Pixar fan or not, you’d have to be living under the world’s largest rock not to have heard of this summer’s most recent animated release: “Monster’s University.” The advertising campaign for this prequel has been off the charts (we haven’t personally checked any, but we’re sure if we did, that would be the case). Turn on the TV, and you’ll see Mike and Sulley smiling at you while using Swiffer to clean up messes, and then five minutes later, they’ll be telling you which sort of insurance you should be getting. Walk down the aisles in the grocery store, and there will be plush versions of the monsters roaring at you with neat price tags attached to their ears (if they happen to have any). If you’ve been to Disneyland recently, they’ve replicated part of the campus there so you can pose with MU banners and a monstrous dorm.
We ourselves at the Clog have even contributed to the hype, posting multiple times about the website and how psyched we are to see an animated version of the Campanile and Sather Gate with backpack-clad monsters in front of them. (You know part of it is based on us, right? Shame on you if you don’t.)
Now, we totally approve of the excitement built around this movie. We’ve squealed louder than anyone at the mere thought of watching it. But at the same time, we can still marvel at how dedicated Pixar is to getting Mike and Sulley’s names to the masses — the paying masses, of course. They’ve guaranteed an audience by suckering in all the kids and kids at heart with already beloved characters, promising us the joy of learning how they came to be so gosh darn adorable as well as new characters to laugh with along the way (also conveniently located in the toy section).
We’re a little torn, if you couldn’t already tell. Should we love everything about Pixar’s efforts because reliving college through the animated experience is totally worth it, or should we question the mass media-driven consumer culture we live in that makes such methods necessary? We’d like to go with the first option, given that we’re talking about good ol’ G-rated fun. Seriously, cute monsters with dialogue that will make you laugh, cry and want to be a kid again? They show the origins of one of the best cartoon bromances in history! A lovable green eyeball has a retainer; what more could you want?! There’s certainly not much time to think about marketing techniques when there are fraternity names like Roar Omega Roar and Oozma Kappa to gush over. We’d join those brothers in a heartbeat if they showed up on Piedmont Avenue.
But of course, there’s the catch that comes with the second option. We guess the takeaway from this is to enjoy the entertainment but be aware of it. The amount of advertising thrown at us all on a daily basis is honestly staggering. If you acknowledge it and see it all with your eyes open, then maybe you’ll stay on top of things and keep your brain from turning into TV-brand mush (that’s how the zombies would really take over). Aside from that, we see absolutely no harm in marching into theaters with all the MU gear you can carry! It’s not every day you get the opportunity to enjoy a movie as both a little kid and a college student.
Image source: Mitch and Bonnie under Creative Commons.
Contact Erum Khan at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter @erumjkhan.