So much college and nostalgia from the past decade!

Rating: 8/10 (7 February 2014)

I shall start off by saying that this movie was in no way "unnecessary" as some overcritical naysayers claim. It was a magnificent prequel to a movie everyone loves. It is quite fitting too because kids that would have watched Monsters, Inc. way back in 2003 are probably of college age now and seeing some of their favorite childhood characters in the same position as they are in now is fantastic (an quite a good way for Pixar to make some money). The college references, while somewhat stereotypical and possibly too focused on Greek life, were fitting and aimed at enhancing the story and not to just highlight what many believe college to be all about. I also loved the creativity that was loaded into this film with regards to the college stuff. "Scaring major" is just the beginning. All the posters about competitions and dorm life were quite accurate and relatable.
With respect to other aspects of the movie, I love the message about teamwork, believing in your team and your friends, acceptance of mistakes, and forgiveness amongst friends. There's a lot that the kids of today (and even the "grown-up" college kids) can learn from.
Of course, this was a prequel to a very loved film from the past decade. There was no way references to the original film would not be present. But, the way the story harked back was what got to me; they were mostly subtle and all in some way that affected the lives of Mike and Sully in their coming years as Scarers. References to previous movies do not get better than this.
My only complaint is that it was not as funny as I would have wanted it to be. They did everything well: the animation, the small details, and the distinct personalities for the plethora of characters. But, Pixar, as I have said before, just has not been able to top Finding Nemo in comedy. Maybe that will change soon.
Overall, I was very pleased and am very glad Pixar made this film, whatever the reason for it. Watched 02/07-02/08/2014, written 02/08/2014.