Monsters University: Predictably Enjoyable

When Toy Story 3 came out, I wasn’t expecting a whole lot—sequels and prequels usually do not live up to the original. But I was pleasantly surprised, and from that day forward I began associating Pixar with great sequels. Monsters University is not the most exceptional prequel to be released, but it features many funny and quotable moments and gives us more insight into likable characters. The voice acting is great, and we get a great look at the characters before they became superstars in the scaring department.

The original Monsters, Inc. features Sully (John Goodman), but Mike (Billy Crystal) gets much more time and character development in this prequel. Mike has always struggled to fit in. Small, short, and not particularly scary or intimidating, he is often overlooked. In grade school he takes a fateful field trip to Monsters, Inc. where he meets the scaring champion—who happens to be an alumnus of Monsters University, the place where all the best scarers graduate from. Through hard work and discipline, Mike gets into the prestigious MU and aims to be the best scarer of them all.

Everything is going smoothly for Mike until Sully, a slacker and fraternity boy, enters the classroom with arrogance and swagger. Sully is an absolute natural at being scary but lacks discipline. And so the rivalry begins. After all the hard work he’s done, Mike resents Sully for being a natural. Plus, Mike worries that he isn’t scary at all, despite the fact that he has read every book and manual on how to scare kids. After a disastrous final exam and an unpleasant run-in with Dean Hardscrabble (Helen Mirren), Mike and Sully fail out of the scaring program. But Mike isn’t so easily swayed from his dream. He strikes a deal with Hardscrabble: If he manages to prove himself in the scare games, she has to reinstate him in the program; if not, she gets to expel him from MU.

Mike gets stuck with Sully and a team of lovable but not so scary monsters. How is he going to prove himself now? Blinded by their egos, uncoordinated, and suspicious of each other, Mike and Sully have to struggle through the pitfalls of learning what responsibility and teamwork is really all about. And through this journey, Monsters University skillfully traces their individual development and the blossoming of their friendship.

It’s a little predictable that Mike, Sully, and all the underdog oddballs in their frat eventually form a close bond, but the challenges and hiccups along the way make for an enjoyable ride. Mike’s leadership transforms the team and each character brings something special. Monsters University introduces quirky and unforgettable characters, including the sarcastic goths, the “cool” fraternity bros, and the fierce sorority sisters. It’s a shame that some of the movie’s messages are a little recycled—teamwork, integrity, etc.—but these movies come standard with that kind of stuff, and these messages are relatively new to Pixar’s core demographic (kids).

Now, if you’ve studied even a little bit into how stories work, you’ll know that it doesn’t matter if you’re writing a serious drama or a fluffy, animated, kids movie—it always has to be about the characters and their story arc(s). The audience has to identify (or at least empathize) with who these characters are and what they’re trying to accomplish. If we penetrate the veneer of the cheerful animation of Monsters University, we see that it deals with the same doubts and concerns that a lot of us have, especially as college students or anyone living on their own for the first time. This, along with the hard work put into even the smallest character, is what can make or break a movie.

When the characters and story arcs are done right in animated films, those films resonate beyond the “kid zone” and into the hearts and minds of adults. A lot of Pixar movies resonate this way because Pixar strives to make these two things priority number 1.

That being said, Monsters University isn’t as emotionally stirring as Toy Story 3, or even the original Monsters, Inc., but you can’t hit the bleachers with every swing. Monsters U still brings the beloved Mike and Sully back for us in inspiring and funny ways so that we can share in the stunningly important formative moments of the lives of two characters that have been loved by audiences all over the world.