Monsters Inc. is one of my favorite Pixar movies, so I was eager to give the prequel, Monsters University, the old college try with my tots. Unfortunately, I ended up feeling pretty apathetic about it. The new characters were likable at best, certainly not lovable and nowhere near as endearing as Boo. No one could compare to her, which makes you wonder why Disney didn’t make a sequel instead (although, I’m sure that’ll be next!). Without a Boo replacement, my girls were disengaged. Boys might like the monster mash of characters, but I think everyone will be disappointed with the little girl’s absence. Then there’s the setting – college, which tots can’t relate to and for parents is an emotional miss.
Overall, the story was blah, the jokes not funny, and the moral? Questionable. Spoiler alert: Mike and Sully get kicked out of school and have to begin their careers in the mailroom – not a shining example for your little one. While Mike learns to make the most of his talents, he never engages you the way he did in the original, and Sully seems more like a mascot than a fully developed character. Also of note – the scare competition scenes weren’t violent or gruesome in any way, but since my five-year-old thought they were a bit intense, I wouldn’t recommend the film for anyone younger. They won’t be missing a thing anyway – this doesn’t make the grade.
