Movie Review: Monsters University (2013)

Monsters University is the prequel to Pixar’s Monsters, Inc. (2001). While it is interesting to see how Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal) and James P. Sullivan (John Goodman) came together, Monsters University lacks the whimsical charm of the first film and tackles issues some young children might not understand. The film does have moments of gags and silliness, but the heart-warming coming-of-age tone dominates the story.

The film starts with young Mike Wazowski on a field trip to Monsters, Inc. Mike is an outcast even at that age as no one wants to be his field trip buddy, forcing him to pair up with his teacher, again. Although Mike doesn’t have a lot of friends, he is still excited, and his excitement urges him to sneak on the scare floor and into a child’s bedroom to watch a scarer in action. Although he broke the rules, the scarer is impressed that he didn’t even know Mike was in the room with him. Bolstered by this compliment, Mike vows to become a scarer and sets his sights on Monsters University because that is the same place the scarer went.

Mike Wazowski’s first day at Monsters U.

The film skips ahead to Mike’s first day at Monsters University; he arrives, alone, by bus, brimming with hope and wide-eyed enthusiasm. Mike is more academic than his fellow scare students, thinking that memorizing facts is the best route to success. His rival is Sully. James Sullivan comes from a family of well-respected scarers, and he is expected to meet those standards. Sully comes late to class on the first day, and he and Mike disagree right from the beginning. Sully believes he can coast on his name and one good roar. Mike believes hard work and studying is the answer. A very scary Dean Hardscrabble (Helen Mirren) states that they are both wrong and kicks them out of the program.

Quick-thinking Mike makes Dean Hardscrabble an offer: if he wins the Scare Games, she allows him back into the scare program. Hardscrabble agrees, stating that if he and his team wins, all of them will be admitted into the scare program, but if Mike’s team loses, Mike has to leave Monsters U. At first, Hardscrabble thinks Mike can’t participate in the games because he is not part of a fraternity, but he is, he just became a member of Oozma Kappa (OK). But another obstacle is in his way—teams must have six members. Mike pleads with the crowd, but no one steps up until Sully agrees. Sully has something to prove as well, and after his fraternity tosses him aside, he is eligible to be an Oozma Kappa too.

The Oozma Kappas

The team doesn’t bond immediately. During the Scare Games is when the laughs come. OK is full of oddballs, the awkward nerds that many dismiss, and they have to come together to bring out the best in each other to win. The second event, avoiding getting caught by the librarian, is hysterical as the team takes an unconventional approach—they make noise. Watching Art (Charlie Day), who has his arms between his legs, roll around and the rest flip, slide, and dodge the librarian’s tentacles is great physical comedy, demonstrating what Pixar does best, blending nimble animation, quick action, sight gags, and witty one-liners. The middle section of the film, the Scare Games, is the best part of the film.

For fans of the first film, there are nods and references to Monsters, Inc. The best is how, in a few short scenes, we see Randall’s (Steve Buscemi) transformation from eager and friendly student into a bitter, vengeful rival of Sully. Another favorite is the appearance of a memorable supporting character from Monsters, Inc. as a member of the CDA.

Sully is a bit cocky in the beginning.

Prequels are tough because we know where they are going. If you are expecting the light-hearted buffoonery of Monsters, Inc., you will not find a lot of it in Monsters University. In order to get Mike and Sully to be friends, the filmmakers take the duo on an emotional journey that deals with living up to family expectations, peer pressure, rivalry, cheating and betrayal. During a scene near the end, Mike and Sully have a serious conversation, and for a moment, I thought I was watching an episode of Supernatural with Sam and Dean feeling all of the feels as they share a beer while sitting on the Impala. Their conversation was that serious. Some young children might not understand what is happening during the development of Mike and Sully’s relationship. They also might not understand why Mike doesn’t end up a scarer after working so hard on his dream. Monsters University is ultimately about having a dream and realizing that doing everything right might not make a dream come true, a message that is difficult for some adults to come to terms with, so parents will have to be prepared to talk about such a weighty subject with their kids.