Monsters University Bits: New Clip, Characters and Casting

Pixar-hype season is gearing up again, and this one's going to be a doozie. Just yesterday Pixar unveiled the second trailer for their next release, Monsters University, and today, we get lots more cool stuff from the prequel!

Firstly, via Pixar Post, John Goodman was on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon last night, and he brought a new clip from Monsters U with him. Goodman talked about the Oscars and Argo, as well as talking up Pixar, the film and working with Billy Crystal. You can check out the clip from just over the 2 minute mark and, just like the trailer, it's really funny: it shows Mike and Sulley's first meeting, and more of Archie the Scare Pig.

Photo via The Pixar Times.

The Pixar Times then has lots of coverage from yesterday's Monsters University toy fair (check out the awesome toy line-up here), which included a breakdown of who some of the new characters in the film are, and who's voicing them.

Photo via The Pixar Times.

It was announced yesterday that Oscar winning Dame Helen Mirren is lending her voice to the formidable looking Dean Hardscrabble. Joining her in Monsters U is Joel Murray (Mad Men), who voices Don Carlton (far right of the above picture), a "mature student returning to college to follow a dream to study scaring".

Photo via The Pixar Times.

Terri and Terry are "classic bickering brothers" who are literally stuck with each other. Terri (left) is voiced by Sean Hayes (Will & Grace) and Terry (right) is voiced by an old Pixar favourite, Dave Foley (A Bug's Life).

Photo via The Pixar Times.

Next up is Squishy, real name Scott Squibbles, who - as The Pixar Times points out - does indeed bear a strong resemblance to Up's Russell, the common link being Pete Sohn. Sohn, who is the director of Partly Cloudy and co-director of the upcoming The Good Dinosaur, was apparently the inspiration for Russell, having looked like him as a child, and is voicing Squishy (he previously voiced Emile in Ratatouille). He's described as an "18-year-old college student who doesn’t know what he wants to be."

Photo via The Pixar Times.

Rounding off the group is Art, who's surely set to be a fan-favourite if his hilarity in the trailer is anything to go by. He's described as "that [weird] college guy you don’t know anything about" and is voiced by Charlie Day (Horrible Bosses).

This new collection of characters make up Oozma Kappa, the fraternity Mike and Sulley join, who feature so prominently in the trailer and extended preview we've recently seen, and they certainly seem to be a blast! You can find out for real when Monsters University hits cinemas on 21st June (US) and 12th July (UK).