Monsters University Disney Blu-Ray Combo Pack Review

***Disclosure: I received a complimentary sample from Click Communications to facilitate my review. No other compensation was provided, and all opinions are 100% honest and have not been influenced in any way. All images are courtesy of Click Communications.***

Disney•Pixar celebrates homecoming with the release of  “Monsters University” on Digital HD and Digital HD 3D on October 8, 2013, followed by the 4-Disc Ultimate Collector's Edition Blu-ray 3D Combo Pack, 3-Disc Collector's Edition Blu-ray Combo Pack,

3-Disc Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD and On-Demand on October 29, 2013.(That's tomorrow! Yippee!)        

After scaring up big laughs in theaters, the in-home release of “Monsters University” opens its doors to the movie in stunning high definition Blu-ray, and provides hours of all-new bonus material, in-depth behind the scenes features, deleted scenes, the animated theatrical short “The Blue Umbrella” and much more.  Directed by Dan Scanlon ("Cars," "Mater and the Ghostlight," "Tracy"), produced by Kori Rae ("Up," "The Incredibles," "Monsters, Inc."), and written by Dan Scanlon and Robert Baird & Dan Gerson (“Monsters, Inc.”), “Monsters University” marks Pixar’s 14th consecutive film to debut at number one at the box office. 

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. “Monsters University” bravely explores themes of self-discovery and the revelations that come with growing up. 

Joining Crystal and Goodman as part of “Monsters University’s” monstrously talented voice cast are Steve Buscemi (voice of Randy Boggs), Helen Mirren (voice of Dean Hardscrabble), Alfred Molina (voice of Professor Knight), Charlie Day (voice of Art), Sean P. Hayes (voice of Terri Perry), Dave Foley (voice of Terry Perry), Nathan Fillion (voice of Johnny Worthington) and Aubrey Plaza (voice of Claire Wheeler). Featuring a score from recent Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and award-winning composer Randy Newman ("Monsters, Inc.," "Toy Story 3"), MU also includes music from Axwell and Sebastian Ingrosso of Swedish House Mafia.  

Our Review :

I absolutely loved Monsters, Inc. In fact, I pretty much have it memorized! So of course I was totally excited about Monsters University, which is actually a prequel. 

In Monsters University, you'll meet a younger Mike and Sully. They are new college students at Monsters University, and both want nothing more than to be professional scarers. 

Mike has dreamed of being a scarer his whole life, and has carefully and thoroughly studied the art of scaring since childhood. But will this little monster have what it takes to be a real live scarer?

Sully, well....He doesn't really care about scaring....at first. You see, he came from a long line of scarers, and wasn't too interested in furthering the family legacy. It's not until he runs into Mike that his scaring aspirations begin. 

Mike and Sully don't make friends quickly....In fact, they don't really care for each other at all in the beginning of the film. But then some unexpected circumstances force them to work together as a team, with the help of their fellow frat members, the underdogs at Oozma Kappa. 

In order to remain in the University's scaring program, they must win the annual Scare Games competition. This competition is dangerous and suspenseful, and definitely tests the very stuff monsters are made of. Can Mike, Sully, and the Oozma Kappa crew pull it off and make scaring history? 

Well, I am not going to give any spoilers here. If you want to learn their fate, you'll have to check out the movie! 

We absolutely loved this film, and I think my kiddos have watched it about 50 times already. Monsters University really has it all: Adventure, suspense, and a whole lot of laughter. This is definitely a must-see in my opinion! 

Bonus Features:

·       Campus Life – What's it like being on a production crew at Pixar? Get a look at a day in the life of the “Monsters University” crew through their own eyes.

·       Story School – This documentary examines the challenges of creating a prequel as well as themes that run through the story, and the change in focus from Sulley to Mike.  We'll also look at how gags are developed – from writing jokes to brainstorming a million ideas, only 5% of which actually end up in the movie.

·       Scare Games – At Pixar, we play hard while we work.  The same people who keep the film production moving - producers, managers, coordinators and artists - are also the ones who bring spirit and excitement to some of our extracurricular activities. We check out the MU production teams as they go head to head in the mostly playful Pixar Scare Games competitions.

·       Welcome to MU – Sets aren't just buildings, they are the worlds our characters live in and explore.  This look at the Monsters University campus and its development is told from the perspective of the artists who created each piece of the campus from the architecture to the ivy leaves.  .

·       Music Appreciation – Randy Newman's scores are a mainstay of Pixar films, and this documentary will give you a privileged look at his creative process.  We follow the “Monsters University” scoring process from spotting to writing and on to the scoring session. including special college-themed recording sessions.

·       Scare Tactics – Animators are actors who digitally bring the characters to life. In this look at how the MU animation team worked, you’ll see their process of how they channeled their own monster-selves and created moments on screen that were really funny, really scary and also really serious, sometimes all at the same time. 

·       Color and Light – How can a single painting set the tone for an entire scene? We'll look at the creation of the colorscripts and how they were realized technically in the final film.  Along with the process, this piece explores the many layers of technical innovation required to produce such a naturalistic feel.

·       Paths to Pixar - MU Edition – When one door closes, sometimes another door opens – one with an even more exciting opportunity behind it. Members of the MU crew tell their own compelling backstories and share the challenges they overcame along their paths to Pixar.

·       Furry Monsters: A Technical Retrospective – Explore the difficulties in creating characters that are 20 years younger with tools that are 10 years more advanced in this contrasting look at the differing technical challenges that arose when making “Monsters, Inc.,” and “Monsters University.”

·       Deleted Scenes – Four separate scenes – “Rivalry,” “Recon,” “Movie Night,” and “Drama Class” - are highlighted with an introduction from director Dan Scanlon.

·        “The Blue Umbrella” – This animated short film from Pixar Animation Studios, directed by Saschka Unseld and produced by Marc Greenberg, played in theaters in front of "Monsters University." “The Blue Umbrella” tells the story of an evening commute in which the rain starts to fall and the city comes alive to the sound of dripping rain pipes, whistling awnings and gurgling gutters. And in the midst, two umbrellas—one blue, one not—fall eternally in love.

·       Additional Bonus Features - Audio Commentary, Promo Picks, College Campaign, Theatrical Campaign, Set Flythroughs, Art Gallery and more!­

How to Get Your Copy :

The Ultimate Collectors Edition MONSTERS UNIVERSITY will be released on October 29, 2013 in multi-formats including Blu-Ray 3D, Blu-Ray, DVD & Digital Copy. This film will also be available On Demand on the release date.

You can purchase the 4-disk combo pack ($34.96) or a 3-disk collectors edition Blu-Ray combo pack ($30.99) on the release date or pre-order a copy on Amazon.com.

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