I loved Monsters Inc. Even as a kid, the relationship between Boo and Sulley I thought was perfectly executed. Despite that they were not related, by the end of the film they were family. As soon as the credits rolled, I wanted to know how that relationship continues. How does Sulley react to Boo growing up? What happens when she no longer believes in Monsters? These questions might have lead to very formulaic movies, but I still wanted to see them due to how Pete Docter crafted the film.
When Pixar announced that the follow-up would be a prequel instead of a sequel I was a little disappointed. I never really wondered why Mike and Sulley were friends. This concept of the film even brings up some continuity issues as in the first film Mike mentions they have known each other since they were kids. I was also concerned that Pete Docter, who also made another one of my favorite Pixar films with Up, would not be returning. I also was not sure how I felt about the Animal House vibe being given off by the early trailers.
I am happy to say, I thoroughly enjoyed Monsters University. This is due to many of the same reasons I enjoyed the first film. Both movies really show how we develop our relationships in our lives. The first showed how we welcome a child to our world, even if we are not the parent. The sequel showed how we end up with our best friend. Most of us have that best friend that we are closer to than anyone else outside of our spouses (even though our best friends often understand us better). There is no secret formula to how this occurs, but it happens to almost everyone. In this film, we see how this happens and how they both enrich each other’s lives.
Pixar has done “buddy” films, before. And while Toy Story 3 is the superior film, I believe that the relationship between Mike and Sulley in this film is more developed than we have ever seen with Woody and Buzz.
I also appreciated that while the film acknowledges that everyone has potential, not everyone is the same. This is especially true in the monster world, but is an important lesson. By avoiding the family film cliché of you can do anything if you put your mind to it, we learn that everyone is unique and has their own talents. In many ways echoing the point made in The Incredibles that if everyone is special, that means no one is.
The film is funny. With Mike and Sulley’s fraternity brothers providing a diverse character mix that brings us a lot of humor. I am sure many Disney fans will be debating which member of Oozma Kappa is their favorite for a long time to come. The other members of MUs Greek system also bring some one-dimensional humor addressing the stereotypical collegiate archetypes.
Monsters University might not have been the film I wanted, but it is definitely a film I enjoyed. While part of me still wants to know what happens after Mike reassembles Boo’s door, this film told a story that is just a few notches below the original film.
The short accompanying Monsters University is The Blue Umbrella. The story is a cross between “Johnnie Fedora and Alice Blue Bonnet” and “Paperman”. I have to say, I had a hard time focusing on the story as I marveled at the technical accomplishments of the short. This is, by far, the most photorealistic work Pixar has done. I was not convinced that it was not an animation/live-action hybrid until the credits rolled and I saw no live-action mentioned. I look forward to seeing it again, so I can spend less time focused on the technical wizardry and focus on the story being played out in front of me. After all, as everyone says, “story is king”