There was a time when Pixar could do no wrong. After all, this was Pixar, the studio that made us cry over lost toys and robots in love.
And then came Cars 2.
While not exactly a flop, Cars 2 lacked the ingenuity and warmth seeping through nearly every other Pixar film to date. Audiences then set their hopes on 2012's Brave, and while it was a step up, the Pixar touch was once again gone.
It was with caution, therefore, that I [along with Pixar aficionados across the country] decided to see Monsters University, the [seemingly] burgeoning studio's latest offering. I had my doubts; this was a pre/sequel after all, and not one of the Toy Story name.
The result? Read on.
My rating: 7.5/10
The Good: Let me start off by saying that there are a lot of places in the movie where Pixar could have gone wrong. For the most part, they don't. A few of the major "right moves":
1) The Visuals. Good visuals in a Pixar film are almost a foregone conclusion, but MU's are worth noting because of the sheer number of monsters at the titular university. Animating that many individual scarers is daunting in and of itself; placing them each in frame after frame even more so. Reviewer Jeffrey Overstreet even compares it to watching a live-action muppet movie.
2) The Characters. Monsters, Inc. made audiences fall in love with Mike and Sully. Monsters University introduces us to the famous scarers before they were, um, scary. In a Wicked-esque twist, it turns out that Mike and Sully were actually college roommates who hated each other. Who knew, right? The film casts Mike as the studious overachiever and Sully as the slacker jock, complete with a supporting cast of outcasts that the two must wield into a scare-worthy team. Each character produces more than a few chuckles, although this is clearly Mike and Sully's show. Also noteworthy is the introduction of Helen Mirren as MU's cold headmistress.
3) College Life. It's clear that the Pixar team wanted to make a 'college film', and they do so with hilarity. Monsters University is original enough to be fresh, yet the filmmakers also lovingly spoof every college movie ever made [Animal House, anyone?]. From a fraternity initiation to the stealing of another school's mascot, the full spectrum of campus life is on display. Of course, this is Pixar, and ergo there are a few twists on the cliche. I won't mention these, but suffice to say they add humor while not taking away from the trope.
4) The 11th Hour Twist. I'll talk more about this in a few minutes, but this twist is what reminds us that this is Pixar, the studio that brought us cooking rats and flying houses. It reminds us what Pixar can do when it puts its mind to something. In fact, it reminds us why Pixar is still the best animation studio around.
The Bad: Yes, this is Pixar, the studio that can make you cry with a 10-minute love montage. It's also the studio that brought you Cars 2, and it's clear that the place hasn't quite wiped the dust off of its feet yet. As such, Monsters University falls victim to the predictability pervading most animated films of the day. Furthermore, there are characters that serve as little more than backdrop and jokes that fall flat...
The Message: ...but, after all, it is Pixar. The movie "ends" exactly as you would expect it...only to provide a shocking twist. In this twist, Pixar shares with audiences an important lesson: everyone is a failure. Everyone has messed up in one way or another. It sounds trite until you realize that it's true. It's not only a lesson that kids could stand to learn, but a stunning one that benefits older teenagers and adults as well. Even better, it serves as an analogical apology of sorts from the Pixar team. In this analogy, they are Sully, slacking off and working hard enough only to achieve a passing grade [high box-office]. "We failed", they're saying, "but we're going to do better". At least it seems that way to me.
Also of note is Pixar's way of taking Hollywood's "you can be anything you want" notion and turning it on its head. Yes, the film says, you can try your hand at anything, but at the end of the day, you'll be much happier doing the job you were meant to do.
The Bottom line: After coming out of the cinema, I have bad news and good news about Monsters University.
The bad news? It's no Toy Story 3.
The good news? It's no Cars 2.
The better news? It's a lot closer to Toy Story 3.
Will MU win any accolades? Perhaps the Oscar, but it won't go down in history as Pixar's finest. But that's not the point. The goal of the movie is not to change lives, but rather to change directions---to a direction pointing backwards, in the way of Finding Nemo and Wall-E. It's an enjoyable change, one that produces both laughter and contemplative moments. As Matt Zoller Seitz [Roger Ebert's replacement] writes, there
are moments that are simply "vintage Pixar". It brings back the warmth, creativity, and originality missing from the previous offerings, while laying by the roadside [most] bathroom humor and low-brow jokes.
In conclusion, I'd like to sum up Monsters University in three words while simultaneously issuing a warning to Dreamworks, et al:
Pixar is back.
A Postscript: If you can, be sure to catch the short attached to MU: The Blue Umbrella. Though creepy at first, it tells with finesse the story of a blue umbrella and a red umbrella trying to find each other in New York City. Reminiscent of last year's Paperman, The Blue Umbrella cleverly shows a love story without dialogue. In fact, it had everyone in our theater "awwwwh"ing in delight by the end, further proof that Pixar still has its touch.
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