50 Fun Facts About Monsters University

In what year was Monsters University released in theaters?

It arrived twelve years after Monsters, Inc. and was the studio's first prequel.

Who directed Monsters University?

It was his feature directing debut at Pixar; he later directed Onward.

Who composed the score, returning from the first film?

It was his seventh collaboration with Pixar as composer.

Who voices Mike Wazowski?

Crystal and Goodman both reprised their roles from the 2001 original.

Which returning actor voices a different character than in the first film?

She had voiced Ms. Flint in Monsters, Inc. and plays Mike's teacher Ms. Karen Graves here.

Which actress voices Dean Abigail Hardscrabble?

The centipede-bodied dean was the Oscar winner's first animated feature role.

Which Disney unit was first tasked with making a Monsters, Inc. sequel?

The unit was also drafting early versions of Toy Story 3 and Finding Nemo 2.

Where did the film hold its world premiere on June 5, 2013?

The director and producer attended the special screening.

Which Pixar short film played before it in theaters?

The short was directed by Saschka Unseld and also accompanied the home release.

Roughly how much did the film gross worldwide?

That made it the seventh highest-grossing film of 2013 and, at the time, Pixar's third-biggest.

Which short, set shortly after the film, was released with Muppets Most Wanted?

It premiered in fall 2013 before reaching theaters in 2014.

Which scarer does young Mike follow into the human world on his field trip?

Frank is alarmed by the stunt but impressed enough to hand over his own college cap.

Who is assigned as Mike's roommate when he enrolls?

The future villain of Monsters, Inc. starts out as a nerdy friend before defecting to the cool fraternity.

Which top fraternity accepts Sulley but rejects Mike?

Mike is turned down for not looking scary enough; Sulley is later kicked out after failing the exam.

What prized possession of the dean's do Mike and Sulley break on exam day?

She personally tests and fails them both on the spot.

After failing the exam, which program do Mike and Sulley land in?

Sulley blames Mike for the demotion, which fuels their rivalry into the next semester.

Which small fraternity of misfits does Mike join for the Scare Games?

Its members, like Mike, had all washed out of the scare program.

Why does OK survive the first round of the Scare Games despite placing last?

Mike and Sulley's squabbling had doomed them until the disqualification saved the team.

Where does Mike secretly take the discouraged OK team on a trip?

Watching professional scarers use their differences as advantages rejuvenates the team.

In the Scare Games final, what is each contestant trying to frighten?

OK and RΩR face off one-on-one, and Mike posts a maximum score.

How did Sulley secretly guarantee Mike's winning score in the final?

The betrayal gets Sulley expelled and leaves Mike determined to prove he is scary on his own.

Where does Mike end up when he sneaks through the experimental door?

None of the children inside are afraid of him, which is the moment his dream collapses.

Whom do Mike and Sulley scare to generate enough energy to reopen the door?

The scream energy powers the door from the human side just before it explodes.

In which department do Mike and Sulley start their careers at Monsters, Inc.?

The closing montage walks them up through the ranks until Sulley is a scarer and Mike his assistant.

Which actor was announced to voice Henry J. Waternoose before the role was cut?

He would have replaced James Coburn, who died in 2002.

What was the title of the cancelled Circle 7 sequel?

Its plot had Mike and Sulley stranded in the human world after trying to deliver a birthday present to Boo.

Which Disney CEO's dispute with Steve Jobs led to the Circle 7 sequel plan?

Disney owned sequel rights to every Pixar film up to and including Cars.

Who wrote and storyboarded the early draft of the Circle 7 sequel?

Their version was scrapped once Disney bought Pixar in 2006 and the rights returned.

In which year did Disney announce it had purchased Pixar, ending the Circle 7 project?

The change came after Bob Iger replaced Michael Eisner in late 2005.

The release was first moved up from November 16, 2012 to avoid which film?

It was later pushed to June 2013 because of Pixar's strong record with summer releases.

In which year was it announced that the film would be a prequel?

A Pixar follow-up had been confirmed the year before; the prequel title came on March 29.

Who was the film's producer?

She went on to produce Scanlon's next Pixar film, Onward.

Which actor was among the new voice castings for the film?

He voices Johnny Worthington, the smug president of Roar Omega Roar.

Mike's original-film line said Sulley was jealous of him since which grade?

The prequel's college first meeting contradicts it; Scanlon joked the line is just an old monster expression.

The director joked the team knew it did not want to make a film with what title?

Versions where Mike and Sulley met young were tried and abandoned in favor of college.

Which lighting technique did the film introduce to Pixar features?

It was part of an overhaul of the rendering system used since the first Toy Story.

What technique does the film's new lighting system use to imitate real light?

It automated reflections and shadows that artists had previously built by hand.

Researchers attended a Bonfire Rally before the Big Game at which campus?

The Big Game is the rivalry football match against Stanford.

To research Greek life, what did many of the producers do?

The team also visited Harvard, Stanford, Cornell and MIT to study campus architecture.

Which drum corps group's drum line features on the score?

The percussion tracks were recorded at Skywalker Ranch.

Which Mötley Crüe song featured prominently in the teaser trailers?

Andrew W.K.'s 'Party Hard' was the other trailer anthem; neither is in the film.

Its Asian premiere was the opener of which 2013 event?

That was June 15, 2013, a week before the US release.

On April 1, 2013, the MU website was styled as if hacked by which rival college?

The fully functional university site had launched in October 2012 with admissions pages and a campus store.

During which game did the film's first TV commercial air?

It parodied the ads for participating schools shown during college football telecasts.

Which Disney online game hosted a Monsters University Takeover event?

Players could dress as monsters and compete in the Scare Games from June 27 to July 11, 2013.

What was the film's North American opening-weekend gross?

It was the second-largest Pixar opening at the time and the second-largest ever for a G-rated film.

In which country did the film set an opening-weekend record among all films?

Latin America as a whole handed Pixar a regional opening record of $31.7 million.

Which was the film's highest-grossing market outside North America?

It took $90.1 million there, ahead of the UK, Ireland and Malta's $47.2 million.

What unwanted Pixar milestone did the film hit at awards season?

Critics were generally positive, but the 80% Rotten Tomatoes score was soft by Pixar standards.

Which previous record holder did it beat for animated-film openings in Hong Kong?

It set opening-day, single-day and opening-weekend records for animated films there.