Monsters University (2013)
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Monsters University Movie Review
Monsters University is a 2013 animated teen comedy film directed by Dan Scanlon. The film is Pixar’s prequel to ‘Monsters, Inc.’ and a highly underrated film in its own right.
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“You don’t need to study scaring, you just do it“
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It follows Mike and Sully as they meet in college. At first, they do not get along, but eventually they bond and start a great friendship. So the film is very much unnecessary in its feel and I agree with that assessment shared by many, but still it was a lot of fun seeing how the two met and where they were in this stage of their life.
Pixar continually does something different with their movies and this for instance is a teen film, basically a college comedy flick. That is the first for the studio and they mostly pulled it off as I definitely felt that college atmosphere. The games are mostly a lot of fun, the various rivalries are great and the humor is solid, if not on the line with the original’s terrific sense of humor.
Where this film shines, however, is in the friendship between the two protagonists once again and in the emotion. The movie is immensely emotional once again as that is Pixar’s most common quality, but it never felt cheap but rather earned here. That final act honestly moved me tremendously as it was so powerful and touching.
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So Mike is here the protagonist and not Sully as was the case in the previous film. That was a great choice that paid off significantly as it led to better development for the little green one-eyed guy. Sully here rests purely on his mighty family name and disappoints everyone, but the real meat of the story lies in Mike’s failure as a monster.
Yes, they actually went there and gave as an unhappy ending. Well, unhappy for movie standards. His yearning to become a scarer was so moving that eventually realizing that he is not scary surely did pack an emotional punch. The film truthfully showcases how not everyone can be what they want to be and that sometimes the talent is more important than the immense work that you put into it. It’s a terrific parallel for the arts that I was honestly surprised how good it was. And they actually went there and the two got expelled and they went into the mailing job and there found happiness. That is a great message for life.
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The voice acting is top-notch once again as Billy Crystal and John Goodman convey emotion superbly. These two are the standouts, but unfortunately the rest of the characters cannot hold a candle to them. Yes, this is one of those films where the supporting characters are a major flaw. Dean Hardscrabble is the highlight as she’s very menacing and cold, but I still did not understand why she was so much after Mike and wanted him to fail so much. It was interesting seeing Randall’s beginnings as a good guy, but the rivals here were typical for the most part.
And as for Oozma Kappa, they were so underutilized. Charlie Day’s Art is very forgettable, Don Carlton is boring but has his moments, the siblings are totally underdeveloped and Squishy is the only one who gets a decent amount of screen time. Yes, these guys individually are very weakly realized.
The animation continues to be fantastic for this particular franchise which is here beautifully modernized for the 2010s decade. I loved the fur and the designs of the various monsters, they were all so well done, albeit they could have been more creative. The looks of Mike and Sully are also very cleverly done as they look brighter and skinnier, thus looking younger as they are supposed to be here. And the interiors and the look of the campus is great. The film is colorful and very pleasing for the eye while consistently being polished too.
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The humor is somewhat weaker this time around which was a problem as it needed to be funnier to accompany its more emotional, heartbreaking beats. The music is also forgettable. The dialogue is fantastic though and I would also say that the pacing is great as the film flies by how fun it is. The games are so well constructed and highly entertaining. Yes, Monsters University is by far Pixar’s most underappreciated film, albeit much inferior to the original obviously as that film is a classic.
Monsters University definitely has its problems such as a lack of strong humor and very weakly developed supporting characters, but Mike and Sully are superb here once again and following their friendship at the beginning was a lot of fun. But the movie is at its best when it’s dealing with Mike’s yearning to become a scarer which led to that very honest, unexpectedly sophisticated and truthful ending and the film’s statement that talent is important after all is inspired. The animation is also top-notch as is the voice acting leading to one of Pixar’s most underrated flicks.
