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Tag: Monsters University

  • Despicable Me 2 Blows Lone Ranger Away

    Despicable Me 2 opened on Wednesday and promptly shot straight to the top of the box office. The Dreamworks sequel brought in $34.4 million on opening day, and a total of $142 million for the whole weekend, claiming the coveted July 4th weekend crown with ease.

    Meanwhile, the other major film to open during the July 4th weekend – Disney’s The Lone Ranger – did a credible impression of a wet bottle rocket, bringing in a mere $48.9 million for the entire weekend, despite taking second place for the Friday-Sunday timeframe. Of course, that may seem like a decent haul, and for a lower-budget picture it would be. But The Lone Ranger cost Disney $225 million to make. That means that those of you who were hoping for a Lone Ranger 2 (all 12 of you) are likely to be disappointed.

    But The Lone Ranger wasn’t the only casualty in Despicable Me 2’s holiday weekend rampage. Monsters University, the latest installment from the mighty Pixar, took a massive hit, dropping 57% and landing in fourth place for the weekend. On the bright side, Monsters University now stands at $216 million domestically and almost $400 million worldwide, making it the eleventh of Pixar’s fourteen movies to pass the $200 million mark. The film cost roughly $200 million to make.

    Rounding out the top 5 are The Heat and World War Z. The Heat, which stars Sandra Bullock, took in $25 million, while World War Z made $18.2 million for the weekend. Now in its third weekend, World War Z has brought in $158.8 million, and is moving steadily toward its break-even point (it had a budget of $190 million).

  • Monsters University Creators Talk At Google

    Monsters University director Dan Scanlon ad producer Kori Rae recently stopped by the Googleplex to talk about the film, which opened this past Friday. Google has now made the conversation available for those interested:

    The discussion, which was moderated by Google doodler Matthew Cruickshank, took place on June 19th, two days before the film’s release.

    More recent At Google talks here.

  • Disney Infinity Officially Announced, Sandbox Gameplay Revealed

    Disney Infinity Officially Announced, Sandbox Gameplay Revealed

    Disney today officially revealed the details of its ambitious sandbox gameplay title Disney Infinity. The game, will supposedly allow players to create their own gameplay experience using the characters and props from Disney and Pixar movies. Disney Infinity will launch on video game consoles in June 2013, and on mobile and “online devices” throughout the year.

    “Disney Infinity introduces a new way to interact with the best of Disney on one game platform, both now and in the future,” said John Pleasants, co-president of Disney Interactive. “With this innovative approach to gaming, Disney Infinity will bring to life new characters, stories and environments from The Walt Disney Company over time in a way that will delight fans and gamers alike.”

    The video game will integrate collectible figures that can be placed on an “Infinity base” to unlock new characters and objects in-game. At the game’s launch, 40 “Interactive Pieces” will be available to unlock content and 17 “Interactive Character Figures” will be available to unlock new characters. “Power Discs” will also be available to expand content. Disney will, of course, be releasing new characters and “Play Sets” in the future to expand the content of the game.

    The game’s “Toy Box” mode will allow players to create their own environments and challenges, which can then be shared with other players. Also included are “story-driven” adventures in which players will confront puzzles and enemies in familiar Disney settings. The game supports 2 player co-op in the adventures and up to four player co-op in “Toy Box” mode.

    “Disney Infinity combines prominent Disney and Pixar characters and scenarios in a way that mimics how kids play in real life,” said John Blackburn, vice president and general manager of Avalanche Software. “With our platform’s unique gameplay mechanics and innovative approach to user generated content within the “Toy Box” mode, Disney Infinity will spark imaginations and provide endless hours of fun and creativity.”

    The starter pack for Disney Infinity will cost $75. “Disney Infinity Figures” will cost $13 each or $30 for a 3-pack, and “Power Discs” will cost $5. Additional “Play Sets” will cost $35. Three “Play Sets” have already been announced, encompassing the worlds of Monsters University, Pirates of the Caribbean , and The Incredibles.

  • “Monsters University” Trailer Shows How Mike And Sully Met

    “Monsters Inc.” was a huge success for Disney/Pixar, drawing in crowds of all ages who instantly fell in love with the acerbic cyclops Mike and his buddy Sully. Now, a trailer has been released for the upcoming “prequel”, which explores the early days of the monsters and how they met: in college.

    Of course, “Monsters Inc.” touched upon the subject of a monster college a bit in talking about the rigorous training a young monster has to go through in order to learn how to scare properly. But “Monsters University” explores their scare learning in depth, and highlights the love/hate relationship that Mike and Sully perfected over the years.

    Billy Crystal and John Goodman are both back to reprise their roles as the lovable monsters, as are Steve Buscemi and John Ratzenberger. Joining the cast this time around are Kelsey Grammer–who worked with Ratzenberger on “Cheers”–and “The Hangover”‘s Ken Jeong.

    The trailer shows Sully’s prankster past as he pulls a fast one on Mike while he’s sleeping:

    (image)

    And a wild dorm party:

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    Mike seems to be the dorm nerd and doesn’t realize he’s the butt of the joke…

    (image)

    …Until his classmates make it evident.

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    Apparently Billy Crystal, well-known for his ad-libbing abilities, came up with several lines on the spot when recording Mike’s part for the trailer, and Pixar execs liked them all so well, they recorded four different versions of the trailer. You can head over to the “Monster University” Facebook page and check them out, as well as vote on your favorite.

    “Monsters University” opens in June of 2013.

  • Brand New Monsters University Trailers Emerge

    Brave is opening in theaters this Friday, which makes the timing right for Pixar to begin releasing trailers for its next project. This time they will be revisiting the world of Monsters Inc. for a prequel called Monsters University.

    In the original story to Monsters Inc., the monsters are depicted as having the job of scaring children into producing screams, which the mosters then use as energy. It is only natural that they would have to go to college to prepare for their careers.

    Pixar has released four “different” teaser trailers for the upcoming movie, but the only difference is the line that Mike (Billy Crystal) delivers while asleep. Since its not really worth watching all of them to get the one line, here are the other ones:
    “Homework ate my dog”,
    “Class President. Hahaha”
    “I can’t go to class, I’m not wearing any clothes.”

    Meh. This one is probably the funniest:

    Monsters University is set ten years before the original movie and will explain how Mike and Sully became best friends. John Goodman (Sullivan), Bily Crystal (Mike), and Steve Buscemi (Randall) are all set to return in their original roles. It will open in theaters June 21, 2013.

    Expect one of these trailers to be attached to a lot of Brave movies this Friday. Actually its safe to say that all of them will carry this trailer.

    [via: gawker]

  • Multiple Trailers For Monsters University Debut

    Multiple Trailers For Monsters University Debut

    Disney’s Pixar is so incredibly popular, if the company released a digitally-animated movie about the lifecycle of a cactus, it would make over $100 million at the box office. So when the prequel to their 2001 smash Monsters, Inc. was announced, the buzz was immediately high. The prequel, Monsters University, isn’t due to hit the theaters until summer of 2013, but that hasn’t stopped Disney from releasing footage for the movie.

    Normally, you might expect one teaser trailer to whet the appetite, followed by full-blown trailers as the release date gets closer and closer. In this aspect, Pixar/Disney did not disappoint. In fact, they exceeded expectations with not one or two teaser trailers, but four of them. That’s right, there are four teaser trailers for the upcoming box office smash, and we’ve got all of them for you. Furthermore, there’s been no “let’s try to put the genie back in the bottle” behavior, ala, the Weinsteins, Columbia Pictures, and the Django Unchained trailer from Pixar either. Now, it should be noted the trailers are not that much different from each other. The big difference between them is Billy Crystal’s dialogue when he wakes up:


    While the buzz, as is the case for all Pixar movies, will be incredibly high when the movie drops next summer, a concerned YouTube commenter had this to say:

    SO WHAT, THEY DID SOME MARKET RESEARCH AND REALIZED THAT ALL THE KIDS WHO LOVED MONSTERS INC. ARE NOW IN COLLEGE AND HAVE MONEY?

    witz85

    So is this a blatant money-grab by Disney or is this another example of Pixar’s commitment to excellence?

    [Via ComingSoon.net]