Monsters University:Its been 12 years since Pixar introduced us to the loveable one-eyed blob Mike Wazowski and his gigantic furry scare partner in Monsters, Inc., one James P. Sulley Sullivan. But instead of a where are they now? sequel, Monsters University travels back in time to tell the tale of how these two unlikely friends ended up in the scare business to begin with. For Mike, being a scarer—a superstar monster who creeps into human childrens bedrooms to startle screams out of them as a way of powering Monstropolis—is the only thing hes ever wanted to do. For Sulley, theres a family legacy to live up to since his dad was one of the most famous scarers ever. And so they arrive as freshmen at Monsters University, each intent upon becoming scare majors. But roaring roadblocks await. Mike is a natural born student. He works hard. He studies hard. Theres just one problem: What you lack is something that cannot be taught, the stern and centipedial head of the scare program, Dean Hardscrabble, tells him. Youre not scary. And just like that, Mikes dreams of being a scarer get gobbled up. Sulleys got the opposite problem. He is a natural born scarer who wrongly assumes his genetic gifts mean he never needs to study. Soon hes in search of a new major too. Dejected and disappointed, Mike and Sulley find themselves on the outside looking in. And then … a chance at redemption: the Scare Games. Each winter, the Scare Games pit rival Monsters University fraternities and sororities against one another in a battle royal of frightfully fun rivalry. Each team seeks to top the others in a series of competitive challenges involving the skills theyll need for careers as scarers after graduation. All Mike and Sulley need to participate is a fraternity. And they find one: Oozma Kappa, all of whose nerdy members seem even less likely to generate fear than Mike would on his least terrifying day. Don Carlton is a rotund, polite middle-aged bachelor whos gone back to get his degree after 30 years in sales. Terry and Terri are a two-headed monster with vastly different interests, one of whom is majoring in dance (much to the others chagrin). Furry Art is dabbling in philosophy, while the aptly named, multi-eyed Scott Squishy Squibbles is about as frightening as a dirty dish sponge. And then theres the fact that their frat house (where Mike and Sulley share a room) is also Squishys moms house. She occasionally hangs out with the gang too … and tells them when its time for bed. The right stuff for a Scare Games trophy? Hardly. Still, Mike exacts a promise from Dean Hardscrabble that if they can somehow win, he and Mike will be reinstated as scare majors. If they lose, however, everyone in Oozma Kappa must leave Monsters University, Dean Hardscrabble intones ominously. Positive Elements Forget scaring. Monsters University majors in two reassuring and comforting themes: recognizing and overcoming your natural weaknesses, and understanding why we need friends to accomplish that task. Mike Wazowski is a model of self-discipline, determination and focus. Hes a whiz at all things academic, determined to overcome everyones belief that hes not scary enough. Hes similarly adept at whipping his unlikely Oozma Kappa brothers into a team that actually has a fighting shot at winning the Scare Games. But its not until he comes face-to-face with a situation that reveals just how not scary he really is that he has to reckon with the reality that he may not have what it takes to be a scarer. In that moment, Sulley steps in to encourage his friend not to give up and to remind him what an inspiration hes been to so many other monsters—not the least of which is himself. Sulleys easy reliance on his natural gifts has made him lazy and arrogant, and Mike helps him see that talent alone isnt enough. It must be fused to discipline if its going to be fully realized. On the flip side, Sulley eventually helps Mike see that sometimes desire alone may not be enough to overcome inherent weaknesses. In the end, Mike and Sulley realize theyre a better, stronger team together than either of them could ever be individually. Its a significant moment when Sulley warmly gives Mike full credit for being the brains behind his brawn. [Spoiler Warning] Theres one more big positive in Monsters University: You could call it Cheating 101. Sulley makes a massive blunder by rigging one of the Scare Games contests in Mikes favor, and the fallout is both rapid and multi-tentacled: Mike and the rest of team feel let down and dejected, having thought that they won fair and square. And when Sulley rightly responds to his own feelings of guilt by confessing to Hardscrabble, the dean renders the only appropriate consequence: explusion from school. Likewise, Mike tries recklessly to prove how scary he is by sneaking through a university door into a cabin of sleeping young campers. When he realizes that the campers think hes cute and cuddly instead of fierce and frightening, he finds himself in a jam from which Sulley eventually rescues him. But Mike is also expelled for breaking school rules. And so he and Sulley have to start from the bottom once again, going to work at Monsters, Inc. as janitors, and climbing their way up through the ranks of the company to eventually become a scare team together.
Posted on: Thu, 17 Oct 2013 16:28:03 +0000
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