History WesternAnimation / MonstersUniversity

* KlingonScientistsGetNoRespect: While MU does offer other majors besides scaring, and we meet plenty of non-scarers (such as door engineers and scream cannister designers), scaring is still considered the most prestigious career of them all. In fact, not only is it the most prestigious, all non-scaring activities are made to look ''unworthy'' (at least from the perspective of Mike and Sulley).

* CoattailRidingRelative: Sulley shows symptoms of this at the beginning of the film. His father, Bill Sullivan, is said to be a renowned scarer, and Sulley frequently brags about being "a Sullivan" to get praise and special treatment from others.

* ShrugOfGod: According to one of the commentary tracks for the movie, this was almost their entire feeling for Art as a character. There is no explanation for what he is or what he adds other than that he exists. They have no answers for any question about him.

* FaceHeelTurn: Randall starts as Mike's friend and roommate, but eventually ditches him for [[spoiler:the "cool kids" in Roar Omega Roar]]. At the final event of the Scare Games, [[spoiler:Sulley accidentally interferes with Randall's scare simulation, resulting in an embarrassing loss and kicking off his grudge against Sulley.

** This can likely be explained by the fact that Mike and Sulley work on Scare Floor 'F', indicating at least five more scare floors, which implies that the Oozma Kappa members simply work on a different floor. WordOfGod points this out on the commentary, explaining that the audience can infer that the Oozma Kappa members ''were'' working at Monsters Inc., just not onscreen.

* WasItAllALie: [[spoiler:Mike Wazowski after truly realizing he can't be a scarer ...]].
** An indirect one for people who know what happens at the end of ''Monsters Inc.'' ...

* WhamLine: When Mike angrily calls him out for not only cheating, but for lying when he said he believed in him, Sulley admits that Hardscrabble was right when she tells him that he's doesn't have what it takes to be scary.

** [[spoiler:Also, Mike suddenly noticing that the scream stimulation is working a little too easy for him at the snap of a finger]].
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: There probably wasn't a prequel planned during the time ''Monsters Inc.'' was in production, but [[spoiler:the Oozma Kappa gang is nowhere to be seen or heard of again after Mike and Sulley are expelled from the university and work at Monsters, Inc]]. Technically, they should have been [[spoiler:working alongside Mike and Sulley as scarers]] in the first film. If we want to be generous about it, we could just assume that [[spoiler:each of them got assigned to different scare floors than Mike and Sulley]], but that may or may not be a stretch.
** Somewhat explainable if not justified. Mike and Sulley worked on Scare Floor 'F', indicating at least five more scare floors, and there seems to be plenty more than that. WordOfGod points this out on the commentary, explaining the audience to infer that Oozma Kappa worked there.
** Also, the monster trading cards displayed during the end credits indicates that there are at least two other scream-energy factories that exist (such as "Scream Industries"), and that many of the members of the cast simply went on to work at those companies.
* WhatTheHellHero: [[spoiler:Sulley cheats on the final challenge to make sure Mike wins. When Mike finds out, he's insulted to realize that Sulley didn't believe Mike could win for the team. The rest of OK is also distraught to find that their victory was false and they leave behind the undeserved trophy, knowing that they wasn't going to win anyway]].
* WhatYouAreInTheDark: Despite the fact that [[spoiler:she did expel them, the Dean follows Mike and Sulley when they leave the university. She has no encouragement for Sulley but tells Mike that he's surprised her and to keep surprising people, wishing them luck]].
* WhiteAndGreyMorality: In contrast to the [[BlackAndWhiteMorality clearer antagonism]] of the original, this one has the "villains" that fit better in a regular college movie -- a DeanBitterman and an OpposingSportsTeam of {{Jerk Jock}}s.
* WingdingEyes: When the belief that human children are toxic creatures that can kill monsters with a mere touch is first mentioned, the viewers are shown a picture with a child doing it and the monster having X-shaped eyes.
* YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre: Near the end, Sulley and Mike say their goodbyes and go their separate ways. When Mike remarks that he's [[spoiler: "ok with just being ok"]], Sulley has an expression of disagreement. [[spoiler:Sulley then runs after Mike, and reminds Mike about all the amazing things he did, such as memorizing various scare tactics, whipping up Oozma Kappa into a decent scare team, and even planning to scare the rangers to power the door from the human side. Sulley tells him none of that would've been possible without him. Hardscrabble also compliments Mike in her own way]].

--> '''Mike''': Stop being a Sullivan and start being you.

** [[spoiler:Although their victory at the Scare Games turned out to be inauthentic, the rest of Oozma Kappa is admitted to the Scaring School and eventually become professional scarers, as shown by their "Scare Cards" in the credits]].

** Though Mike gets a few short ones throughout the film from various monsters, the one he gets from Hardscrabble hits him the hardest and is what drives him to take on the Scare Games. Especially painful as it indicates Mike only sped up his inevitable expulsion.

--> '''Sulley:''' (''silently'') Yes, Ma'am.

* TheStinger: [[spoiler:Remember the incredibly slow slug who didn't want to be late to class on his first day? He finally gets there after the credits... only to find out that it's already summer break]].
* TalentVsTraining: Mike and Sully are contrasted as student scarers this way. Mike has the training, having studied since childhood and having thus developed an encyclopedic knowledge of scaring, but his tiny unthreatening physique puts him at a disadvantage. Sully has talent, and being massive, horned, clawed, and having a ferocious roar makes him very scary but he neglects his studies and thus struggles in the more complicated courses. With the two teaming up, Sully learns to commit to his homework and thus becomes a powerful and versatile scarer. However, Mike is unable to compensate for his lacking physicality, so he goes into an alternate career as a scarer coach instead.

* TechnologyMarchesOn: In-universe. The Scare Simulator dummy here is a dirty crash test dummy, but the one seen in the previous film almost exactly resembles a real child.
** Also, in a FreezeFrameBonus, the monitors in the Monsters Inc. Scare Floor look more low-tech than the ones in the first movie.
** Averted with the scream cannisters, which not only look identical to the ones from the original movie, but also appear to be identical to the ones that Hardscrabble used years ago. This is a subtle part of the joke about how pointless a major in scream can design is.
* TeethClenchedTeamwork: Mike really doesn't want Sulley on the team. [[spoiler:At first, at least]].

** After the first event, Oozma Kappa, the team Mike and Sulley are on, comes in last place, which means they would get kicked off the Scare games. Hardscrabble taunts him, saying it would take a miracle for them to not be booted from the competition. [[spoiler:Then one of the other fraternities happens to get disqualified for cheating, allowing Oozma Kappa to continue on]]. I guess Oozma Kappa were [[{{Pun}} saved by the bell.]]
* ThatCameOutWrong: [[spoiler:Don trying to make Squishy feel less awkward about Don becoming his stepfather]].
-->'''Don:''' Sheri and I are engaged!\\
'''Sulley:''' Oh... Who is Sheri?\\
'''Squishy''' [meekly]: She's my mom.\\
'''Sheri:''' Well, if it isn't my two favorite fellas!\\
'''Don:''' Come here, give me some sugar! \\
'''Sheri:''' Ohh! ''[Sheri giggles as Don hugs her, much to Squishy's embarrassment]''\\
'''Squishy:''' Ugh, so uncomfortable!\\
'''Don:''' Oh come on, Scott, I don't want you to think of me as your new dad. After all, we're fraternity brothers first!\\

[[spoiler: '''Don''': Just think of me as your big brother that's marrying your mother... wait, hold on. We're brothers who share the same mom/wife. (''beat'') [[DiggingYourselfDeeper That's worse]]]].

* ThemeNaming: The group helping freshmen. Jay, Kay, Tray, and Fay.

* TookALevelInKindness: Sulley starts off as a {{jerkass}} who happily bullies Mike, but his being kicked out of Roar Omega Roar and forced to join Oozma Kappa results in him humbling up to eventually become the NiceGuy he is in ''Monsters, Inc.''
* TragicDream: Nobody truly believes Mike is cut out to be a scarer, and the entire movie is about him working to prove himself. [[spoiler:He fails. Although he realizes his technical skill has a lot of practical use in setting up perfect scenarios for ''other'' scarers to make use of, he doesn't ever get to do the scaring himself like he'd dreamed as a kid. Not only that, by the end of Monsters Inc. laughter was shown to take over Scream energy in Monsters Inc., which most likely have affected the Scaring field and employment]].
** [[spoiler: However, even though Mike doesn't get to be a scarer, the end of Monsters Inc. shows that Mike does get to go into the human world and generate energy, meaning that he does achieve his dream in some form]].

** The trailers make it look like Sulley is Mike's freshman roommate right when Mike arrives at the campus. Actually, Randall is Mike's roommate until he switches sides with the cool kids, and Sulley doesn't bunk with Mike until they're thrown out of the Scare program and join Oozma Kappa.

* TranquilFury: Hardscrabble doesn't raise her voice but is understandably upset when [[spoiler:Mike and Sulley's actions destroy her record-breaking scream canister]].

* TreadmillTrauma: Mike goes through this during his training montage. He tries to one-up Sully at the gym, also on a treadmill, by going at increasing speeds, only to backfire once he inevitably falls down.
* UncannyValley: In the final round, [[spoiler:Terry and Terri's scare tactic involves them disguising themselves as a mostly normal human silhouette, but with enough of a difference to be very unsettling]].
* UnderdogsNeverLose: After a ton of hard work, Oozma Kappa manages to win the Scare Games against all odds. [[spoiler:This becomes subverted when it turns out Sulley cheated in the last round]].

* UsedToBeASweetKid: [[spoiler:Randall]]. He starts out being very polite, kind and supportive to Mike, and he seems to genuinely value their friendship, [[spoiler:but he's led astray by his own desire for personal status. Eventually, he ends up joining the most high-up fraternity in a bid to become "cool", ending up as an adversary in the Games]]. When he's (accidentally) [[spoiler:publicly humiliated by Sulley in the last Game, he develops his bitter resentment]].

** While Hardscrabble is not a villain, she and all the doubters are right about [[spoiler: Mike not being scary at all]]. Also, she criticizes Mike and Sulley when they both fail her hypothetical scenarios, Mike for the above reasons and Sulley for not using his head when scaring. Not to mention her extremely demanding requirements for being a scaring major is understandable in-universe since being a Scarer is a dangerous job (to their knowledge), and she doesn't want any incompetent people going into what is treated as a hazardous environment.
** Though they're huge jerks about it, Roar Omega Roar is correct in that Oozma Kappa lack traditional Scarer builds and how they'll never look like them no matter how much they train. This leads to Oozma Kappa finding ways to compensate for it.

* TheVoiceless: Despite Roar Omega Roar having five members, only two of them get any lines and characterisation -- Johnny Worthington, the [[BigBad leader of the group]], and Chet Alexander, his [[TheDragon second-in-command]]. Javier Rios, Reggie Jacobs and Chip Goff, the remaining members, don't speak and only let the audience hear what their roars sound like.
* WackyFratBoyHijinx

* RuleOfSymbolism: Mike's MU cap he receives from Frank in the opening scene represents his dream to become a scarer, all the way to [[spoiler:when it gets destroyed after him and Sulley get blown out the summer camp door in the climax, the point where Mike realizes his dream is dead.]]

* ShootEverythingThatMoves: Or rather ''scare'' anything that moves, is [[spoiler:what screws PNK over during the "Don't Scare the Teen" event; participants are only supposed to scare young children]].

* ShrinkingViolet: Randall, initially.

* SignsOfDisrepair: When Mike and Sully accidentally knocks over Randall's tray of cupcakes he's offering around his frat mates, which is spelled out on his tray as "BE MY PAL". Four of those cupcakes ends up on Randall's face, spelling out "L-A-M-E".
* SmallRoleBigImpact: "Frightening" Frank [=McCay=] (played by Creator/JohnKrasinski) is only seen at the beginning of the film, but he's the one who encouraged Mike to be become a scarer in the first place, thus setting off the plot of both this film and WesternAnimation/MonstersInc as well.
* ShooOutTheClowns: Around the third act, [[spoiler: after the revelation of Sulley cheating and Mike's ensuing breakdown and venture into the human world, Oozma Kappa help Sulley into the human world and it is then Sulley and Mike share a introspective moment alone in the human world while their Oozma Kappa brothers await in the monster world]].

* StartOfDarkness: Randall. It all starts when Mike suggests him to lose the NerdGlasses. Then, after being spurred by Mike to study for the Scare Finals, he becomes confident in his skills enough for [[spoiler:Roar Omega Roar]] to recruit him, replacing his shyness for a big ego. What finally seals the deal is when [[spoiler:after Sulley accidentally humiliates him in the final round of the Scare Games and makes Randall seek revenge in the future]].
* StealthPun: Terri and Terry (Terri, more obviously) take their names from ''terri''-fy.

* Subject101: Monsters University offers a major in Scaring for monsters who want to become Scarers. The most important subject for that major is, of course, [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment Scaring]], and its introductory course is "Scaring 101", taught by Prof. Knight. The students learn to perform all of the different scary faces and to analyze a human kid's profile to determine the best approach to scaring them to death, including which scary face to make, the place to creep on from, and noises. Failing this course means being banned from the Scaring major. Both [[TechnicianAndPerformer Mike and Sully]] take it and [[spoiler: fail, although for different reasons -- the former for simply not being scary-looking and the latter for being a lazy talent]].

** [[spoiler:Mike and Sulley are expelled, but they become best friends and get jobs in the Monsters, Inc. mail room. They work their way up through the ranks and eventually became scarers, thus fulfilling their dream]]. In addition, as a foregone conclusion, Mike never becomes an on-field scarer but he is treated as an equal to them.
** [[spoiler:Although their victory at the Scare Games turned out to be false, the rest of Oozma Kappa is admitted to the Scaring School and eventually become professional scarers, as shown by their "Scare Cards" in the credits]].

* {{Retcon}}: A line from [[WesternAnimation/MonstersInc the original movie]] ("you've been jealous of my looks since the fourth grade!") implied that Mike and Sulley were ChildhoodFriends (there was also at least one trailer for the original movie that also implied it). However, this movie establishes that Mike and Sulley first met in college. [[http://pixartimes.com/2013/04/24/monsters-university-director-dan-scanlon-explains-why-sulley-was-not-jealous-of-mikes-good-looks-in-the-fourth-grade/ A Pixar member at a con explained]] that the line, spoken by Mike, was pure hyperbole, and that the writers ignored that detail to make a better story for the prequel.

** The opening of the video game ''VideoGame/MonstersIncScreamTeam[=/=]Scare Island'', another prequel to the events of the first movie, mentions a NoodleIncident in college involving a mess that "took a whole semester to rebuild the dorm". [[spoiler:This may have served as inspiration for the aftermath of this movie.]]

* IdenticalStranger[=/=]InexplicablyIdenticalIndividuals: The PNK sorority. None of these "sisters" are biologically related, apparently, despite their only visible differences appearance-wise being that each have [[PaletteSwap slightly different pastel color schemes]].

** [[spoiler:His stealth skills pay off as they allow him to capture the flag in the Library challenge, and also get a good score in the Scare simulations.]]
* OneSteveLimit: {{Subverted|Trope}} [[PlayedForLaughs for Laughs]]; the ConjoinedTwins both share the same name--a Terry with a Y and a Terri with an I.

* OurFounder: Several of the tie-in books reveal that the fountain statue in the main quad is that of Arthur Clawson, founder of Monsters University.

* {{Prequel}}: The first that Pixar has ever produced.
* PricelessMingVase: Hardscrabble's scream can; her one souvenir of a lifetime of scaring.
* RageAgainstTheReflection: [[spoiler:Mike during his HeroicBSOD]].
* RagtagBunchOfMisfits: Oozma Kappa.

* RedHerring: [[spoiler:When Mike and Sulley are expelled, the mentions of an alternative Monster Colleges are ''not'' hinting that they would or could simply enroll in a different institution]].
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Dean Abigail Hardscrabble has a very sound judgment and is willing to listen to Mike and Sulley, even if she doesn't trust them. She still permits them a chance of redemption at the Scare Games [[spoiler: and does not let Oozma Kappa suffer for the actions of Mike and Sulley.]] What's more, when [[spoiler:Mike leaves in HeroicBSOD and Sulley calls him back to not give up, she follows and privately tells Mike to keep surprising people and he'll succeed]].
* RedOniBlueOni: Claire and Brock. Brock is an energetic jock and Claire is a subdued goth.
* {{Retcon}}: Fans were crying Pixar foul once it was revealed by the trailer that Mike and Sulley meet in college, when the first film subtly explained that they had actually met in the 4th or 5th grade. [[http://pixartimes.com/2013/04/24/monsters-university-director-dan-scanlon-explains-why-sulley-was-not-jealous-of-mikes-good-looks-in-the-fourth-grade/ A Pixar member at a con explained that it only came from a single line by Mike that was pure hyperbole, and that the writers ignored that detail to fit the story in the prequel]].
** They storyboarded a scene of Mike and Sulley in the fourth grade together, but for some reason, they felt that including it would require a further exploration of their past, so they came up with a {{Handwave}} of making the 4th grade line a "monster expression". This was approved by Pete Docter.
** There was at least one trailer for the original Monsters Inc movie that implied Mike and Sulley were ChildhoodFriends.
** In the first movie Sullivan and Waternoose both stated several times Sullivan learnt from Waternoose, which was a major reason why Sulley was so loyal to him. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLWO5uyFpNo It turns out Waternoose taught Sullivan almost nothing and Mike taught him.]] The two exit a door and find they are in the wrong location. Sulley then chides Mike for not paying attention to geography during fifth grade (he claims Mike was more interested in getting to know a female classmate.)
** Also note that there is a dopey-looking blue fuzzball in Mike's kindergarten class. Maybe he just got his memory [[{{Pun}} fuzzed up]].

* NerdsLoveToughSchoolWork: Mike studies hard.
* NeverGoingBackToPrison: Art freaks out at the thought of possibly returning to jail when [[spoiler:OK gets caught trespassing at Monsters Inc.]]

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Mike tells Randall not to wear his glasses, because they give him away whenever he disappears. Also, the FunnyBackgroundEvent where someone accidentally makes Randall look foolish (like getting splattered with cupcakes, or getting startled in class) become less funny when you see how Randall reacts after the Scare Games.
* NiceJobFixingItVillain: After being pranked by ROR, Oozma Kappa lose all confidence in their abilities. While mocking Mike about this, Chet gives him the idea of [[spoiler:taking everybody to Monsters Inc.]], where the [=OKs=] get their confidence back and Mike and Sulley realize they have to start working together, ultimately leading to Oozma Kappa giving ROR a real run for their money during the remainder of the games.
* NightmareFace: PNK have one. HSS have it too, although the furthest we've seen is Rosie bearing her trademark for-tongue expression only a couple of times throughout the film, the third being her Scare card during the credits.
* NightmareRetardant: InUniverse. [[spoiler:When Mike goes into the human world to prove he can be scary, he completely fails to frighten the room full of children he stumbles into. This serves as his reality check and ultimately makes him decide not to be a scarer.]]
* NoAntagonist: While there's no major threat to Sulley and Mike, Dean Abigail Hardscrabble is set up to be the BigBad thanks to her stern attitude and terrifying appearance, [[spoiler:but she ultimately shows herself to be gracious in defeat]]. Roar Omega Roar are sort of close to filling that role as villains, but they come across merely as jerks.

** The second event in the Scare Games is to quietly go through the library without getting the attention of the Librarian. The monster must capture the flag without the librarian noticing and knocking them out. It is shown that anything goes, as long as you don't get caught by the librarian. [[spoiler:Oozma Kappa ends up winning by each member distracting the librarian from the next until Squishy gets the flag]].

** Sulley is shown to believe this when he suggests Mike trade the OK members for better ones. [[spoiler:He eventually admits his cheating at the final Scare Games round]].
* NotSoStoic: Twice, for comedy and then for drama.
** The deadpan and goth Claire Wheeler contrasts her LargeHam partner Brock... [[spoiler:until Oozma Kappa wins the final game, upon which she goes ''nuts'' with excitement]].
** Dean Abigail Hardscrabble is the sternest, strictest, and most unflappable monster in the school. [[spoiler:But when Mike and Sulley create a scream of such power that it not only activates a door ''from the human side'', but '''fills up every scream canister in the laboratory until they and the door explode''', she goes into wide-eyed shock]].
*** Later, as she bids them good luck in their future endeavors, she informs that she believes in them because they did the one thing she thought was impossible: [[spoiler: surprising her]].
* NotWhereTheyThought: Sulley enters Mike's room [[EnterStageWindow through the window]] with Archie the Scare Pig. Mike asks him what he's doing here, and it dawns on to Sulley that this isn't his room after all.

* OffscreenTeleportation: Squishy is an expert in stealth. Which Mike [[LampshadeHanging mentions after like the fourth time he does it]].

* LoopholeAbuse: In the second round of the Scare Games, the goal is "capture the flag, and ''don't get caught by the Librarian''". While supposed to encourage stealth, Oozma Kappa instead create distractions while one of them captures the flag. The students narrating the games actually state that the only rule is "Don't get caught", there AintNoRule against OK intentionally overwhelming the librarian with so many sources of noise that she can't decide which to pursue, opening a window for a sufficiently stealthy Squishy to capture the flag.

* LovableJock: Brock.
* LuckBasedMission: The first event of the Scare Games for Oozma Kappa. [[spoiler:A rival fraternity cheats, which disqualified them and made Oozma Kappa catch up]].
* {{Masquerade}}: This movie emphasizes the need to keep monsters' existence hidden from humans. Several scaring lessons focus on how to avoid suspicion, since a professional scarer must be competent in doing so. Its importance is even incorporated in several events of the Scare Games.

** The Oozma Kappa frat brothers are a genuine group of guys; they're "OK".
** The fraternity Roar Omega Roar, [[RecursiveAcronym the acronym of which is also ROR]], clearly indicative of their skills in scaring - one of the best known techniques of which is ''roaring''.

** The girls from Python Nu Kappa (PNK) are all perky girls who dress in "pink".
** The girls from Eta Hiss Hiss (HSS) are all goths that "hiss".
** "Hardscrabble" means "involving hard work and struggle". The Dean's reasons for her behavior are justified to an extent, however. Mike just isn't scary, and Sulley is arrogant and relies only on roaring, before knowing to study the information for each child for the proper scare tactic.

* MisfitMobilizationMoment: When Mike takes the Oozma Kappas [[spoiler:to Monsters Inc.]], they become inspired to work hard.

* MultiArmedAndDangerous: The Librarian.
* MultipleHeadCase:
** Terri and Terry.

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Sulley, when he finds Mike [[spoiler:in the human world]] and realizes how devastated the latter truly is.

* NerdGlasses: "Randy" Boggs. However, Mike tells him to lose the glasses early in the movie, resulting in Randall's signature squint.
* NerdsLoveToughSchoolWork: Mike studies hard and in a montage adds studying to many tasks in his day.

* DeanBitterman: While Abigail Hardscrabble is ultimately a well-meaning dean, she fits the trope by taking a vested interest in Mike and Sulley, to the point of making wagers with them with their collage attendance on the line. [[spoiler:She comes around eventually once Mike and Sulley prove they have some grit]].

*** In addition, Hardscrabble's [[BigEntrance BigEntrances]] makes a nice little reference to Waternoose's advice for effective, professional scaring in the first movie. "It's all about PRESENCE! About how you enter the room!"

* IDidWhatIHadToDo: Sullivan's initial assertion regarding [[spoiler:his rigging of Mike's scare simulator. He quickly changes his mind upon witnessing Mike's [[HeroicBSOD ensuing breakdown]] and his teammate's grief]].
* IdenticalStranger[=/=]InexplicablyIdenticalIndividuals: The PNK sorority. None of these "sisters" are biologically related, apparently.
** PaletteSwap: Their only visible differences appearance-wise are that each have slightly different pastel color schemes.
* IJustWantToBeSpecial: Mike.

* InspirationalInsult: After Roar Omega Roar pulls an embarrassing prank on Oozma Kappa, one of the pranksters jokingly suggests that Mike's frat just aren't cut out for the big leagues. This gives Mike the idea to sneak his Oozma Kappa members into the Monsters Inc factory and raise their morale by showing them what the Big leagues actually are before the next Scare Games events.
* InsultBackfire: [[spoiler: Worthington mockingly suggests to Mike that the only way they'll end up working in a Scare company is in the mailroom. But by the end, Mike ultimately proves Johnny's insult "correct" and becoming a top Scaring team with Sulley by starting as mail-workers at Monsters, Inc]].
* IntergenerationalFriendship: Don Carlton with the other Oozma Kappa members despite being old enough to be their dad. [[spoiler:he ends up being literally Squishy's dad by the end of it]].
* IronicEcho: [[spoiler: "They're always hiring in the mail room." The first time is a mocking insult. The second time, it is a glimmer of hope]].

--> ''(Young Mike pouts)''

** During scare classes, Sulley makes a good attempt at a scaring face and the teacher congratulates him. Mike glares at Sulley, who just smirks at him, points with two fingers, and makes a clicking sound. Next time, Mike does well and when the teacher tells Sulley to do better, Sulley stares at Mike in disbelief and Mike does the same gesture Sulley did to him.

** Sulley is a major one to Mike at the beginning. [[spoiler:He gets better]].

** The other fraternities and sororities at the beginning. [[spoiler:They, as well as OK's fans, begin to warm up to Oozma Kappa before the second event, which says a lot about how they really do regret having treated them like trash and the major prank thing that NONE of them saw coming. Movie fans have considered that they, especially PNK, were in on the prank when that is HIGHLY doubted. With the [=RORs=] being the most popular frat on campus, monsters just HAVE to suck up to them...]]

** Surprisingly, '''Sulley''' is this to Mike. [[CharacterDevelopment He gets better]].

** Sulley during his time bonding with Mike and the others.
** Dean Abigail Hardscrabble may be a harsh and no-nonsense jerk, but she genuinely cares about her students.
* KlingonScientistsGetNoRespect: While MU does offer other majors besides scaring, and we meet plenty of non-scarers, scaring is still considered the most prestigious career of all of them. In fact, not only is it the most prestigious, all non-scaring activities are made to look ''unworthy''. This despite the whole point of scaring being to turn screams into energy, which requires technicians as well as scarers.

* LateArrivalSpoiler: If you watch this movie before ''WesternAnimation/MonstersInc'', then you now know that [[spoiler:Roz is actually a CDA agent]]. If you watch ''WesternAnimation/MonstersInc'' first, you know [[ForegoneConclusion Mike never gets to be a Scarer]].
* LateForSchool: A yellow slug-like monster desperately tries not to be late on the first day by slithering as fast as he can... at about 1 millimeter per second. [[spoiler:[[BrickJoke He doesn't arrive until the end of the year]]]].
* LaughOfLove: When Don [[AccidentalHug accidentally hugs]] Sheri and tries to get his tentacles unstuck, she giggles as she introduces herself, [[spoiler: and they eventually get married]].

-->'''Hardscrabble''': I'm a seven-year-old boy --

* FoulCafeteriaFood: In one scene, a cafeteria worker is seen dumping the lunchroom trash right back into the place in which food is served. This is somewhat played with, though, considering all of the characters in the movie are monsters and this could be perfectly normal for them.
* FreudianExcuse: The promotional material for the movie was almost perfectly geared towards giving one to Randall Boggs; [[spoiler:however, the trope is averted. He may start out nerdy and good-natured, but his FaceHeelTurn is all him. His humiliation in the final Scare Game hardly justifies his later actions]].

* TheGlassesGottaGo: Randall initially wears glasses, but Mike recommends he remove them to look scarier. Randall takes his advice and subsequently adopts his trademark squint.
** More importantly, the glasses [[SoMuchForStealth ruin his "disappearing act"]] by not turning invisible when he does.

* TheGreatestStoryNeverTold: During the climax, [[spoiler: not only do Mike and Sulley manage to scare a group of human ''adults'' and open a door from the ''other side'', they produce so much scream they fill up every canister in the school's door lab and then some, and cause the door to '''explode''', but no one except Hardscrabble ever finds out because the room was locked down and they just get angry at them for wrecking the door]].

* HandGagging: Sulley to Mike while hiding from the "Fear Tech dummies".

** The film also has a more brutally honest message: [[spoiler:No matter how hard you try or how much you love and know about the material, there are just some things in life you ''can't'' do, much like the message of ''Wreck-It Ralph''. It's more practical if you accept it and find where your real talents lie at.]] This is balanced out by Mike's knowledge of the Scaring world being not in vain and assisting [[spoiler: Oozma Kappa in achieving their dream]].

* HardWorkHardlyWorks: Played With. Due to hard studying from an early age, Mike has more technical knowledge than any other student. Unfortunately, his size and looks don't help him out in the field. On a more uplifting note, his hard work does bring him working on a Scare Floor and be respected as an equal to the on-field Scarers.

* HartmanHips: A female park ranger in the human world has quite a booty.
* HeelRealization: [[spoiler:Sulley [[WesternAnimation/MonstersInc again]]. He does not truly abandon his Jerkass attitude until he realizes that Mike is currently suffering a nervous breakdown, due to how Sulley's cheating undermined Oozma Kappa's victory]].
* HeroicBSOD: [[spoiler:Mike when he attempts to scare a group of human kids at a camp, only for them to laugh at him, realizing that Hardscrabble was right when she told him that he's ''not'' scary]].
* HighHopesZeroTalent: Mike is constantly told he can never become a scarer because he simply isn't scary.
* HourglassPlot: Mike and Sulley's tenure in the scarer program results in this trope. Sulley makes a great first impression thanks to his family's reputation, his impressive build, and his natural talent, but his arrogant assumption that he can coast by as a one-trick pony gradually costs him the respect of the faculty and his peers. Meanwhile, Mike initially struggles to get noticed thanks to his diminutive stature, but eventually his impressive technical knowledge and analytical skills garner him some attention.

* DeanBitterman: Abigail Hardscrabble is a harsh but well-meaning dean. [[spoiler:She gets better]].
* {{Determinator}}: Mike.
** Played for laughs with the yellow slug monster.
* DisqualificationInducedVictory: The first Scare Game is a race where you have to avoid poisonous sea urchins. Mike and Sulley run ahead of the rest of the team, cross the finish line, and at first it seems that they claimed second place... but then they're informed that the '''entire''' team has to cross the finish line for it to count, and the rest of Oozma Kappa arrives last. Since each game ends with the worst team getting kicked out, it seems that all is lost... but then it's revealed that one of the teams used a gel that rendered them immune to the urchins, resulting in their disqualification. Hence, Oozma Kappa manages to continue after all.

* DoomedByCanon: Mike is going to fail to become a scarer, as known from the first film. Some cited this as a key flaw that just makes it depressing to watch.
* DownToTheLastPlay: The score is all tied up before the last duel between Mike and Johnny Worthington.
* DumbJock: Played with; Sulley is actually talented and learns to grow out of his academic incompetence. This is averted by the ROR group, who are implied to take good grades seriously as they are disappointed with Sulley's grades.
** According to their official description, Jaws Theta Chi (JΘX) plays this straight. Chet might qualify.

** When Mike meets his roommate, he states how his "lifelong best friend is just behind this door" and opens the door to reveal [[TheDragon Rand]][[TheRival all]].

** Hardscrabble's first scene sees her swoop into the classroom, close all the curtains and make the room very dark, stand by her bust and trophy to show her earned credentials and give a stern lecture about how she expects only great things.
** The Oozma Kappa Brothers are first seen at the OK booth trying to recruit new members... by offering cake. Everyone just walks by them. One giant monster eats the whole cake and leaves. Then a balloon deflates and lands on Squishy's face.

* EurekaMoment: Chet tells Mike that some monsters aren't cut out for the big leagues. "Big leagues" inspires Mike to go on a little "field trip".
* EveryoneWentToSchoolTogether: Mike, Sulley, Randall and a few other small cameos from Monsters Inc. all seem to have gone to MU. Justified because they're studying for their future career -- scaring -- and MU is allegedly the most respected school in the business (possibly tied with or outdone by Fear Tech).
* EvilFormerFriend: Randall to Mike, who were room-mates together, only for Randall to abandon Mike [[spoiler:once he started hanging out with the "cool kids"]].

* FaceHeelTurn: Randall starts as Mike's friend and roommate, but eventually ditches him for [[spoiler:the "cool kids" in Roar Omega Roar]]. At the final event of the Scare Games, Sulley accidentally interferes with Randall's scare simulation, resulting in an embarrassing loss and touching off his grudge against Sulley.

** While Mike is concerning himself with an embarrassing photo of his fraternity in the school paper, he fails to notice an entire courtyard covered with said picture until it is pointed out to him.

* FlatScare: [[spoiler:One eliciting a scream from the simulator is what tips Mike off that there's something wrong with it]].
* FlatWhat: Early in the movie, Frank [=McCay=] drops one when he comes out of his door, and is confronted by the CDC.

** During Hardscrabble's speech during the first day of the scaring program, notice as she says "If you're not scary, what kind of a monster are you?", she's glaring at Mike. She immediately deemed him unworthy to be in her program the moment she saw him from day one.

** Continuing on the above point with a hint of Fridge Brilliance: when Mike [[spoiler:lifts the entry card from one of the students, one of them is lamenting "that door took me all semester!" That's the door Mike uses, and she's upset because it's too dangerous for even an advanced Scarer, and thus is a failure as a project]].

*** In addition, it makes a nice little reference to Waternoose's advice for effective, professional scaring in the first movie. "It's all about PRESENCE! About how you enter the room!"

** Some dreams are unattainable, physical limitations can't be ignored, and you'll be better off if you accept it. Fair enough, except for the fact that half the cast is made up of cuddly, awkward monsters -- arguably more cuddly than Mike -- who play their strengths and utilize creativity to become successful scarers. It seems the only reason we're expected to believe that Mike is not scarer material and never will be is because he's DoomedByCanon.
** Sulley's laziness in using the same roar every time is portrayed as a weakness he has to overcome in order to truly be a good scarer, yet both of the critical moments that depend on his scariness have him using that same roar. Granted, he does learn that it also takes the building of atmosphere to build up an effective Scare.
* CallASmeerpARabbit: M.U.'s rival school, Fear Tech, has a mascot named "Archie the Scare Pig", who is [[AmazingTechnicolorWildlife bright orange]]. Interestingly, he seems to be mix of both pig and ''goat''- he has a pig's snout, tail and squeal, but his horns, shaggy coat and rectangular pupils are all rather goat-like.

** Hardscrabble retorts to Mike's insistence that he can surprise her is that she very much doubts anyone can surprise her. [[spoiler: At the end, Hardscrabble admits that no one has ever really surprised her before, except for Mike. She notes that she will keep her eyes out for more surprises in the future, and that Mike should never stop surprising people]].
** Mike uses the same routine that Frank [=McCay=] uses at the start of the film [[spoiler: to win the scare games, albeit the game was rigged by Sulley]].

** The slow motion TeamPowerWalk the monsters do on Mike's field trip looks like the one Sulley participates in in the first movie. This has the added context of emphasizing that Mike and, especially, Sulley are now in the jobs they've always dreamed of, after having the shot introduced in the previous movie.

** The poster over Randall's bed is a motivational poster that says: "Winds of Change: Shh, can you hear it?" -- a reference to a line that Randall says in the original movie.

** The DJ at the Roar Omega Roar party is seen on the scare floor in the first movie.

** When Randall accidentally takes on the pattern of the carpet below him in the final challenge of the Scare Games, it brings to mind a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment from the first film in which he runs into Sulley and accidentally takes on the pattern of his fur.
** Mike has "File paperwork!" sticky notes in his locker which both remind us of a habit of his and look very similar to those he has there in the first movie.
** [[spoiler:There is a kid imitating a roaring monster]].
** [[spoiler:Sulley has to go look for Mike again]].
** [[spoiler:The way Mike steals the key card to the door lab is very similar to the way he got the card to the door with the yodeler inside in the first film]].

** The teaser trailer features narration from Creator/KelseyGrammer which parallels the narration James Coburn gave in the original film's trailer. Grammer would have replaced the late Coburn as the voice of Mr Waternoose, but the character was cut.
** [[spoiler:When Mike enters the human world to prove once-and-for-all that he's scary, he fails to scare a child, who just tells him that he "looks funny."]] At the end of the original film, Mike and Sulley solve the energy crisis by learning that making children laugh is more powerful than scaring them, and Mike himself ultimately becomes one of the entertainers.

** George Sanderson appears as a member of Jaws Theta Chi. [[spoiler:His fraternity gets disqualified for using protective gel on the first challenge, and he's the one who the ref uses as an example. Shame he didn't hang on to it when he started working at MI]].

* CerebusRetcon: In ''Monsters Inc.'', Mike served mostly as a comedic ButtMonkey and seemingly second-fiddle to Sulley's position. But then the prequel reveals how much grief and failure Mike experienced to get his position, come to terms with his shortcomings, and ultimately be treated like an equal to the on-field Scarers despite only being a coach.
** Also, whereas the Monsters' fear of "toxic" children is a main comedic plot point in ''Monsters Inc.'', ''M.U.'' treats it more seriously [[spoiler: when Mike encounters children at the end. It is played mainly for drama, and not just because of the fear of the alleged toxic danger]].

** One fraternity is disqualified in the first round when it was discovered they were cheating.
** [[spoiler:[[DoubleSubversion Double Subverted]] with Oozma Kappa in the final event. Sulley secretly tampers with the setting on Mike's simulation, helping the latter to win the last round. Mike is furious when he discovers this, and the other members are clearly disappointed in Sulley as well. Out of guilt, Sulley decides to confess to Hardscrabble, though it's implied that he claims to have rigged his own simulation, allowing Mike and his other teammates to remain unpunished]].

** Mike's ability to not be seen, which he demonstrates as a kid, [[spoiler:is helpful in setting up a big scare for Sulley at the end]].
** Everyone in Oozma Kappa has a unique quirk. Terry and Terri have amateur magic skills and Terri's dance choreography, Squishy can move completely silently, Don has loud, sticky tentacles and Art is an unhinged {{Cloudcuckoolander}}. They all learn to use these quirks to their advantage during the Scare Games, [[spoiler:and they are implied to become their signature techniques when they become full-time scarers]].

* ComingOfAgeStory: For Mike and Sulley. Set on a campus comedy.
* ConjoinedTwins: Terri and Terry.

* CosmeticallyAdvancedPrequel: Averted; some of the technology is a lot less advanced than it was/will be in the first movie, like the scare training dummies (which move very mechanically and are clearly made of wood here, whereas in ''Inc.'' they look exactly like real children).

* CreepyDoll: The kid-like crash test dummies used in the final Scare event. Like the more realistic one from the original film, these dummies can move and scream as if they were real kids - which is kind of the point, but it's still creepy.

-->'''Hardscrabble''': [[SpeakOfTheDevil ''[suddenly appears]]'' I can just "what" ? ''[silent pause]'' Careful, Mr. Sullivan, I was just warming up to you.
-->'''Sulley''': Sorry.
* CuteMonsterGirl: Plenty around the campus, especially the PNK and EEK sorority girls. Of course, the former appear less cute when they show their NightmareFace. The latter, however, don't seem to break their pretty appearances even when show themselves as menacing. The same could be said for the HSS sorority, although they ALWAYS want to look terrifying, despite that they are rather adorable themselves (DON'T TELL THEM THAT!).

* AllGuysWantSororityWomen: When Randy is trying to convince Mike to attend a big party, he emphasizes how it is a sorority party. It is implied he was mostly interested in the sorority girls there judging by how we see him later on offering cupcakes to some of them.

* AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: Squishy's mom, Mrs Squibbles. [[EstablishingCharacterMoment In her first scene]], she interrupts Oozma Kappa's InitiationCeremony by turning on the basement washing machine and making Squishy have to yell over it.
* AmazingTechnicolorPopulation: Well, they are monsters.

* AmusingInjuries: Touching the venomous urchins causes the affected spot to swell up. Almost all the monsters in the first Scare Game emerge looking like balloons, and Squishy has the misfortune of ''swallowing one'', which inflates him from the inside.
* AnachronismStew: Somewhat. The dance party scene is very distinctly 2010s-ish, with regards to the music and general atmosphere, but the first movie was made in 2001 and looked like it, and this film as a whole is meant to be a tribute to '80s college flicks. Some have calculated from Mike's calendar and the technology (for instance, the Scare Floors are shown using old Solari boards instead of digital monitors) that the film is set around 1987-1988.

* ArmorPiercingQuestion: When Hardscrabble asks Sulley if he actually thinks Mike is scary. Although Sulley struggles to refute the question of, "Do you think he's scary?", he cannot because [[JerkassHasAPoint deep down, he knows that Hardscrabble is correct in saying Mike is not.]] [[spoiler:This is proven by what he later says to Mike, "What was I supposed to do? Let the whole team fail because you don't have it?!" and by tampering with Mike's settings to make it so that Mike could win.]]
* ArtShift: Continuing from the first film, the movie's opening credits are in traditional animation.
* AttackOfThe50FootWhatever: The Librarian is actually a giant 50-foot tentacled monster and if you make too much noise, she will throw you out. Literally.

* BackToSchool: Don has joined Oozma Kappa after he was downsized from his sales department. Averted in that none of his humour is about his age, rather than that he's still sticking with his well-polished sales persona and patter in a fraternity environment. This is itself averted [[spoiler:in the final act when it's revealed that he's engaged to his fraternity President's mother; and will now be his big brother as well as a step-father]]

** Also when Sulley suggests replacing the Oozmas with a new team, Mike retorts that they can't do that... because he's checked, and it's against the rules.

--> '''Professor Brandywine:''' Some say that a career as a scream can designer is boring, unchallenging, a waste of a monster's potential... open your textbooks to Chapter 3.
* BeautyIsNeverTarnished: The PNK and HSS teams make it through the first Scare Game unscathed. For the [=EEKs=], Brynn Larson suffers a "minor" swelling after accidentally stepping on a stinging urchin. However, her sorority proves to show the best teamwork when Carla Delgado and Maria Garcia aid her and the rest keep close as to make sure she doesn't endure any more pain before making it out of the event.
* BeyondTheImpossible: The door's shut down, you're stuck with no children at all to make scream... [[spoiler: Mike and Sulley scare an entire squad of police officers, creating such an epic scare that the door is effectively blown off its hinges, and the scream canisters suffer from ExplosiveOverclocking as they all are filled far beyond capacity...]]

** You'd better be quiet in the library... or else the Librarian will [[AttackOfThe50FootWhatever throw you out]].
** Subverted with Hardscrabble's souvenir scare canister. [[spoiler:When it's destroyed, she's disappointed, but doesn't even raise her voice. It isn't even the reason why she kicks Mike and Sulley out of the scare program a few minutes later]]. This is lampshaded by Mike.
-->'''Mike:''' You're taking this remarkably well.
** Although she ''does'' [[spoiler:cut them down [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech harshly and publicly]] in just under a minute each, rather than give them a fair go on the Scare Simulator]]. Though it does ultimately make it painfully clear that Mike and Sulley [[spoiler: only sped up their inevitable expulsion]].

* BlueAndOrangeMorality: Tampering with the mail is a big enough offense in the eyes of monsters to merit lifelong banishment to the [[DeathWorld supposedly lethal]] [[EverythingTryingToKillYou human world]]. With no supplies, as is suggested in the original film. In human terms, that's like being dropped in the middle of DarkestAfrica without any food, water, protection, clothing, or contact with the rest of humanity. For the rest of your life.
* BookDumb: Sulley gets a C- grade on one of his papers, as compared to Mike's A+, which leads the R.O.R.s to have second thoughts about accepting him as a frat member.

** At the Scare Finals Exam, Hardscrabble is disappointed when Sulley jumps the gun and interrupts her without letting her finish, which hurts his chances:
-->'''Hardscrabble''': I'm a seven-year old boy--
-->[Sulley lets out a loud, gigantic roar]
-->'''Hardscrabble''': I wasn't finished.
-->'''Sulley''': I don't need to know any of that stuff to scare.
-->'''Hardscrabble''': That ''stuff'' would have informed you that this particular child is afraid of snakes. So a roar wouldn't make him scream, it would make him cry, alerting his parents, exposing the monster world, destroying life as we know it, and of course, we can't have that. So, I'm afraid I cannot recommend that you continue in the Scaring program; good day.
** Later on, when Mike enters a door, leading to a campers' cabin:
-->'''Mike''': You'll never know what it's like to fail, because you were born a Sullivan!
-->'''Sulley''': Yeah, I'm a Sullivan. I'm the Sullivan who flunked every test, the one who got kicked out of the program, the one who was so afraid to let everyone down, that I cheated... and I lied. ''[sighs]'' Mike, I'll never know how you feel... but you're not the only failure here. I act scary, Mike, but most of the time... I'm terrified.
-->'''Mike''': How come you never told me that before?
-->'''Sulley''': Because... we weren't friends before.
** In the end, after Sulley and Mike are expelled, they find work at Monsters, Inc. starting out in the mailroom, and working their way up from there.

* ExtravertedNerd: Mike.

** The slow motion PowerWalk the monsters do on Mike's field trip looks like the one Sulley participates in in the first movie. This has the added context of emphasizing that Mike and, especially, Sulley are now in the jobs they've always dreamed of, after having the shot introduced in the previous movie.

A followup short, ''Party Central'', where Mike and Sulley use door stations to bring a rival fraternity's party to an O.K. one, would accompany the theatrical release of ''Film/MuppetsMostWanted''.

[[caption-width-right:350:Before they were [[WesternAnimation/MonstersInc incorporated]], they had to be educated.]]

* SuperCoach: Mike Wazowski to Oozma Kappa, if only to protect his own dignity. And then eventually to Sulley when they are employed.

* UncannyValley:
** Invoked. The crash test dummies used in the final event. Because it's an imitation of a human - naturally it won't be perfect.
** [[spoiler:Terry and Terri during the final round. Their scare tactic involves them disguising themselves as a mostly normal human silhouette, but with enough of a difference to be very unsettling.]]

* JerkToNiceGuyPlot: Sulley starts off as a {{jerkass}} who happily bullies Mike, but his being kicked out of Roar Omega Roar and forced to join Oozma Kappa results in him humbling up to eventually become the NiceGuy he is in ''Monsters, Inc.''