Let’s Talk About That One Lake Scene in Monsters University

For such an average movie, that one lake scene makes all the difference.

On late Friday night re-runs in the 2010s, I would watch the Pixar sequel that almost everyone pretends doesn’t exist.

Monsters University, a sequel to Monsters, Inc., is objectively weaker than its predecessor. In Monsters, Inc., the audience is introduced to two unlikely monster friends, Mike and Sully, who accidentally bring a human child to their world. Despite establishing that Sully is the beloved figurehead of Monsters Incorporated and Mike is an underdog who is overshadowed by his colleagues, the filmmakers choose to skip over the generic “frenemy” plotline. The audience is able to focus on the imaginative plot, supplemented by the endearing dynamic between Mike and Sully.

Monsters University asks the unnecessary question, “But what if they weren’t always friends?”

Monsters University is a typical coming-of-age, underdog story, except with monsters. Sully is a jock. Mike is a nerd. Then, they get kicked out of the “Scare Program” and are forced to work together. After completing a series of trials in the “Scare Games” and a bunch of forgettable characters, Sully and Mike become friends…