CRYSTAL, GOODMAN PLAYING TEENAGERS

'Monsters University' premieres in Hollywood

"Monsters University" producer Kori Rae, who worked closely with Crystal and Goodman on the first film, said she noticed the veteran actors were much more comfortable in their monster skins, and have fun playing their characters as teenagers.

"They got to dig in and explore who these guys were back then," noted Rae.

Crystal, 65, and Goodman, 60, said they saw a lot of themselves in teenage Mike and Sully.

Crystal likened Mike's need to have someone to catch him when he flies off the handle to times when he himself needed "someone as grounded as John" when he went off script to improvise. He also empathized with Mike's ambition, comparing it to his own.

"Mike never stops working to get better and he doesn't let anything get in his way. He may not like how he stacks up with everybody else, but he'll work you in to the ground - and I've always had that kind of drive," the comedian said.

For Goodman, Sully's easy-going likeability was an instant draw.

"(Sully's) a guy who gets to do what he loves for a living. There ain't' enough of that to go around," Goodman said.

Both men are also open to reprising their roles for a third installment, should one ever come to pass. In fact, Crystal already has ideas.

"Monsters Assisted Living," he said, before altering his voice to channel an elderly Mike. "Do my ankles look swollen to you?"

Related: Actress Helen Mirren turns ferocious in new 'Monsters' movie