How to Stream ‘Monsters University’: Your Family Viewing Guide

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Monsters University is the 2013 prequel to the 2001 Disney/Pixar hit Monsters, Inc. In the film Sulley and Mike aren’t best friends, they are rivals in college as they learn how to be proper monsters. You can watch Monsters University online.

Dan Scanlon and Daniel Gerson teamed up to write the script, which brought back many of the stars of the original film including John Goodman, Billy Crystal, and Steve Buscemi but also brought in fresh voices including stars Helen Mirren and Alfred Molina.

Monsters University was nominated for more than 60 awards and would win 10 including two Annie Awards and an ASCAP Film and Television Music Award for composer Randy Newman. Watch Monsters University streaming on Disney+.

The film was a box office success, bringing in more than $82 million during its opening weekend and grossing about $268 million during the initial box office run. Here’s how to stream Monsters University right now:

How to Stream ‘Monsters University’ – Exclusively on Disney+

Monsters University is a prequel to the highly-rated Monsters, Inc., and it is streaming exclusively on Disney’s new subscription streaming service, Disney+.

You can stream Monsters University and hundreds of other movies and shows on your computer, phone, tablet, smart TV or streaming device. The service costs $6.99/month. You may also opt for this discount bundle of Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ for $12.99/month.

1. 1. Sign up for Disney+ here
2. 2. Go to Disneyplus.com or download the Disney+ app on your device
3. 3. Log in using your information
4. 4. Search for “Monsters University”
5. 5. Tap on Monsters University
6. 6. Tap the PLAY button

Disney+ also boasts a vast library of Disney-owned movies and series — plus several new original series coming soon. The service includes unlimited downloads so you can watch offline whenever and wherever you want. The list of compatible devices and smart TVs includes iPads, Apple TV, Amazon devices, Amazon Fire TV, Android, Chromecast, Roku, PS4, and Xbox One.

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Monsters University: Overview

Release Date: June 5, 2013
Creators: Robert L. Baird, Dan Gerson, Dan Scanlon
Director: Dan Scanlon
Starring: John Goodman, Billy Crystal, Steve Buscemi, Helen Mirren
Rating: G
Synopsis: Mike and Sulley are two monsters who meet at college and learn what friendship is all about.

How Long Is Monsters University?

Monsters University has a runtime of 104 minutes.

Monsters University Plot

Mike Wazowski is a young monster who just isn’t scary, but his dream is to become a scarer for Monsters, Inc., a company that harvests the screams of children to power the city of Monstropolis. On his first day in college he meets Randall Boggs and they become quick friends and roomies at school. Then, he meets James P. “Sulley” Sullivan, who he immediately starts a rivalry with. Mike studies very hard to become a scarer but feels Sulley isn’t trying hard enough, because he is already big and scary and also comes from a long time to top scarers. Because he doesn’t try as hard, Sulley falters in school and this makes him resent Mike.

They each decide to join a fraternity and begin competing against one another and this culminates in a fight in which they break Dean Hardscrabble’s scream canister. The Dean fails them both from school, and the frat also expels Sulley. Mike decides to join the school’s Scare Games to prove he really is a good scarer; he makes a deal with Hardscrabble that if he and his team win he passes but if they fail, he’ll leave the school. Sulley wants Mike to let him join the team so he can stay in school, too, but Mike refuses. He joins the misfit fraternity Oozma Kappa but their team is denied entry to the games because they’re short one member.

This leads Mike to let Sulley on their team. With enough members, they are not allowed to compete. They do well and finish in second place behind Roar Omega Roar, the frat that expelled Sulley. ROR and OK have a final round and Mike’s OK fraternity defeats the ROR fraternity, but then he learns that Sulley rigged the machine so their team would get a higher score. Mike is now determined to prove he can be a scarer without rigged competitions to he goes through a closet door and into a child’s bedroom but the kids in the room aren’t afraid of him at all.

He runs into the woods. The ROR fraternity offers to reinstate Sulley, but he has already told Hardscrabble that he fixed the final competition. As he confesses, Hardscrabble learns Mike has gone into the human world and forbids anyone from following him; Sulley goes after him, anyway but they can’t get back through the door because there isn’t enough scream energy left. Together, they work to frighten a group of camp rangers and it works!

They get the door to open and return to the university. Mike and Sulley are expelled from school but the rest of their OK fraternity are accepted into the scare program. Hardscrabble admits that their working together surprised her but she doesn’t let them back into school. Instead, they go to work in the mailroom at Monsters, Inc. together.

Monsters University Cast

Several of the original cast members returned to their roles in Monsters University including John Goodman and Billy Crystal. They were joined by newcomers to the cast Helen Mirren, Sean Hays, and Alfred Molina. Here are the main cast members for Monsters University.

John Goodman as Sulley Sullivan

Sulley wants to become a good scarer and land a posh job at Monsters, Inc. John Goodman is an award-winning actor who is best known for his role as Dan Connor in the series Roseanne and The Connors. He has appeared in more than 160 films and TV series including The Righteous Gemstones, 10 Cloverfield Lane, and Argo.

Billy Crystal as Mike Wozowski

Mike is a wise-cracking monster who gets under the skin of Sulley while they are in school learning to be proper monsters.
Billy Crystal is an award-winning actor, comedian, producer, and writer. He is best known for his roles in the hit films When Harry Met Sally, the film franchise City Slickers, and Forget Paris.

Steve Buscemi as Randall

Randall is a villainous monster who likes to scare children and is a key rival of both Sulley and Mike.
Steve Buscemi is a veteran character actor who has appeared in more than 160 films and TV series throughout his career. He is best known for his roles in Fargo, Reservoir Dogs, Armageddon, and The Death of Stalin.

Helen Mirren as Dean Hardscrabble

Dean Hardscrabble is the head of Monsters University and takes her job very seriously. Helen Mirren is an award-winning actress; she has more than 130 award nominations and 124 wins including an Oscar for her performance in The Queen. She is best known for her roles in Gosford Park, The Queen, The Mosquito Coast, and 2010.

Sean Hayes as Terri

Terri has a crush on Sulley.
Sean Hayes is an award-winning actor who is best known as sarcastic Jack on the sit-com Will & Grace. His other notable roles include the TV series Grimm, Hot in Cleveland, and The History of Comedy.

Monsters University Songs and Soundtrack

Randy Newman was brought back to create the soundtrack for Monsters University. Newman won an Oscar and a Grammy for the original song, If I Didn’t Have You, from the original film and was nominated for Best Original Score at both the 2001 Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards for his work on Monsters, Inc. For his work on Monsters University, Newman won the ASCAP Film and Television Music Award for Top Box Office Film.
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Monsters University at the Box Office

Monsters University performed well at the box office, earning $136 million during its opening weekend and a worldwide total for $743 million.

Monsters University Reviews – What the Critics Said

Both critics and audiences were generally favorable to the film, which holds an 80% approval rating on the Rotten Tomatoes site. Monsters U was the first, and so far the only, prequel put out by Pixar, which critics said hit the right notes of ‘funny and thoughtful family entertainment’.

Where Monsters University Fits in the Disney Movie Pantheon

To date, Monsters University is the only time Pixar has created a prequel film, even though the film did very well at the box office and in-home releases; it was the seventh highest-grossing film for 2013, grossing $744 million during the initial year of release. The film franchise is listed in the top 10 for animated film franchises, with earnings of $1.3 billion worldwide. The Monsters franchise boasts two full length, animated films, along with several shorts, and an animated web-series.

Monsters University Trailer

Stream Monsters University Here

Monsters University Trivia: 5 Fast Facts

Monsters University was the first prequel to be created by Pixar and, to date, it is their only animated prequel. Here are five fast facts about the film.

1. Toy Story Truck Gets Cameo

The Pizza Planet truck from the Pixar franchise Toy Story got a cameo in the film; it is parked near the fraternity when Mike is riding Archie the Scare Pig.

2. Helen Mirren Fights to Audition

The movie’s producers offered the role of Dean Hardscrabble directly to Helen Mirren, without her needing to audition for the part. Mirren refused the offer and insisted that she audition for the role to ensure the producers were satisfied with her performance.

3. CalArts Room Number Used

Throughout the Disney universe, there are references found to ‘A113’; this is a nod to the room at CalArts where animation classes are taught. In Monsters University, Professor Knight’s lecture hall is A113.

4. Monsters U Campus Ties to UC-Berkeley

Animators made the Monsters University campus similar in scope, type of buildings, and layout to the University of California – Berkeley, which is close to where the Pixar Studios are located in California.

5. Monsters, Inc. on Top 10 Franchises Lists

Monsters, Inc. has made it onto the highest-grossing film franchises lists, ranking at number nine. The franchise – two films, a web series, comic book, and video appearances so far – has earned more than $1.3 billion worldwide.
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You can also read more about the first film in the series, Monsters Inc.