Monster’s University graduates with honors

When we first met Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal) and James P. Sullivan (John Goodman) in 2001’s beloved Monsters, Inc., they were already the best of friends. Pixar’s delightful follow-up, Monsters University (the company’s first prequel), jumps back in time to find the guys in college. As it turns out, Mike and Sulley didn’t exactly click from the get-go.

Despite his comical demeanor and lack of physical foreboding, young Mike has dreamt of joining the elite group of Scarers at Monsters, Inc. since he was a lonely, unpopular little eyeball. Mike is book smart at scaring. Sulley, on the other hand, comes from the long line of Sullivan Scarers and relies on his natural stature and ability to roar like a Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Basically, Mike is a nerd and Sulley is an arrogant frat boy — natural enemies.

But when Dean Hardscrabble (Helen Mirren) kicks them both out of school, they reluctantly join forces and enter the Pan-Hellenic Scare Games in an attempt to gain readmission. But first, the pair must join a fraternity in order to enter the games, and they have only one option — the thoroughly unscary misfits of Oozma Kappa, OK for short.

Although both Mike and Sulley are main characters in the Monsters movies, the story and development of only one of them is the primary impetus for change in each film. In Monster’s Inc. it was Sulley, enlightened by his relationship with Boo, who emerged as the main protagonist. Now it’s Mike’s turn, as his story is at the heart of Monster’s University. While the film is about Mike overcoming insurmountable obstacles — in this case, simply not being scary — it’s also about accepting oneself even when who and what you are is in direct opposition to what you want.

Despite this poignant message, I wouldn’t call Monsters University very original — it’s a buddy comedy, which is what most Pixar films are when you get right down to it. But it’s hard to label this lack of variety as a bad thing when they do it so well.

Though it isn’t quite as cute as its predecessor (nothing could be more adorable than Boo — nothing!), Monsters University seems content being a very funny movie. On that level, it’s a raging success. After a couple missteps — though Brave wasn’t bad, it did seem like Pixar lost some purity of spirit in trying to check a princess movie off its list; Cars 2, on the other hand, fell far below the company’s usual high standard — it feels like Pixar is back on track.

The voice acting is right on point, with favorites from the original returning, and a huge supporting cast of familiar comedy actors and recognizable voices like Aubrey Plaza, Alfred Molina, and Bobby Moynihan. As always, Billy Crystal and John Goodman are wonderful together, but the lovable Oozma Kappas steal many of the scenes and really exemplify the theme of finding confidence in oneself while also accepting who you are.

Mirren is perhaps the most distinguished cast member, and her character, Dean Hardscrabble, is by far the creepiest monster in either Monsters, Inc. or Monsters University. You know how a lot of the creatures in these movies are huge, have sharp teeth, and maybe some horns or a few extra legs, but since it’s an animated movie for kids they temper it by making them fluffy and Technicolor? Well, the Dean is nothing like that. She’s part dragon, part centipede, and all legitimately creepy.

Monsters University is a thoroughly entertaining film and I highly recommend it. The only thing I don’t like about it is the title … it just doesn’t roll off the tongue. But that’s beside the point. If you see Monsters University and don’t enjoy it, then you’re probably a robot.

I also HAVE to mention pre-movie short The Blue Umbrella, the most harrowing story I’ve ever seen about an inanimate object. The simplistic story follows an umbrella searching for freedom and love. The animation, more realistic and subtle than typical Pixar, draws the viewer in immediately. Even if Monsters University was horrible, it would have been worth buying a ticket just to see The Blue Umbrella.

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