After the lack-luster performance and quality of last year's BRAVE followed up the complete and utter dumpster fire that was 2011's CARS 2, many, including myself, wondered if Pixar had lost its touch. And after hearing that the animation giant's next film would be yet another rehash in the vein of TOY STORY 3 and the aforementioned CARS 2, I was of two minds. Yes, I absolutely adored 2001's MONSTERS INC. But I worried that it was yet another hint that the creativity and originality that put Pixar on the map was gone forever. Luckily, the results squash any fears I might have had. MONSTERS UNIVERSITY, which has Billy Crystal's one-eyed, quick talking Mike Wazowski and John Goodman's fuzzy, blue-haired scarer extraordinaire James P. Sullivan beginning their undergraduate scaring educations, is true to the spirit and tone of its predecessor while never feeling like its simply treading (or slithering) old ground.
The film begins with a brief prologue that depicts a middle school incarnation of Mike. He's not a natural scarer by any means. But during a field trip to Monsters Inc. (Hey! That's the title of the last film!), a chance encounter with both famed frightener Frank McCay and the human world sends him on his way to study at the acclaimed Monsters University School of Scaring. Unlike Mike, who is the ideal student that gets good grades but doesn't have that special something that one has to be born with, Sully is a natural and has the jockish attitude of someone who comes from a long line of acclaimed boogeymen. But success only seems to come easy to Sully. During the scare finals that conclude the monsters' first semester of scaring, the short comings of both Mike and Sully become apparent. And after they try to reenter the program (and avoid one of the more "boring" career tracks like scream canister manufacturing) by winning an annual scaring competition, the pair's strengths and weaknesses come to the forefront. Mike is talented academically. But his desire to be the greatest scarer of all time is like a short, skinny kid wanting to play in the NFL; there's a possibility, but not in the way he hopes. (Better get those kicking shoes warmed up!) Sully, on the other hand is a smart ass coasting on his name alone. He's not as skilled or imaginative as everyone likes to think he is. And as a result, he has morphed his underachieving into a defense mechanism to hide his overwhelming fear of failure.
And before you ask (and I know you totally were), there's a reason I've spent so much time on Mike and Sully's characters. That's because the scaring duo are two of the most completely realized characters on screen this year. In terms of psychology, physicality and voice-acting, Mike and Sully are pretty much perfect. Creating characters that feel more fully realized than even those from most of their "real" counterparts has been, and continues to be, one of Pixar's greatest strengths. Sully's a bit thinner this time around and sports a faux hawk hairdo. When he first barges into his and Mike's first scaring class (as loud as he is late), the way he plops himself down in his seat, slightly leaning back with a look on his face that says, "This is all just a formality, bow down to my greatness," tells you everything about the character without him saying a word. Likewise and in complete contrast is Mike, whose slouchy, cheek-clenching walk and preemptive flinching cement that the outcast middleschooler we see trying to find a field trip buddy at the beginning of the film is still searching these many years later. Pixar's ability to set up these contrasting personalities so fully and so vividly that is what makes the eventual relationship between the pair so believable and equal to their outstanding dynamic in MONSTERS INC.
But, in reality, this ability to create complete and interesting characters isn't limited to the mon-stars. When Mike and Sully must join a fraternity in order to compete in the annual Scare Games and win back their spots in scaring school, the only one that will have them is Oozma Kappa. (We're OK!) This rag-tag group are the unhippest of the unhip. They're the classic, REVENGE OF THE NERDS underdogs. But, because Pixar is so good at being able to fully individualize even the most minor of characters, the brothers of OK are as endearing as they are bizarre. There's Don Carlton (Joel Murray), a middle-aged nontraditional student and former salesman with tentacles and bat wings that form his mustache and side burns. There's the purple, fur-laden Art (Charlie Day), a hippie (or the monster equivalent of a hippie) philosophy major who is basically legs with a face and Terry and Terri Perry (Dave Foley and Sean Hayes), two halves of the same two-headed monster, one of whom is a dance major while the other... isn't. And there's a multi-eyed cutie named Squishy whose mom's residence acts as the OK frat house. There's the obligatory jock fraternity populated with the self-entitled, "best of the best" and a sorority filled with bubbly, cheerleader-type monsters who dress in pink and seem harmless but harbor a hellish, EXORCIST-like intensity that would make even Linda Blair scream.
In charge of everything is Dean Hardscrabble (voiced wonderfully by Dame Helen Mirren), the dragon-centipede hybrid mistress of Monsters University and founding member of both the School of Scaring and the Scare Games. She is hard-nosed (which isn't easy when you don't have one), by-the-book and doesn't suffer fools gladly. She expects the best from her students and removes those whom she deems unworthy or mediocre. Throughout the film she appears almost petty in her treatment of Mike and Sully, engaging in childish bets and continually putting them down even when they are successful. But as the film progresses, it becomes clear that the vibe she radiates is due to her immense dedication to her students and her extreme desire to see them accomplish everything within (and maybe outside of) their potentials.
MONSTERS UNIVERSITY is not a deep film. But it's not trying to be. It's trying to be a fun and enjoyable ride for kids and adults alike that also teaches the benefits of friendship, teamwork and trust in one another. Anyone that's seen ANIMAL HOUSE or REVENGE OF THE NERDS or really any underdog sports film knows how this one is going to end and MONSTERS UNIVERSITY hits every single beat it has to. But while the story may be nothing new to movie-goers, Pixar seems to realize that and plays with it. When a moment doesn't feel right, there's a reason it doesn't. And the film's ability to anticipate that feeling in its audience members and tease it out before explaining what's really going on is a layer that will be completely ignored (and rightfully so) by the kids, but that makes for an incredibly fun viewing experience for seasoned film junkies.
There is just so much to love about this film. Its script is incredibly quotable, both for lines that are simply hilarious, and for lines that are surprisingly thoughtful and wise such as Mike explaining to Sully that, "The best scarers use their differences to their advantage." Yes, it is a little disappointing and really downright confusing that after BRAVE there is no truly strong female character with significant screen time (apart from the hard to connect with Dean Hardscrabble). And yes, it's derivative of many college-centric comedies that have come before it. But within every scene of MONSTER UNIVERSITY there are multiple things to love. Be a quick line or the brilliant cinematography, an expertly timed sight gag or a group of insignificant details that help flesh out this already immersive and stunningly gorgeous world, the film has so many joyful and pleasurable things going on at once. The way Pixar is able to make a world filled with colorfully manic monsters feel so human is remarkable.
In a summer populated with so many dark and gritty films, having something as joyous and heartwarming as MONSTERS UNIVERSITY is a sight for sore eye. (Right, Mike?) And it's the film's moral core that really makes it something special. It teaches children (and reminds adults) the rewards of being truly honorable, honest and loyal to your friends. When a character does something morally wrong they are punished for it. When they get away with it, it's their conscience that does the punishing. But the life lessons the film teaches are never conceited. They're always supported with empathy for the shortcomings of the characters.
It may not be deep, but the film is sweet, adorable and perfect family entertainment. And just like the monster brothers of the Oozma Kappa Fraternity, MONSTERS UNIVERSITY is much, much more than simply OK.
9 out of 10
