Monsters University is Hilarious Look Back at College

After receiving a scholarship from the America’s Junior Miss program to attend college, I remember my Mom and step-Dad dropping me off and my mother being forced to leave me as she couldn’t bear to see her baby all alone without her constant 24-hour protection to watch over me in a virtually unknown environment.

MONSTERS UNIVERSITY fondly reminded me of that anticipation of going to college for the first time and all that comes with that.  Simple things like walking on campus for the first time, taking the campus tour, meeting your roommate, checking out all the clubs, activities and greek organizations and making oh so many determinations to become the best student ever!  In this delightful Pixar film, we are treated to watching the journey of  Mike (Billy Crystal) and Sullivan (John Goodman) as two kids with different ideals and backgrounds  who bond over the commonality of wanting to be accepted and kept into the “Scaring School” program at Monsters University.  Having briefly watched an interview with Mr. Crystal (who also voiced Mike in the previous film, MONSTERS, INC.), he expressed that the great thing about this film is that the same kids who saw Monsters, Inc. are now also in college so they are all having the college experience together onscreen.

John Goodman as Sullivan captures perfectly that guy in college who a “generational student” and looks for his family’s rep to carry him through.  Helen Mirren as Dean Hardscrabble takes one right back to dealing with that one teacher who instantly turns you into a five-year old child from sheer fear of her presence.  Randy Newman’s score enhances this film in only a way his music can and the direction/writing of Dan Scanlon is sheer genius.  If you are a child at heart, MONSTERS UNIVERSITY will totally bring you right back to a time that was golden.