Monday, July 22, 2013
Adoption Movie Guide: Monsters University
The sun rises in a suburban town. On this beautiful fall
day, a pigeon pecks the ground for fallen seeds. It’s a very peaceful and
comforting scene – except the pigeon has two heads. We’re in the world of
Monsters, Inc., maybe twenty years before the first film. Mike Wazowski is a round, green, somewhat
geeky and unpopular grade school kid. His class takes a trip to a scare
factory, which in Monstropolis is a combination of industry, power generation,
and sport. He is awed by the professional scarers and dreams of joining their
ranks. One kind scarer recommends that he attend Monsters University. Several
years later, he does.
How is This Relevant
to Adoption?
Monsters University doesn’t feature adoption in its plot
points. Many kids – not just kids in foster or adoptive families – will relate
to Mike’s desire to fit in with peers and with his being ostracized for his
differences. Mike’s eventual best friend, Sully, is heralded for his membership
in a famous family. It is mentioned several times throughout the film, with
some characters trying to enter his good graces, and others telling him that he
is a disgrace to his family name.
Strong Points
There’s
a lot to like about this film; Pixar has made a thoroughly entertaining film
that also manages to convey several worthwhile lessons.
Randall
is the main antagonist in Monsters Inc. Here, we see him as a college freshman.
Nerdy, outcast, and gifted. He gets in with the popular crowd, and they
influence him very negatively. It reminds me of Bowler Hat Man in Meet theRobinsons. Kids who feel outcast can let their pain become anger or can let
their loneliness drive them to bad company. But Randall and Bowler Hat Man were
not the only lonely ones in their film. Meet the Robinsons’ hero, Lewis, and this film’s Mike Wazowski both were
hopeful and perseverant and were able to come through difficult childhoods to
become people (or, rather, a person and a monster) of good character.
Students
at Monsters University are encouraged to realize that the best way to succeed
in life isn’t to be just like everyone else – it’s to embrace your uniqueness
and find ways to use it to your advantage.
Mike
and Sully develop a strong friendship. They apologize to each other.
Mike
suffers disappointment when he is unable to become a great scarer. He reflects,
“I thought if I wanted it enough,” I could make it happen. This is a
surprisingly realistic contradiction to the “wish hard enough and you’ll get it”
theme that often shows up in kids’ media. And Mike doesn’t wallow in self-pity.
He commits to a long road, doesn’t shrink from starting in menial positions, and
eventually finds himself in a job that he loves. I’m really surprised to be
able to commend an animated green eyeball as a role model – but here I am doing
it.
My
wife really liked this: Sully tried to cheat on an exam. He apologizes, but is
expelled from college. He suffers the consequence he earned, but does not
despair. He works hard, and still manages to have a successful life. Just like with Mike – there’s no magic, just
perseverance and hard work.
Weak
Points
An
older college student has joined a fraternity and has become engaged to the
mother of one of his fraternity brothers. He tells the younger student to think
of him as “a brother who’s marrying your mother.” The line generated laughs in
the theater, but might be confusing or troubling for children whose families of
origin have been disrupted.
Recommendation
This
one’s worth seeing in the theaters, and maybe buying too. It’ll probably be the
biggest hit with kids up to age 9 or 10.
Questions for Discussion after the movie
Which
character do you feel most like?
Mike
and Sully were punished, and suspended (actually expelled) from school. Has
that ever happened to you? How did they make their life turn out OK, anyway?
Have
you ever really wanted something and didn’t get it? Were you OK afterwards,
anyway?
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I completely agree with you on this one. I actually LOVED the Mike DIDN'T have a 'fairy god mother' moment. He (and Sully) made mistakes, and had to work hard to work through them. They suffered the consquences, but still moved forward. They proved that sometimes the path to making your dreams come true isn't a striaght line, and doesn't lead where you think it will, but that just makes the journey all the more valuable.
ReplyDeleteHi J! I really love your comment. I think I'm gonna share it on Facebook and Twitter :) You loved the same things about the movie that I did!
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