UPDATED: Although Pixarian Austin Madison originally mentioned that the short may be released along with the Monsters University blu ray, it will now be released in theaters alongside The Good Dinosaur on May 30, 2014.
UPDATED 2x: With the release date of The Good Dinosaur being pushed back until November 25, 2015, it is unclear if Party Central will also be pushed back with that theatrical release or if it will be released earlier.
Although Monsters University is still hot on the heels of its June 21 theatrical release, for those of you that are already thinking about owning the movie on Blu-ray, you’re in luck – it is now available for pre-order (in two versions) on Amazon.com. Though the official date has yet to be revealed we can only imagine that Monsters University will come out in mid-November, similar to the release schedule of the Brave Blu Ray.
The most intriguing news, along with the availability to pre-order the film, is the possibility of a new Monsters University short. In Amazon’s description, they mention, “get ready to party with hours of exclusive bonus extras, including an inside look at the world of monsters and the animated theatrical short film ‘The Blue Umbrella’.” Partnering that description with a recent interview on the Animation Fascination podcast with Pixarians Austin Madison and Chris Chua, Madison reveals that he worked on a Monsters University short for the Blu Ray titled, “Party Central” (directed by Kelsey Mann).
You may remember hearing the name Kelsey Mann during our Monsters University Press Days, as I was drawn to the story process of the film…and that portion was taught by Mann.
With a title such as Party Central our heads are buzzing with thoughts and ideas – could this short be set in the Oozma Kappa house as it was Squishy who said the family room was named “party central”. Wherever the party may be, it’s clear that with all the incredible new characters from Monsters University that the short is sure to be a blast.
The two versions of the film that are available for preorder are a 3-Disc Collector’s Edition (Blu Ray, DVD, and Digital Copy) and a 4-Disc Ultimate Collector’s Edition (3D Blu Ray, Blu Ray, DVD, and Digital Copy). We’ll be sure to update everyone as we hear more about the upcoming release, extras, and Party Central – stay tuned.
Hey Gendry – you're right! Now that I think about it more, he does say that it's an Oozma party…now it's whether it's in the OK house (which we can assume it is)! 🙂 – T.J.
Austin or Chris mentioned it again later on in the podcast, possibly toward the end when they discuss what is up next. I don't remember exactly when, but trust me, it's not a figment of my imagination 😉
Hey Gendry, we listened to the interview and even revisited it to find any spot where they specifically mention that it was able throwing a party and we didn't hear anything specific…only that Austin worked on the short and that it was planned to be on the Blu Ray. Where did you see the confirmation?Also, I agree that it will be certainly more geeky for sure – T.J.
The Party Central short will be about Oozma Kappa throwing a party, Austin and Chris confirmed that. Now, having said that, I don't expect it to be another Partysaurus Rex, because Pixar has already covered that angle with the frat house party sequence at ROR in the movie. It will be something more low key and geeky, I bet.
I actually think that the scenes from the MU Teaser Trailer will be on the Blu Ray, but I don't think it will be part of \”Party Central\” short. Julie was the one that recalled Squishy saying that the living room was called Party Central in MU…plus, the way that Austin was talking about it, it seemed like something newer rather than the older clips. That's just our take, but we'll see shortly as more details about the Blu Ray are released. – T.J.
That's true, I hadn't thought of that. But it does seem like the final design. I guess we'll find out closer to the release date.Pixar movies are the only ones I buy on Blu-Ray, so I like to have them keep the same look. It isn't a huge deal, it's just something that I like to have a little continuity with. Also, it just seems like a weird design change to switch the silver and the gold, especially since all of the 3D releases over the past year for Pixar and Disney have been silver.In terms of the \”Party Central\” short, do you think it could possibly show the scenes from the MU teaser trailer that weren't in the movie? I had wondered what happened to them after seeing the movie, and they seem to fit the theme… just a thought.
Hey Brian! It is an interesting switch for sure…if this is the final cover art. I assume this will be the final artwork, but thought I'd throw that out there just in case.Our Pixar collection is full of a mix of various sized cases from the Toy Story collection (for TS1-3 Ultimate Toy Box Edition), to the Cars (Director's Edition box) to the other Blu Rays…so I hear you!! 🙂 Pixar Post – T.J.
I'm disappointed by their choice to go with gold for the border around the \”Ultimate Collector's Edition\”. All of the other Pixar editions I own that have the 3D Blu-Ray copy have the silver border, so this one would just seem out of place. I really liked the blue color they generally used for the Blu-Ray covers (with a few exceptions), but it seems like they've started sticking with the gold (Collectors Edition) and silver (Ultimate Collectors Edition) borders. Now, it looks like they're making silver the Collectors edition and gold the Ultimate Collectors Edition. Oh well, it isn't a huge deal, but I just like uniformity sometimes. I had to go with the regular \”Collectors Edition\” this time. I like the cover art for that version way more anyways!