Monsters University
Director: Dan Scanlon
Cast: Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Helen Mirren
Length: 103 minutes
Country: USA
Monsters, Inc. is my favourite feature-length production. And while this July’s prequel film, Monsters University, doesn’t quite have the brilliance of Inc. it is nevertheless an extremely successful tale, one that both amuses and charms.
Twelve years after the original movie, producers take the story of the monster-duo Mike and Sulley (voiced again by Billy Crystal and John Goodman) back in time to their days at university. The University of Warwick may very well have over 240 societies on campus but it sadly lacks a degree in ‘Scaring’. Both Mike and Sulley want to major in the practical and theoretical aspects of scaring children. A child’s scream is, of course, Monstropolis’ source of energy, which was first established in Monsters, Inc.
If Monsters, Inc. was Sulley’s story, then Monsters University is undoubtedly Mike’s. The opening of the film follows the young and victimised Mike as he nurtures his desire to be one of the best in the scaring business. Mike? The cute, comic and one-eyed little green monster? Scary? Surely not! This is exactly the problem Mike, the freshman, faces upon arrival at university. Underrated by his peers and teachers alike, Mike is the epitome of the underdog and as such is a character with universal empathic appeal. Mike’s determination to focus on his studies versus Sulley’s attempts to breeze through classes on his reputation alone echoes the different work ethics of students on campuses all around the world.
The initial scenes of Mike wandering across the campus for the first time are a delight. The superfluous enthusiasm from the monsters at the freshers fair bared similarities with my own bemusing experience of the freshers here at Warwick. The animation team have excelled in creating a thorough and dynamic environment of the campus through which the main-players can interact. The added voice-support of Dame Helen Mirren, playing Dean Hardscrabble, a hybrid of an insect and dragon, and her crisp and steely intonation reminds of that one lecturer we daren’t cross.
The superfluous enthusiasm from the monsters at the freshers fair bared similarities with my own bemusing experience of the freshers here at Warwick
Threatened with expulsion Mike and Sulley are forced to find a fraternity to compete in and win the annual scare games in order to prove their worth as scaring students. This is an entertaining narrative that somehow manages to increase the stakes and peril for the characters whose eventual fate audiences already know. The fraternity, Oozma Kappa are the underdogs of the competition, and thus are forced to rally together despite their notoriously harmless appearances. In this odd-bob gang there are some of the classically Pixar-esque moral pursuits of comradeship and self-confidence, which despite their familiarity, are very welcome.
The final-third of the film is undoubtedly the strongest. Without wanting to give too much away let’s just say that it really explores the friendship between Mike and Sulley and provides the audience with a wealth of understanding as to why their rapport is so strong in Inc. A cathartic exchange between the pair is surprisingly mature and speaks volumes for those with failed dreams and internal doubt. The finale boldly goes in an unexpected direction and look out for a clever use of the horror genre that you might feel is alien to a Pixar film, but rest assured it is not when you understand its context.
Monsters University is certainly worth your while and its content is sometimes both outlandishly funny and refreshingly adult so that it retains a wide appeal. The lack of human interaction, like with the adorable Boo in Monsters, Inc., means that there is a certain dimension that is missing from University. However, with this being said, the decision to delve into the past rather than proceed with a direct sequel is a successful one.
But I cannot end without mentioning the glorious animation-short at the beginning of the film. The Blue Umbrella is a triumph of technology and emotion to craft a unique little story. The short involves a blue umbrella’s desperate attempts to seek the companionship of a red umbrella on a pedestrian journey through a hazardous and rainy urban environment. And it will move you. Sounds bizzare? Well stick with it, because this is another successful delivery from Pixar. Both Umbrella and University prove that you are never too old for animation films if they are crafted with a good heart at its core.
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