Apart from the fact that they’re both monsters, Mike Wazowski and James P. Sullivan (Sulley) seem to be an unlikely pair. In Monsters, Inc., we watched as Sulley’s monstrous world was disrupted by a little girl who enters the screaming factory. With Mike’s assistance, the two best friends bring her home before she is subjected to the factory’s torturous Scream Extractor. In just a few short weeks, audiences will discover the beginnings of their friendship and how they became the top scarers in Pixar’s latest animated film, Monsters University.
During my visit to Pixar Animation Studios, I had an opportunity to sit down with Director Dan Scanlon who shared some insight on why Pixar opted for a prequel, how the filmmakers decided to explore the duo’s college days, and the film’s important insight on overcoming failures.
Monsters, Inc. deconstructed monsters in a way no film has ever done, but just how scary is the upcoming prequel? According to Scanlon, the filmmakers always make these movies with their own families in mind as the gauge. Fear is a very real feeling that children and adults experience at various times in their lives. But fear can also be thrilling, and for the most part, “the monsters are still these fun characters” (Scanlon).
One of the most interesting things I learned during my time at Pixar, was just how many times a story is reworked. “At Pixar, our movies change a lot and we use the time to make sure we’re telling the best story” (Scanlon). Even when Monsters University was just an idea, the filmmakers were pretty certain that they would approach a second film as a prequel, rather than a sequel. But when would the evolving story of how Mike and Sulley met begin? There is a line in Monsters, Inc. that the filmmakers kept coming back to “you’ve been jealous of my good looks since the fourth grade.” But as the filmmakers continued to shape the story, it became clear that this phrase was best representative of the fact that the two had known each other a long time in a more figurative, rather than literal sense.
Monsters, Inc. introduced audiences to the world of monsters, but our experience with them was really limited to the factory. Monsters University not only explores the origins of Mike and Sulley’s friendship, it introduces us to a whole new monster world filled with fun, lively characters. Pixar had never done a college movie and the filmmakers wanted to give audiences “an opportunity to see a place for monsters to go that seemed classic” (Scanlon).
Monsters University is funny, heartwarming and nostalgic, but it also has a surprisingly poignant message about those times in life when things don’t work out. What do we do when things don’t work out inevitably? That question arises multiple times throughout the film and it is one that will likely resonated with older audiences and serve as conversation starters for parents and their children. “It’s so wonderful that we tell people you can be anything you want if you never give up,” but are we there for people to help them say, no, maybe you’re not this, but you’re this? That feeling…of showing up an at art school and realizing that though your mom puts your drawings on the refrigerator, you’re not actually the greatest artist in the world is horrifying…and humbling..and I think people have that experience a lot” (Scanlon).
The film ends perfectly, but it’s not the ending you’ll likely expect. See Monsters University in theaters on June 21st, 2013.
You can keep up-to-date with the latest news regarding the film by connecting via the following social media channels:
Twitter #MonstersU
No compensation was received for this post. I was invited on a press trip to cover the film’s release and travel was provided. #MonstersUEvent
Images: Disney/Pixar, used with permission.
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