June 2013 Animated Films

Hello!
Both of these films represent admirable (albeit inevitable), creative, and entertaining animated films which feature humor that audiences of any age can appreciate... which is why they make a huge amount of money!  Sequel rant aside... I was laughing throughout and recommend them both.
Enjoy!

Despicable Me 2

• Despicable Me 2 finds its place at the crossroads between family film, spy adventure action, and some kind of Latino fiesta (EL MACHO!).  You'll know what I mean after watching.  At any rate, this sequel is just as fun as the original!  Gru and the gang are all back.  Yes, that includes Dave, Larry, Kevin, and all the other similarly named minions.  I was happy to see the return of Dr. Nefario and his "speedy" transports as well.  Despicable Me 2 continues much of the thematics from part 1 (i.e. Gru torn between good and evil... and the adventures of being a parent) while adding the potential for a love interest.  The flashbacks to Gru as a child are always tragically hilarious.  A key departure from the original is the delay in revealing the film's villain, which I think was a wise choice.  We are given the set up and the list of usual suspects, but the evil mastermind isn't revealed until well into the film.  There are some truly hilarious moments and clever twists on familiar cliches.  The film also makes nice use of the 3-D technology which often feels more at home and less clunky in animated features.  It was difficult to say whether the jokes were actually that funny or if it was Steve Carell's delightful (as always) performance as Gru that had me laughing... but I was laughing nonetheless.  Plus, who can't relate to those minions?
• Recommended in 3-D
• Rating: 4.5 / 5 ... SEE IT!

Monsters University

• Another nice follow up to the original!  This one's a prequel that follows Mike & Sully through their college scare training in a sort of animated geeks vs. jocks showdown.  Our heroes end up joining Oozma Kappa fraternity (chanting "we're OK!  we're OK!").  The set up is a series of "scare competitions" between rival school organizations that makes for both a proven plot device and an opportunity to showcase entertaining, Revenge of the Nerds style fun.  It's a nostalgic trip back a few years for college grads and an enjoyable one for youngsters as well.  I particularly liked one of the opening scenes (pictured above) where all the college student volunteers' names rhymed with each other.  Clever & hilarious.  Similar sequences poke fun at other college cliches and cliques which you can't help but laugh at.  There are a number of nice references to the first film, which help carry the film along and pique the keen viewer's interest, as well as some welcomed newcomers.  Monsters University seems less polished (and unfortunately less jazzy) than the original but nonetheless offers another edition to the Pixar canon that represents its predecessors well.
• 3-D... take it or leave it
• EASTER EGGS (I love these) HERE: http://www.businessinsider.com/monsters-university-easter-eggs-2013-6
• I'm sorry to say that I missed the Pizza Planet truck despite looking diligently... 
• Rating: 4.5 / 5 ... SEE IT!

Note: I don't own the rights to any of the photos on this website.  They're copied here from Google images for entertainment purposes only.