Monsters University

Set years before Monsters, Inc., Monsters University follows how Mike Wazowski and James P. Sullivan first meet as students at a prestigious campus for monsters. Mike is obsessive about proving he can be a top scarer despite his small size and relentless studying, while Sulley arrives with a family reputation and a seemingly effortless gift that makes him overconfident. Their early relationship is full of clashes that play out across classes, drills and competitive events, and they end up paired with an oddball group of classmates. Together they confront expectations, rethink what success means, and discover how friendship and teamwork shape their goals.

Released in 2013, Monsters University was directed by Dan Scanlon. Produced by Pixar Animation Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures, it acts as a prequel to Monsters, Inc., with story development contributions from Rosana Sullivan, Louis Gonzales and Kelsey Mann.

The movie was a commercial success, attracting large family audiences worldwide, opening strongly at the box office and becoming one of Pixar's notable releases that year, while also finding an audience in home entertainment markets.

Though lighter in tone than the original, the film expanded the franchise's backstory and made Mike and Sulley familiar as college-age figures, feeding into merchandise, Halloween costumes and general pop culture visibility. Its college setting and ensemble of quirky classmates also helped popularize the idea of playful, nostalgia-friendly origin stories for beloved characters.

It holds a vote average of 7.044/10 from 11,084 votes, and both critics and audiences praised the vibrant animation, humor and the vocal performances of Billy Crystal and John Goodman, even as some noted the film doesn't match the emotional depth of Monsters, Inc. Major themes include friendship, ambition, identity, teamwork and the gap between natural talent and sustained effort.