Monsters Inc

And this week's Friday night movie has been.....Monsters Inc!

Original image located here. Accessed 18th May 2018

Well, i saw the prequel last week so seeing the original is somewhat inevitable.
Well this is a Pixar movie so once you see enough of them, you soon know what to expect: Great jokes, touching moments, interesting characters, top-notch animation and enough creativity involved that one is left wondering when that particular well is going to run dry.

Considering what i said about the prequel last week, it;s interesting to place the two films next to each other. Monsters Inc seems to adhere closer to the Pixar formula but at the same time it seems, strangely enough, generic. Sure it ticks the boxes that we expect from a Pixar movie (as stated above) but at the same time, no one seems to complain.
Conversely, Monsters University eschews the formula by taking an unusual route. Brave yes but ultimately coming across as colder than the usual fare. There's no denying that the formula Pixar uses clearly works but a deviation is asking for trouble. But such is the strength of the formula that Pixar sure are quick to recover from low points and we, the audience, are quick to forgive.
I may have said some harsh things about the prequel last week but, upon seeing the original, my view has somewhat softened. If anything I'll take a noble failure than a weak success any day.

Monsters University

And this week's Friday night movie has been.....Monsters University!

Original image located here. Accessed 11th May 2018

Strangely enough, I've never seen Monsters Inc. However that places me in a unique position: I can watch the prequel and the original both in the correct chronological order and for the first time.
I do recall that when this movie was released, it got a lukewarm reception with confusion as to whether it was a movie for kids or a movie for adults. So what do I take from it?

As expected from a Pixar release there's some good jokes and some great animation. But whilst Pixar movies imparts substantial life lessons, this one seems somewhat uncomfortable. Get past the 'college movie' formula and thus is revealed a rather nasty subtext:
You see, Mike wants to be a scarer. It what he wants to do with his life and he goes for it with gusto, working hard, studying up and learning everything he can. But, of course, as iterated throughout the movie, he's never going to be a scarer simply because he isn't scary.
So what does this mean? That Mike's hard work and effort was meaningless? That in the real world, hard work and effort doesn't mean jack against being born right and/or pure luck? That having passion for something doesn't mean you were meant to do it and you have take a realistic stance? That dreams can not work out and you have to settle for complacency?
I know Disney have built an empire out of chasing one's dreams but to see such a turn-about-face is both surprising and indeed uncomfortable. Perhaps moreso as I continue to limp through my thirties, and full-time employment is looking increasingly elusive.
These are big themes that will no doubt go over the head's of a child audience - perhaps that''s the reason behind the original reception.
What a depressing movie.

Mind you it would be interesting to see how the original stacks up.....