to create something different and memorable so the products get noticed, but it sometimes requires the advertising company to be bold. Disney/Pixar has done a great job at creating a Monsters University marketing campaign that capitalizes on the school that the film is based around. The film’s in-theater advertising, which first emerged in February, has also been creative. After the break, take a look at some more fun displays that have started to appear in movie theaters.
Gorgeous ‘Monsters University’ Concept Art Showcases Beautiful School Campus
Getting a new Pixar film means that we also get to take another peek at the beautiful pre-production art that the talented artists at the studio put together to help them tell the story. We get to see the finished product in animation form, but it takes a lot of work to make the words leap from the script into the visual world. Art is created to help the filmmakers narrow their scope, a task that can be even more helpful in the case of Monsters University, a unique world limited solely by the imagination of those who work at Pixar. There is a new set of concept art pieces that have been released and they are as gorgeous as any artwork we have seen come out of the Emeryville-based studio. Take a look at their beauty after the break!
‘Monsters University’ Screening Early For College Students and Faculty (Updated)
Pixar’s films are known to generally play well with children as well as adults, with stories containing complex characters and genuine heart. Back in 2010, Disney/Pixar screened a “cliffhanger edition” of Toy Story 3 for college students around the country months before its official release, fully understanding that many students enrolled in universities at the time grew up with the Toy Story franchise. Given that Monsters University is arriving almost 12 years after the original film, I had little doubt that we would see similar early screenings for the prequel. That has now been confirmed, as the film will be screened for those with a college ID in select cities starting next week. Find more details after the break!
Watch: New ‘Monsters University’ TV Spot Debuts At Kids’ Choice Awards
Major entertainment events are often seen as the go-to place for studios to debut TV spots for films that are still several months out from seeing release. The Super Bowl is the biggest of them all, a venue where many highly-anticipated films provide audiences with a first look. The Kids’ Choice Awards is appealing to studios for the show’s ability to draw the younger crowd, with last year’s presentation bringing in over 11 million viewers. Disney/Pixar chose the awards show, which was held this weekend, to debut a brand new commercial for Monsters University. Watch the TV spot after the break!
New ‘Monsters University’ Viral Site ‘The Grumblr’ Mimics Tumblr Blogs
Viral marketing has emerged as a major form of building interest in upcoming films, with many studios employing creative campaigns, some better than others. The marketing team at Disney/Pixar has been working around the clock, having released an incredibly detailed viral website for the Monsters University school and viral ads spoofing college commercials. We have now learned of another viral site that has been sharing Instagram-like photos and Twitter-style updates from a so-called student at the school. Take a look after the break!
