Line #29 YMMV/MonstersUniversity


1	* {{Adorkable}}:
2	** Young Randall Boggs, even after he loses the NerdGlasses. [[spoiler:But then he joins Roar Omega Roar...]].
3	** Oozma Kappa. All of them.
4	** Mike. His eager and peppy attitude during his first days at the university really makes you love the little guy.
5	* AlternateAesopInterpretation: Mike's and Sulley's Oozma Kappa brothers ''do'' become successful Scarers by using creativity and hard work to compensate for their "not scary" appearances. Mike, who is also considered "not scary", sticks to only one tactic and that hits its limits fast. That Mike never thinks to apply his teaching practices to himself is because he's DoomedByCanon, but a valid lesson to take away is "if your current methods bring no desired results, think out of the box until something works to make your dream a reality".
6	* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation:
7	** Randall Boggs is subjected to a lot of this, which isn't helped by him eventually turning more villainous than even Waternoose by the time the events of the original film take place. Randall leaving Mike could be either out of a desire to fit in or an indication that he never saw Mike as a friend. Randall participating in humiliating Oozma Kappa could either be sadistic bullying or caving in to peer pressure. However, Mike never confronts Randall over the latter becoming antagonistic, so either they had a temporary friendship or they were just roommates who happened to get along well in the beginning. There are no hints that Randall actually wanted to stay on amicable terms with Mike after joining Roar Omega Roar. Regarding Roar Omega Roar, Randall could have either seen the members as friends or as just a means to an end to be the best Scarer, given that he develops an intense jealousy towards Sulley.
8	** In regards to Randall's animosity towards Sulley, starting when the latter beats the former at the final event of the Scare Games, was Randall angry because Sulley humiliated him and cost him his social status, because he was a SoreLoser, or both? Furthermore, did he have feelings of insecurity that he felt could only be relieved by besting Sulley, or did he view Sulley as an over-privileged showoff who needed to be taken down a peg.
9	** When the members of Python Nu Kappa went to invite the Oozma Kappas to the Roar Omega Roar party where they get humiliated, were they asked by Johnny to pick up the Oozmas and thus were aware of the prank or did they just decide on their own accord to invite them to the party and without knowing Johnny's intentions?
10	* {{Applicability}}: Due to the themes of coping with disappointment, many neurodivergent and physically disabled audience members have been appreciative of the movie's theme. Mike's problem of "not being scary" is treated as an actual disability and fans relate to his frustrations of being hindered by something beyond his control.
11	* AwardSnub: While not necessarily great enough to be top-tier Pixar, quite a few were surprised that the film failed to reap a nomination for Best Animated Feature in 2013, given how it was marginally more well-reviewed than both ''WesternAnimation/DespicableMe2'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheCroods''. To some, this is especially galling after ''Brave'' (a generally less acclaimed Pixar film) actually managed to '''win''' the Oscar the previous year (when many thought it deserved to lose to ''Wreck-It Ralph'').
12	* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic:
13	** "Island" by {{Music/Mastodon}}. Especially taking into account the context in which it is used. It's what Sherri listens to in the car.
14	** Points also scored for getting Music/SwedishHouseMafia to compose the frat party song "Roar."
15	** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9tnMEAV3S8 "Gospel" by the [=MarchFourth=] Marching Band]], played during Mike's studying montage and during the CreativeClosingCredits. Many people thought it was the film's actual theme song.
16	** The drumline parts in the main theme (among other pieces) were written by the legendary Scott Johnson, percussion head of the Blue Devils drum corps, and performed by members of the Blue Devils.
17	* BrokenBase:
18	** Fans either thought the movie had a bad message to send to children ("Your bullies are right, you'll never achieve your dream, so quit while you're ahead") while others thought that it was healthy in a brutally honest sort of way ("You don't always have qualities to live your life-long dream, but you'll eventually find your calling.") Some have no problem with the message itself, just the movie's ability to justify it.
19	** Fans who liked this movie thought that the comedy was a relieving breath of fresh air compared to its predecessor's tense and dramatic tone, whilst others dislike this movie for this exact reason.
20	* ClicheStorm: As a few detractors like Creator/DougWalker point out, the film feels like an amalgamation of college film tropes with the main characters not getting along due to polar opposites before understanding each other by the end, the sports tournament setup, and the competitive jocks that only has uniqueness due to the setting. Of course, what matters is if viewers do not see clichés as distracting from the quality. Many also agree that the predictable buildup is somewhat offset by the climax and very raw final message turning it all on its head.
21	* ContestedSequel: Or Contested ''Prequel'' in this case. Some fans see this as sub par to the original movie, though others do like this movie because it doesn't override the happy ending of the original.
22	* CrazyIsCool: Art. Kicking things out of his way with a crazy laughter and supposedly having been to jail are a few juicy examples.
23	* CreepyCute: Squishy looks far from threatening, [[OffscreenTeleportation but his tendency to sneak up on people]] and stare creepily makes him this. [[spoiler: He uses this to his advantage during the Scare Games.]]
24	* CrossesTheLineTwice:
25	** Art: "I've got an extra toe... Not with me, of course."
26	** Squishy getting hit by stinging glorchins, so parts of his body swells up and he yells in pain? Horrifying. Getting a glorchin shot into his mouth so his entire body puffs up like a ball? Hilarious.
27	* DracoInLeatherPants:
28	** Johnny Worthington III. WordOfGod wanted to convey through his decorated frat house that Johnny is deathly afraid of failure and his reputation was at stake.
29	** If it weren't enough that Randall was already this in the first film, it just intensified once they saw him in the prequel, where people just can't get enough of making him sympathetic.
30	* EliminationHoudini: The Oozma Kappa team fits this trope very well despite not being in a reality TV show. At the start, they clearly did ''not'' have the skills to compete with the other fraternities and, were it not for one fraternity being caught cheating, would have been eliminated right off the bat. While Roar Omega Roar continues to outclass them, they continue to make it to the final round by beating just ''one'' team, save for the third round where they came in 2nd place. When they finally get their act together, [[spoiler:with the exception of Mike and Sulley,]] they ''do'' show the other students that they are Scarer material.
31	* EnsembleDarkhorse:
32	** The other fraternities and sororities (Jaws Theta Chi, Eta Hiss Hiss, Python Nu Kappa, and Slugma Slugma Kappa) are widely popular with fans, despite having very limited amounts of screentime.
33	** Claire Wheeler, the snarky goth girl announcer of the games. Helps that she's voiced by Creator/AubreyPlaza. Her co-commentator, the hammy and hyperactive Brock Pearson is just as popular. The two of them together are also a popular [[{{Shipping}} shipping couple]].
34	** Dean Hardscrabble is also very popular with the fans. Even many of the film's critics have praised her as one of the best parts of the movie, citing her imposing design and Creator/HelenMirren's performance.
35	** That poor slug who takes '''the entire movie''' to get to his first class!
36	* FanonDiscontinuity: Some fans of the [[WesternAnimation/MonstersInc1 first movie]] elect to ignore this film due to the sheer number of {{retcon}}s it makes to fit as a prequel.
37	* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff: The film did especially well in Japan, where it grossed over $90 million in its box office run. The colorful, adorable monster designs must have done it for them.
38	* HarsherInHindsight:
39	** Mike Wazowski is portrayed as awesome, determined, and a smart leader in ''University''. However, he's more of a whiny, bitter, and clumsy ButtMonkey in ''[[WesternAnimation/MonstersInc1 Inc.]]''. Being Sulley's scare trainer still puts him in something of an authority position.
40	** When Dean Hardscrabble criticizes Sulley for his scaring, she says, "this particular child is afraid of snakes, so a roar wouldn't make him scream, it would make him cry." [[spoiler:Guess what happens when he accidentally scares Boo in ''Monsters Inc.''.]]
41	** In ''Inc'', [[spoiler:Mike's rant to Sulley about how everything they ever worked for was ruined by being banished takes on new meaning when it's shown they literally worked their way from the ground up to get where they were]].
42	** [[spoiler:The Adorable Snowman]]'s suggestion that mail tampering would result in banishment is PlayedForLaughs here. In ''WesternAnimation/MonstersAtWork'', it's revealed [[spoiler:Adorable was banished after [[CerebusRetcon discovering a letter implicating Waternoose in the scream extractor scheme]]]], making the joke not so funny anymore.
43	* HeartwarmingInHindsight:
44	** In this film, Mike is constantly being told that he is not scary and thus can't be an on-field worker for Monsters Inc. despite it being his dream. The fact is driven home when he is seen only as a funny guy [[spoiler:by the kids he tries to scare when he sneaks into the human world.]] However, if you remember at the end of the first film, [[spoiler:he gets to be an on-field worker precisely because he is funny. In other words, he was able to live his dream, though in a slightly different roundabout way, because of his "flaws"]].
45	** In the first film, whenever Mike and Sulley talk about breaking the scare record, they always say "we" rather than "you" or "I" respectively. [[spoiler: After this film, it's very clear that Mike and Sulley really are a team when it comes to scaring.]]
46	* HilariousInHindsight: People who've seen the cartoon ''WesternAnimation/AaahhRealMonsters'' along with ''Monsters Inc.'' might get the idea that both the cartoon and the film have similar plot settings since both involve monsters who need to scare in order to collect energy for their society. Come ''Monsters University'', the setting is even more similar to the cartoon as it involves monsters going to school in order to learn how to scare. Mike and Sulley even fill out roles similar to two of the three main characters of the cartoon. A super studious and hardworking student that relies heavily on books, and another student who is generally lazy but pressured with living up to the family legacy of being the best scarers.
47	* HoYay: The scene where Mike dreams about kissing a princess and wakes up kissing Sulley's arm, anyone?
48	* IncestYayShipping: Some people have been shipping Terry/Terri.
49	* IronWoobie: Mike is made to be this from the beginning. Nobody expects anything of him and even his own cousin doesn't want to partner up with him. The film keeps making it worse by everyone constantly telling Mike that he will never be scary and that he doesn't belong in MU. But, despite all of the insults and put-downs, Mike still stays on top.
50	* JerkassWoobie:
51	** Sulley. [[spoiler:His JerkJock attitude is a front to hide his insecurities, which he feels he can't acknowledge due to the expectations of his family name. It's also implied that his father's shadow is why Sulley's so resistant to instruction or trying to improve: As a Sullivan, success as a Scarer should come naturally.]]
52	** For some, Randall. [[spoiler:He may have been a jerk, but he was humiliated very publicly and it does genuinely seem like he joined ROR out of peer pressure initially]].
53	* MemeticMutation:
54	** The brief scene of Randall [[http://25.media.tumblr.com/60ddd5c095d8c7fe0738ff2452e7d30b/tumblr_misldt0KT81qj2fd2o1_1280.png holding the tray of cupcakes]] from the trailer is popular on Website/{{Tumblr}}.
55	** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CK-Sb7n0fw The football scene]] has turned into an object labeling meme.
56	* {{Moe}}: Little Mike. Also, Squishy. To some extent, young Randall due to being a cheerful but nervous nerd with NerdGlasses. But then he joins Roar Omega Roar... And depending on who you ask, the Perry brothers as well.
57	* OneSceneWonder: Archie The Scare Pig. He was used as the bridge to formally introducing Mike and Sulley together, and ending with them sporting a rivalry first semester.
58	* SignatureScene: The human world segment near the end of the film is considered by many to be the moment that turns a relatively average film into being good and highly underrated.
59	* StrangledByTheRedString: [[spoiler:Don and Squishy's Mom]], albeit played for laughs. While their pairing up is obvious due to similarities and proximity and they likely knew each other for a time, there is only one scene of amorous affection, and then they get engaged. Though this might have been a device to indicate that a significant, but ambiguous, amount of time passed [[spoiler:since Mike's and Sulley's arrest]].
60	* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: Fans of the original movie don't like the number of {{retcon}}s this prequel introduces by existing, in particular the insinuations that Mike and Sulley didn't meet until college (contradicting an offhand line that implied they were ChildhoodFriends), that [[spoiler:Mike and Sulley already knew the Abominable Snowman before they met him in the Himalayas]] and that Waternoose ''didn't'' teach Sulley everything he knew about scaring.
61	* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: Quite a few examples.
62	** [[spoiler:Those who were expecting a tragic and sympathetic backstory for Randall were greatly disappointed.]] In addition, the film barely fleshes out Johnny Worthington's fear of failure, as WordOfGod suggests.
63	** Celia is nowhere to be found [[spoiler:(aside from a brief shot of a picture of her in Mike's locker near the end)]], which is especially conspicuous due to her strong resemblance to the girls of PNK.
64	** Terri and Terry. They had potential to be really interesting, but after their introduction, not much is done with them. Some people ''don't'' think that it's because they are "boring characters with little use". Granted, their lack of CharacterDevelopment left space for FanficFuel.
65	** Not making Terri female because of the [[TheSmurfettePrinciple skewed gender ratio]] of the film, which Pixar has been trying to [[WesternAnimation/{{Brave}} avert]], and because Terri is a [[GenderBlenderName popular girl's name]]. This has some justification in that fraternities are supposed to be male-only, with sororities being the female counterpart... although co-ed fraternities exist in real life.
66	** Although they work quite hard, the Oozma Kappa's motivation to join the Scaring Field isn't quite fleshed out like Mike's motivation.
67	* UnintentionallySympathetic: Some people consider Randall to be this, believing that his actions - abandoning Mike to increase his own standing by getting into R.O.R., then going along with R.O.R.'s bullying - still don't warrant his humiliating failure at the Scare Games.
68	* UnpopularPopularCharacter: Randall and Mike. They're complete nerds who the characters don't take too seriously but they come across as very {{Adorkable}} to many fans, with Randall's cheerful and nervous nature, NerdGlasses and excitement about making friends in particular being seen as endearing by many fans.
69	* VindicatedByHistory: Though still considered SoOkayItsAverage by some, overall opinions of the movie have improved quite a bit over the years, in no small part to its Aesops [[ValuesResonance becoming more important over time]].
70	* WinBackTheCrowd: After the poor reception of ''WesternAnimation/{{Cars 2}}'' and the middling success of ''WesternAnimation/{{Brave}}'', this can be seen as one for Pixar. Unfortunately, the Pixar people felt that, critically, it did "okay" and not "excellent," convincing them to [[ScheduleSlip take a year off of releasing films]] to beef up the ones still in production.
71	* TheWoobie:
72	** The Oozma Kappa. They're nothing but genuinely nice, and endearingly {{Adorkable}} guys but they get the short end of the stick because of their cozy, fluffy "loser" behavior. [[spoiler:They do get treated better later.]]
73	** Randall is this '''before''' he ditches Mike for ROR, mind you, being an insecure [[{{Adorkable}} nerd]] who genuinely attempts at making friends.
74	** That poor slug who spends the ''entire movie'' trying to get to school, only to realize he missed the entire school year by the time he arrived. That means a couple of students and staff members would have had to pass by him as he was slowly moving, and yet nobody bothered to come to his aid to bring him to his class.

Context YMMV / MonstersUniversity