I don’t shy away from telling people that Pixar is the most magical, inspirational production company working in film today. In our post 90s-Disney world, someone has to step up and put all of the pointless sequels and movies based on children’s toys (I’m talking to you, The Lego Movie) and TV shows that are before its own target audience’s time (Smurfs) to shame. And Pixar fills that role time and time again.
Now I know what you’re thinking, Pixar is in a slump of unnecessary sequels and some “meh” movies. Cars 2 was a disgrace (I’ve never even seen it), and I still hold the belief that Disney forced them to make it. Brave was pretty and heartwarming but a bit of a mess in terms of having a coherent story. So without having made a great movie since 2010’s Toy Story 3, Pixar had a lot riding on their first prequel. And that’s why I went in with a lot of expectations, but also why I walked out trying to wipe the tears from my face before the two other families in the theater with very young kids saw me in the light.
I’m not saying the film was perfect. In fact it had an almost identical formula as two other films about college, Sydney White and House Bunny, where a well-intentioned hero turns a group of ragtag fratbros/sorority sisters into popular winners through a lot of trial and error, plus transformation montages. But unlike Despicable Me 2, which I saw three days before, the film had what Pixar repeatedly proves it has, and that’s heart. Cue corny music.
One thing I loved about the film is that they turned Mike from this funny egomaniac that you just laughed at in the first film into a fully developed, hardworking underdog. I found him so inspirational and courageous that you just root for him from the first scene, where, on a school field trip, he sneaks into a door on the scare floor and sees a real scarer in action. He is forever changed and works incessantly until he has earned his place at the top scaring school, Monsters University. Which is great, because it proves that no amount of difference (he’s made fun of for being so small and not scary) can keep you from accomplishing your dreams.
And yes he’s still lovable and these little easter eggs that reference the first film are magical when you see them. And once at school, Mike meets James P. Sullivan, the self-righteous legacy who got in only because of the merits of his father, Bill Sullivan. Sulley is naturally talented, unlike the intuitive and book-smart Mike, and the two dislike each other from the get-go. But when fate leads them to have to join the least popular fraternity and win a campus-wide scaring competition to prove their worth and not lose everything they had worked for, the two learn to understand each other’s differences and combine assets to make a great team. The film is relatable, touching, and teaches the value of friendship. Also it has a college setting, which is a nice touch considering the first film came out 12 years ago, so most of the target audience then is now in college.
FYI this is just a shot from the teaser trailer and isn’t in the film. So aside from Pixar being the studio that touches hearts around the world, they are also successful enough to afford a quirky and talented cast of voice actors. There’s Billy Crystal and John Goodman as Mike and Sulley again, and Bonnie Hunt (I’m not sure if Pixar secretly owns her or she just loves working for them, because she did Bug’s Life, Monsters Inc, Cars, Cars 2, Toy Story 3, and Monsters University) who plays Mike’s elementary school teacher. They also got Aubrey Plaza (Parks and Recreation, Safety Not Guaranteed) to play an unattached, goth announcer for the Scare Games, but I guess you could have figured that out.
They also got Charlie Day (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Horrible Bosses) to play a new age philosophy major named Art, who basically has all of the best one liners in the film because of how strange he is.
Overall, Monsters University isn’t one of the many unnecessary sequels that fill the younger generation’s heads with animated garbage. Pixar has made 14 films, all premiering at number one at the box office, and 7 have won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. Out of those films, 4 are not original stories (Cars 2, Toy Story 2 and 3, and Monsters University). Also Finding Dory, the sequel to Finding Nemo, is on the horizon. Before that, they had two original films coming up, The Good Dinosaur, and Inside Out. In my opinion, Pixar has earned the right to a few sequels, because aside from Cars 2, they understand that sequels are more than just quick money, but that they can also further a story so beautiful that it needed to be revisited.
