Monsters U

Monsters Inc was so mind-blowingly creative. The world, the characters, and the story. Every frame is sublime. And it was about energy – alternative energy. Harnessing laughter. Deep stuff. Monsters U gives us the same world and same characters, with a standard, college clichés, Revenge of the Nerds plot. It’s not about anything we haven’t seen before. The animation is good, but a little too cutesy and cuddly. The story isn’t meant to appeal to a demo over 8 years old, and some of it doesn’t track with the other movie. I understand why Pixar/Disney would need to slide their target age down a ways. I, Doug Howell, middle-aged man, am not buying the toys or riding the rides. But it’s a shame this movie is so thematically inferior to its predecessor.