A look at the relationship between Mike and Sulley during their days at Monsters University — when they weren’t necessarily the best of friends.
Pixar has always made excellent movies. From “Toy Story” right up to “Monsters University” (and beyond!), the quality of their films, along with the stories themselves, have always been in a league of their own. When “Toy Story” first came out in 1995, the animation and overall look of the movie had never been seen before, and audiences lapped it up. Pixar has never made a bad movie, although personally, I never cared for their “Cars” movies and the spin-off movie “Planes”; they didn’t appeal to me, but pretty much every other film they’ve made was perfect. My personal favorite is “Up,” with “Monsters Inc.” a close second. When Pixar announced that they would do another “Monsters” movie, I got excited, but when I found out that it would be a prequel, my expectations began to crumble.
I don’t care for prequels. For the most part, they’re unnecessary. The less we say about the three “Star Wars” prequels, the better, and here’s hoping that J.J. Abrams and co. will be able to take that bad taste out of my mouth with their upcoming trilogy. I will admit, however, and I know I’m in the minority here, but I actually liked “The Thing” prequel, which came out in 2011. I love that universe and hope that Universal will have the courage to make a flat-out exciting sequel to Carpenter’s 1982 classic someday. With “Monsters University,” Pixar has another great story with wonderful and vibrant characters. The details, from the color of the trees to a blade of grass to the hair on Sulley’s body, are spectacular. I sometimes thought I was watching a live-action movie with the characters digitally added in afterward.
The story tells us how Mike (Billy Crystal) and Sulley (John Goodman) became best friends, although there is a lot of hate between the two in the beginning. Naturally, they don’t hit it off because Mike is tenacious, determined, meticulous, small, an outcast, and a loner. Sulley is unprepared, a slacker, and lives off his family name as a Sullivan. He expects everything will come through his natural ability to scare but soon realizes it will take much more to succeed in this university. After making a wager with Dean Hardscrabble (Helen Mirren), they’re thrown into a Scare Games contest, where they grudgingly band together with other loners to complete a series of challenges to stay enrolled in the college.
Each game played against the other rival fraternity houses gives the film a story structure that helps to understand each of the character’s strengths and how to use them. The overall story shows the reality of their situation and the hard life lessons that are thrust upon us. All the pitfalls life gives us are one of the major resounding themes. “Monsters University” is a great film. It’s both funny and sentimental in all the right places, and I give the filmmakers kudos for a surprising and believable ending. Just because it’s an animated film doesn’t mean it has to have a happily-ever-after ending. Of course, as the credits begin to roll, we see the events that bring us right up to “Monsters Inc.” Highly recommended.
Available on Blu-ray™, DVD, and Digital October 29th
