Billy Crystal and John Goodman Share A Few Facts About ‘Monsters University’

Disney•Pixar is getting ready to release their new animated movie Monsters University tomorrow, which is a prequel to Pixar’s 2001 movie Monsters, Inc.. Billy Crystal and John Goodman, who are reprising their roles as Mike and Sulley respectively, recently took part in a press conference to answer a few questions about the movie.

Here are some highlights of what you should know about Monsters University. And in case you’re wondering, the movie is really good, but more on that in my review tomorrow, keep an eye out for it.

On Mike and Sulley’s Journey

When asked about Mike and Sulley’s journey in the film, Crystal explained “In this movie, they find out who they are. The most important element of this movie to me is well, Mike has a dream, and the dream may not work out, and then he has to readjust and recalibrate. He does that with the help of his friend, who tells him who he thinks he is, and he starts to believe it himself.”

On What Makes Mike and Sulley So Likable

Goodman explained that the reason he thinks the two of them work so well together is because “they complete each other, in a way.” He added, “I think Sulley really, really needs Mike Wazowski. It makes him complete, lets the air out of him a little bit. Especially in this film, when they’re not completely formed monsters yet, they learn from each other. They learn how to adapt, how to let go of their pre-conceived notions of themselves and of the world. They’re good for each other.”

Crystal added, “I love this guy to play, and playing it with John is phenomenal because we work together in the studio, and we can act together. We’re not just reading lines; we’re performing them, and we’re playing them, and we feel them. I think that’s why their relationship on screen is really great because it’s a real thing.”

On Working With Director Dan Scanlon

Crystal explained that Dan Scanlon “had a totally different energy than Pete Docter.” He described him as a “hipsters” with Goodman adding that he “had great sensibility.”

They also shared that Scanlon would read with them if other characters weren’t there to read with them and that he had “a good enegery to feed off of.” Crystal added that he would get “a funny little look on his face” when they did something he didn’t like.

They both enjoyed working with him a lot.

On How The Experience of Working With Pixar Has Changed

The first thing that Goodman and Crystal talked about when asked about the differences between Pixar then and now is that they were amazed by the fact that they could now animate fur and hair. They explained that it was a big deal then and that their techniques have gotten much better. In addition, Crystal said that they might be able to do things a little faster than before.

Goodman added that “the thrill is still there because they’re such wonderful storytellers, great writers, and everything is reality-based and grounded, so you can believe in it, and it makes it fun.” Crystal continued, “But the imagination is even broader because they can do even more.”

On How John Lasseter (Pixar and Disney’s chief creative officer) Approached Him For The Movie

Crystal explained, “Lasseter, at a party, came to me – it was at John’s 50th birthday party – and said we have the idea. It’s a sequel, but it’s a prequel. They’re in college. And he just walked away, but he left an idea, and I went oh, this is gonna be great. It was so fun to revisit them at this time in their lives. It was such a brilliant idea to put them in that time period where they’re about to become who they’re gonna become. That’s what was so interesting to me.”

Fun Fact

Even though actor Noah Johnson ended up voicing Young Mike, Billy Crystal had originally recorded three different openings and wasn’t sure what they had used until he saw the film. Crystal shared that in the first version he recorded he played his parents, Mike and his bored sister in the car as they were dropping him off at college.

Monsters University will be released to theaters tomorrow, June 21st. You can watch the trailer here.