Mike Wazowski's Monsters Inc.

Captivated by the talking monsters on the screen, my five-year-old heart raced at the sight of the Randall, the villain. Seconds later, Mike Wazowski appeared to comedically beat him with a baseball bat and banish the monster to an unknown world. Growing up, Monsters Inc was my favorite movie. With his single eye and whimsical nature, I loved Mike. He was the faithful sidekick that completed the movie; if Mike was in a scene, it was going to make me laugh.

Ten years later, I watched Monsters University. Only this time, I didn’t laugh-- I cried.

Sometime during those ten years, I had grown up only to find that the world does not always benefit those who deserve it the most. Suddenly, Mike was no longer the comedian. He was the victim of reality.

He stayed up late rigorously studying every scare technique in the book, but his hard work wasn’t enough. Although he was more diligent than any other student in his class, he lacked the natural talent within him to become a professional scarer. When the professor told him that he wasn’t scary enough to achieve his dreams, my heart empathized with the one eyed cretin.

I saw myself in Mike. I knew what it felt like to work harder and longer than every other person only to receive the award. At the time this movie was released, I was on the basketball team. I spent extra hours after practice with the coach, joined an intense travel team, and shot outside in my driveway late into the night. No matter what I did, I was not tall enough or strong enough to leave the bench.

It hurt to hear someone tell me that I just wasn’t good enough. However, in Monsters University, Mike continued to work hard despite the fact that his original dream had been crushed; he found a job sorting mail in the basement of Monsters Inc and eventually worked his way up to become a top tier assistant. More importantly, he learned that he loved his new job. Mike inspired me to try again and to follow my heart. I found a calling somewhere else: in music. I dedicated more time to practicing the flute, and eventually reached my goal of joining the top band in the school. Mike has a quality that I strive to achieve everyday: