Its official - Pixar is back on form. Monsters University, the house that Woody builts first prequel, hit UK cinemas this week and boy is it brilliant. Monsters Inc. has always been one of my favourite Pixar movies, tying with Toy Story 2 for second place (the top spot naturally goes to Up) and after the dual disappointment of Toy Story 3 and Cars 2 (along with the middling Brave), I was more than a little worried the film wouldnt pull it off. But instead of just floating on former glories or even worse forgetting what made the original so strong, Monsters U stood out in its own right, telling a story that felt fresh and unpredictable. Having spent the last three years of my life at University, I could really feel the amount of research that had gone into the film. For Up the team went to Venezuela, for Ratatouille they went to Paris and for Monsters University they went back to school. Only stereotyping when the people the characters are based off have stereotyped themselves, it felt like a real, living university, with countless throwaway lines that are monster versions of what Id hear on an average day. At times I felt like people I knew well had been directly lifted from real life and been presented in animated form. But authenticity only takes you so far; Cars 2 did a good job in recreating its locations, but had no discernable plot to back it up. Monsters U doesnt fall into the trap many prequels do and only works towards the end goal (hello Star Wars). Not only does the story feel fresh, giving us proper college versions of Mike and Sully (younger in both looks and personality), but the overall message is something unexpected. Starting off by busting many university myths freshers hold dear (your roommate is a friend for life, not working hard is cool), the film ends up with the incredibly sombre lesson that sometimes, even if you work your hardest for something, you may not attain it. Not all doom and gloom (even Up had a happy ending), the film juxtaposes that with the conclusion that if things dont work out as you planned, theres always another way; incredibly fitting given the publics obsession with university. Its hard to imagine Dreamworks pulling off something so poignant. Another brilliant element of Monsters University is the easter eggs. Pixar are as renowned for their hidden in-jokes almost as much as they are for making adults cry and their latest is no exception. Few websites have gone to the full depths of what director Dan Scanlon and co. have hidden the film, so here we bring you to ten most awesome easters eggs in Monsters University you probably missed. Needless to say, spoilers abound in this article. As with the previous entries in the '10 Things You Might Have Missed' series (
The Hobbit,
Iron Man 3,
Star Trek Into Darkness and
Man Of Steel), I'll be doing the points in chronological order, so things only really get spoilerific about half way through. But just in case, why not bookmark this page to read after you've seen the film?