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Post by pitbulllady on Mar 10, 2014 23:31:54 GMT -5
Remember when I posted about little kids who watched MU first, THEN MI, would be affected when they see "Randy" being beaten and hurt? Well, here is a post someone shared on Tumblr this evening that verifies just exactly what I said: " Okay my littlest brother was watching monsters inc with me and my cousins and he started to cry when Randall was banished
He was asking when Randall was coming back and everything omg 
" I doubt this is an isolated case, either. Pixar needs to FIX THIS! THIS alone is reason to bring back Randall and have him redeem himself, to show all those little kids who have been traumatized by what they saw happen to him in MI after getting to know him as a sweet, shy little guy in MU that he's alright, that he can still be good, even if Pixar doesn't care about what us long-time Randall fans think! pitbulllady |
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Post by randallsnape7 on Mar 11, 2014 4:04:28 GMT -5
<Dumbledore's Farewell plays>
Yes, pitbullady. I can tell you with absolute CERTAINTY that this is not an isolated case. I've felt the exact same way... multiple times. I don't always cry openly, but it always leaves me feeling empty, so I can say point-blank that he is NOT alone. This young boy was clearly feeling genuine empathy toward Randall - something that most viewers NEVER feel. Someone needs to tell him that he should not be ashamed of his tears, and that to feel that kind of emotion is a STRENGTH, and could actually make him a better person as he gets older. I think it's good that he saw Monsters University first, and got to know Randall well in just that film, before seeing the sequel. I hope more children DO see Monsters University first, then Monsters, Inc., in chronological order... the good thing about this is that the more children from the youngest generation are introduced to the films in this manner, the stronger the likelihood that Randall's fan following will CONTINUE to grow... and grow... and grow... and GROW.
I hope this means good things for Randall's future, and yes, I think it's time for Pixar to FIX the problem. Throwing Randall out of his very own native world just to get beaten up in a foreign, heartless world is way, WAY too much like those cheesy pain/humiliation end tropes that literally CLUTTER countless 30 minute TV cartoons like Looney Tunes, or even a few episodes out of Disney's Timon and Pumbaa series, once they reach the last 10 seconds of the episode. Forcing a square peg in a round hole at the climax of an episode isn't always funny... not when the show is sadistically telling the viewer to laugh at someone's expense - which is basically the point and message of the trope.
Many, many, MANY of those episodes choose to END on the pain/humiliation trope so that it will make us feel like the character we are watching will ALWAYS be in this twisted, deprived, humiliated state for the rest of their lives with NO hope of relief or escape. In some extreme cases, at least four or five different cases, I've even seen these tropes involve forced age regression, where some mature, popular character is forced to wear diapers and be treated like a little baby for no reason at all. That may sound shocking to some people, but believe me, I've seen it happen... just to give an example of how outrageous those tropes can get. THANKFULLY, at least Randall didn't face forced age regression.
Basically, in the banishment scene in Monsters, Inc., THIS is the level Pixar has sunken to, and while it may be easy to overlook such cheesy, D- storytelling in a 30 min. show, and with some luck, still deem it enjoyable to watch, to do ANY monkey business like this in a major theatrical film is just downright SHAMEFUL. Pixar is a top-of-the-line, state-of-the-art, MAJOR film company with great pride and affection for their characters... it's high time they started living up to their own passion. Redeeming Randall would be A+ storytelling, and if that would actually happen, I would deem the 'Monsters' film franchise my favorite thing to EVER come out of Pixar... HANDS DOWN.
When I first joined this site, I truly didn't know that there are actually many people out there who genuinely love Randall Boggs and sympathize with his life's journey. That touches me, because beforehand, to quote that old statement EVERYONE has heard on movies: "I thought I was the only one who liked him.".
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Post by pitbulllady on Mar 11, 2014 12:59:50 GMT -5
Kinda messed up that the original poster went back and changed that post after I commented on it, now saying that she asked her little brother if he knew that Randall was "evil" and the kid said, "yes", and if he LIKED Randall because he was "evil", and again the kid said, "yes", and that she was now so proud of her little brother because he liked evil characters. She is apparently one of those people who loves the notion of Randall being evil and wants him to stay that way, which I cannot in any way, shape or form begin to comprehend.
pitbulllady
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Post by conteremo on Mar 11, 2014 13:16:45 GMT -5
Randall undoubtedly did evil things (or attempted to do evil things, anyway), such as nearly killing Sulley 3 times on Waternoose's command (and Mike once since Mike was with Sulley at the time), but that doesn't make him evil. In my book, anyway. After all, MU shows that Randall is at heart a nice guy and he tried being a good friend to Mike. Even in MI at the beginning, he was nothing more than the down and out geeky sort who is socially awkward and snide, and he never wanted to kill Sulley until he was ordered to (still a bad thing to try and do, yeah, but the circumstances make the distinction in my view). And while he didn't seem to think much of Boo, like most monsters wouldn't, he didn't try to hurt her, and he even kept her from falling to her death at one point even though he was apparently supposed to kill her.
Even if Randall were evil, and even if it was confirmed he was behind the whole Scream Extractor plot (seems unlikely to me), and even if he always wanted to kill Sulley, I'd still like him, so this isn't me justifying my liking for him. I'm not moralistic when it comes to liking characters, seeing as I'm a "Villain-fan." In one comic I'm following, my favorite character contributed to the mass-murder of thousands of people (lots of those same arguments circulate about him as the ones about Javert and Randall), and even when I was 12 I read a series in which my favorite character was a sadist who wanted to kill all humans and hated the world, but I hated all the good guys...so, yeah. I just don't see Randall as particularly villainous. His moments of doing (okay, ATTEMPTING to do) bad things were more a product of unfortunate circumstances than anything (and after seeing MU, we can make a reasonable guess as to how he got there and why he snapped), and in fact even seemed out of character when I first watched the movie after 10 years.
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Post by pitbulllady on Mar 11, 2014 14:03:52 GMT -5
And that's what you'd THINK that someone in the movie would have noticed, Mike especially. Even though Mike never really became Randall's friend, he WAS his roommate and study partner for an entire semester, so you'd think Mike would have known SOMETHING about Randall, his character and personality, although there is that possibility that Mike was so focused on just HIS dream, that he had tunnel vision when it came to everyone and everything else and never did really take enough notice of his roommate to realize what would have been normal, vs. what would NOT be normal, behavior for Randall. Still, somebody on that Scare Floor should have noticed that Randall's behavior was going downhill fast, and said something. I know for a fact that businesses and workplaces do not tolerate aggressive, anti-social behavior. If an employee cannot get along with co-workers and can't change that behavior, they're out, plain and simple. If Randall had shown up for employment at MI acting like he does in the first movie, he never would have been hired in the first place, no matter how badly they needed Scarers. That indicates to me that his behavior had been progressively deteriorating out of frustration once Sulley was put into direct competition with him, when Randall saw someone he believed to be a cheater, who got whatever he wanted on the prestige of that family name, getting all the success and all the attention, which was clearly NOT just the result of talent. SOMEONE should have noticed that this was not normal for Randall, and tried to help him. MIKE especially should have known that, unless again he'd never really seen what kind of a person Randall actually was because he never noticed anything that was not directly related to the pursuit of his dream.
pitbulllady
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Post by pitvipersnake on Mar 12, 2014 15:56:58 GMT -5
It's true, you would expect someone to notice that Randall's behaviour had changed. When I was having mental health problems, in the months up until I was taken into hospital, everyone noticed my change in behaviour except me.
I suppose some people working in Monsters Inc. might have noticed Randall was acting differently but if they asked if he was ok and Randall answered "I'm fine, leave me alone." no one was close enough to him to care enough to pursue the subject.
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Post by pitbulllady on Mar 12, 2014 16:20:14 GMT -5
It's true, you would expect someone to notice that Randall's behaviour had changed. When I was having mental health problems, in the months up until I was taken into hospital, everyone noticed my change in behaviour except me. I suppose some people working in Monsters Inc. might have noticed Randall was acting differently but if they asked if he was ok and Randall answered "I'm fine, leave me alone." no one was close enough to him to care enough to pursue the subject. That is a valid point you have there. Years ago, when I myself was going through something very similar to what Randall was, dealing with both a Superintendent who hated me and yet was willing to use me to do something illegal("for the good of the district', of course), telling me it was the only way to save my job, AND a co-worker who came from a well-known, rich and respected family in the area, who was treated like royalty even though she didn't actually DO anything, I wound up dealing with some pretty serious emotional issues. They affected me the same that Randall was affected, for the most part, and I even began to entertain thoughts of eliminating this co-worker because she had become the embodiment of all my problems. I also was trying to deal with PTSD from having just lost my mother and having just experienced the impact and aftermath of a Catagory 4 hurricane, which I'd had to go through alone and isolated, unable to make contact with anyone or go anywhere, not knowing if the rest of my family was OK or not. The ONLY reason I am even alive today is because I DID have people who noticed that something was very wrong, and insisted I get help, and let me know that they were there for me no matter what. It was they who gave me the courage to stand up to my unethical Superintendent, even though it cost me my job. I know for a fact that had they not been there, or had no one cared enough to let me know what was going on, I would have either wound up completely self-destructing and probably would have taken at least one other person with me. It was THAT bad. When I think of what it would be like to go through that, and have absolutely NO ONE who cared about you, no one you could turn to or confide in, no one to care enough to take you aside, ignoring your attitude and protests, and say, "look, you're not yourself! Something is really wrong and I'm very concerned", and to say that they are doing those things because they really CARE for you and love you...it's very frightening. Most of us at some point will feel alone and abandoned and unwanted, but the truth is, we're not. We DO have people who care about us, even if they don't always show it the way we want them to, but I honestly do not think that Randall had anyone at all, no friends, no family. How utterly terrifying that must feel. pitbulllady |
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Post by randallsnape7 on Mar 29, 2014 3:59:06 GMT -5
SHE went back and changed her post and asked "Did you know Randall is evil?", and the boy replies "Yes.", and all THAT stuff? Because she WANTS Randall to be that way? Bully for her.... I disagree. Pitbulllady, did you read anywhere how old this sister and brother were?
I would a bet 1,000 bucks that the girl hasn't seen the Harry Potter series. NO WAY... |
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Post by pitbulllady on Mar 29, 2014 13:37:34 GMT -5
SHE went back and changed her post and asked "Did you know Randall is evil?", and the boy replies "Yes.", and all THAT stuff? Because she WANTS Randall to be that way? Bully for her.... I disagree. Pitbulllady, did you read anywhere how old this sister and brother were?
I would a bet 1,000 bucks that the girl hasn't seen the Harry Potter series. NO WAY... Most Tumblr users are under 20 years of age, and I think the brother is four, so he's a little kid, too young to really comprehend what "evil" really means. But yes, the girl WANTS Randall to be evil and that is what she LIKES. We have had members here who believed the same way, that Randall was inately evil or became irreversibly evil after MU-no concept of redeemability or desire for him to be redeemed whatsoever, and the are attracted to that. They don't WANT to believe that Randall was ever good, or could be good again because they don't like character who ARE good(they should really love Mike and Sulley then, but still see THEM as "good"-messed up or what?). Chances are, that Tumblr user in question HAS read the Harry Potter books, or at least some of them, but didn't really comprehend what she read. Like I've said many times, there is a disturbing trend among young people now, an inability to see or comprehend anything other than what is on the very surface, whether it's a movie or a book. They lack the ability or the desire to "read between the lines", to make inferences, to see deeper meaning in things. They can't see an event take place in a movie and connect it with a future event in that movie or another in a series. For instance, you'd be surprised at how many people did not make that connection-one which seemed almost TOO obvious to me-of Randall removing his glasses in MU at Mike's insistence and Randall's squinty, "mean" expression in MI. I've seen posts recently, after Party Central came out in theaters, by people who could not understand how the events of that short would have a negative long-term effect on Johnny or how that could have been the reason why he wound up at Fear Co. instead of MI, where he'd PLANNED to work, and where his own father was head of Personnel, even though we SEE all the other ROR members heartily and enthusiastically agree to pledge to OK! Most people who watch movies or read books just see the "now", what is blatantly stated, and cannot connect that with anything else. pitbulllady |
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Post by conteremo on Mar 29, 2014 14:30:29 GMT -5
Analyzing and interpreting fictional works is something a lot of people don't like to do. In middle school and high school nearly everyone in my classes complained about having to pinpoint symbols in literature, and having to interpret it, because they found it pointless. I always pretended to feel the same way, even though I've always been strong in literary analysis and anything relating to writing/reading/grammar (being an avid reader and writer), and enjoy it. A lot of people feel the same way about movies, especially animation--even anime. I've seen Attack on Titan fans get criticized by other fans for "reading way too deeply into things." I guess those people thought they should be doing "better" things with their time, but who are they to talk? They're in the same fandom and keeping up-to-date tumblr blogs on the same topic, mostly about OTPs and fanart, plus apparently they had enough time on their hands to read the posts of those people "reading too deeply into things." Pretty dumb. What's wrong with practicing your skills at critical analysis and essay-writing when you're bored LOL? Isn't that smart?
Anyway, on the topic of evil. That's always a tricky subject, because each individual has a different line they draw when it comes to "evil" and "sin." Some people are simply more moralistic than others, maybe because of religion, but I've also known nonreligious people who are extremely moralistic. Some people think eating meat is evil, some people think homosexuality is evil, etc. People argue about what's "right" and what's "wrong" all the time. Most agree that murder, for instance, is evil, but will also judge whether it's right or wrong depending on the circumstances and reasons surrounding it. Extremely good or extremely evil people are rare imo; my psychology professor is an adamant believer in the bell curve in most situations and I can see him talking about good and evil people and drawing a bell curve on the board, pointing to the middle and saying most people are in-between.
Imo Mike, Sulley, Randall, Johnny, and Waternoose are all in between, like the majority. We all have enough information to know why all of them committed some actions that most would think as "bad"--Waternoose did bad things for his company, Johnny was pressured to live up to his father's expectations, Randy wanted friends and acceptance but got rejection and humiliation instead, Mike and Sulley broke the law countless times and exiled Randall but since the story's from their POV we understand their reasons better than the other characters'. Randall is more controversial probably because he has both a "whiter" side and a "blacker" side than the others. In MU Randy was a lot more "good" than the others, sweet and friendly and not doing anything most people would think as "bad" until the prank incident, if even then. In MI he's more hardcore than the others because he's willing to try and kill Sulley, but it's more complicated than just because he's "evil;" he has many reasons, some good, some selfish. Waternoose is right there with Randall, because he was ordering him to do it and was willing to execute his own friend to fulfill his goal. Waternoose's and Randall's end-goal was technically GOOD, it's the way they were getting there that Sulley soon realized wasn't good, because unlike the other monsters he knew human children weren't just toxic animals and that they should be treated well, that they were more than just a power source.
Some viewers and readers prefer a more simplistic approach, but it really is way more complicated when you stop to think about it. It's always good to question what you're taking in, like if you're reading a book and you expect the protagonist to be good and upstanding and maybe he/she's treated as such, but does something you realize isn't that good. The creators of the stories probably go out of their way to produce "gray" characters and get you to think, but for some reason many still go into stories expecting clear-cut good/bad roles like in superhero movies or something.
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