Monster's University

Monster's University is a 2013 prequel to the beloved original, Monster's INC. While I will admit, I had reservations in seeing this film and wasn't sure how I would react to it, this is once again a job well done by Disney and Pixar. I write this as a personal moviegoer fan and these are solely my personal comments on the Disney film.

***Spoilers Alert***

The film dives into the stereotypical world of college living. We first meet Mike W. as a preschooler in the beginning scene of the film. Him and his class visit Monster's INC to learn all about scaring (remember, laughing hasn't been introduced yet). This is when Mike develops his life long dream of becoming a scarer.

The film immediately jumps to young adult Mike as he enrolls into Monster's University- a prestigious school for scaring majors. Sulley is soon introduced to us as your typical college frat boy. He's been fed by a silver spoon all his life and hides behind his family name. As a result, he doesn't take school seriously and expects to just have a fun time joining fraternities. Mike and Sulley are polar opposites. Mike is the nerdy must-study student and Sulley is the fun loving party animal. These two immediately become antagonists to one another and as an audience member, you wonder how these two will go from enemies to best friends.

As they both quickly realize their individual approach to college will not be tolerated by the dean (whole movie you're convinced she's the villain- she's actually really sweet at the end), they must work together with some of the school's biggest rejects in proving their skill sets and remaining enrolled in Monster's University. Needless to say they win the Scare Games but not before they learn some key life lessons first. By the end of the film, Mike and Sulley have grown to be best friends. While they still manage to get kicked out of school, they learn to use their skills in the workplace, and work their way up from the bottom in Monster's INC.

This film is a fabulous heart warming film. I can certainly appreciate some of the adult themed college references that many kids probably won't get - but that's what makes Pixar films so great. The film also made a great point that you can't expect to get far in the real world just by partying, but also just by studying. There's need to be a balance of maturity. I really enjoyed the concept behind college isn't everything. You can certainly get far by working hard and starting in the front line of any business. I can appreciate that message considering the journey I personally have had in my career thus far. A very heartwarming film that connects with the original story in such a natural way. I really enjoyed how they showed Randall beginning as Mike's only friend only to turn into his enemy when Sulley humiliates him at the competition. It sets great motive for the original villain of the story. 

Definitely a must see - you won't be disappointed.

My Rating: A