2. Character Moments
The best Pixar films are elevated to more than just cartoons by emotional character moments that you'd typically see in a live action film. Parts like Mr. Incredible apologizing to his family, the heartbreaking opening sequence in
Up, or the deeply affecting finale of
Toy Story 3 are what make these movies something adult moviegoers can enjoy as well.
Monsters University may not be as great as its predecessor in this department, but it still has several strong moments to call its own, particularly in the film's heartfelt third act, which caught many fans by (pleasant) surprise. One scene in particular that stands out is when Mike and Sulley are opening up to each other by the lake in the human world. Mike, believing he won the Scare Games by dominating the scare simulator, is devastated to learn that Sulley adjusted the difficulty to easy so their team would win. In one last effort to prove himself, Mike breaks into the door lab (another fun college thing in the movie) and enters the human world trying to scare a camp of kids, only to discover that he's really not that scary. With his lifelong dream of being a scarer gone, Mike is understandably upset. Feeling guilty, Sulley goes to console his new friend and the two have a heart-to-heart talk. Despite their differences (Mike the bookworm, Sulley the naturally-gifted prodigy), they see that they have a lot in common, especially a fear of failure. The two characters learn valuable lessons in this part as they try to help each other confront and defeat their inner demons. We knew that Mike and Sulley would end up friends, but kudos to Pixar for pulling this moment off. It was unexpected. Another great bit that comes to mind happens after the brothers of Oozma Kappa are pranked and humiliated for being the "cute" monsters at the Scare Games. Feeling letdown and dejected, the team has given up hope that they have what it takes to make it in the Scare Program. Determined to not let this opportunity get away, Mike schedules an impromptu field trip to Monsters, Inc. and shows his teammates that monsters of all shapes and sizes can be a scarer. This was a nice moment of character development. Mike became more of a leader and supported his friends while Sulley learned that you didn't have to be big and intimidating to get the job done. Quiet moments like this are what I'll remember the most and the parts I look forward to seeing again when I rewatch
Monsters University.