Heinrich Heine once imagined the exiled Israelite as a dog who regains his stolen manhood only when he embraces the Sabbath bride. I see western swing performing a similar function in hardscrabble Texas, turning dirt-poor hired hands into Dapper Dans with magic feet at the Saturday night hoe-down.
If you must know, my parents came from pretty hardscrabble backgrounds in the southern Midwest. I certainly didn't grow up poor, but I did spend my 20s and early 30s juggling temp jobs and choking on massive student-loan debt.
Sulley: [to Mike, as he leaves the Campus] You're not scary. Not even a little bit. But you are fearless, and if Dean Hardscrabble can't see that, then she can just...
Dean Hardscrabble: [Interrupting] I can just... what? Careful, Mister Sullivan, I was just starting to warm up to you.
Sulley: ...sorry.
Dean Hardscrabble: [Sulley tells Dean Hardscrabble and Professor Knight of how he rigged the Scare Simulator] You did what?
Sulley: My team had nothing to do with it. It was all me. I cheated.
Dean Hardscrabble: I expect you off campus by tomorrow.
Sulley: [in dismay] Yes ma'am.
Dean
Hardscrabble: You're a disgrace to this university... and your family name.
[Mike hasn't had luck finding someone to join his team to compete in the Scare Games and get back into the Scaring Program]
Greek Council President: This doesn't look good. We really need to move on, your team doesn't Qualify.
Sulley: Yes it does.
[Climbs onto of a nearby vehicle]
Sulley: The star player has just
arrived.
Mike Wazowski: [Surprised] No No No. Please, anybody but him.
Greek Council President: [Losing her Patience] Look, we're shutting down sign ups, OK? Is he on your team or not?
[Mike, aware that he signed up at the Last Minute, knows he hasn't got much a choice, seeing that no-one else is interested in joining his team, and he's really
determined to get into the Scare Games to prove Dean Hardscrabble that he and his team really are scary. Sulley points at him and winks]
Mike Wazowski: Fine. Yes, he's on my team.
[the Crowd starts to cheer, with the Scare Games about to start]
[In the First Challenge of the Scare Games, Mike and Sulley arrive badly stung from the Glowing Purple Urchins at the finish line, just behind the RORs]
Chet: Way to blow it, Oozmas!
Mike Wazowski: Hey, 2nd place ain't bad.
Greek Council VP: [Jaws Theta Chi arrive behind them, unharmed] 2nd place, Jaws Theta Chi!
Mike Wazowski: *What*?
Johnny: Your whole team has to cross the finish line.
Greek Council VP: 3rd place, EEKs. 4th place, PNKs. 5th place, HSS. And in last place...
[the rest of Mike and Sulley's team arrive, even more badly stung from the urchins than they are]
Greek Council VP: ...Oozma Kappa!
Greek Council President: [Removing Oozma Kappa's name from the Leaderboard] Oozma Kappa have been eliminated!
[Dean Hardscrabble approaches a surprised and upset Mike, smiling]
Dean Hardscrabble: Don't look so surprised Mr. Wazowski. It would've taken a miracle for...
Greek Council VP: Attention everyone, we have an
announcement. Jaws Theta Chi have been disqualified.
[Holds up a tin of Protective Gel that they've been using]
Greek Council VP: The use of illegal protective gel is cause for elimination.
Big Red: What?
[the referee removes the moisture from George Sanderson's leg, then stabs it with an Urchin, causing it to swell up like a balloon, with George
screaming in pain]
Greek Council VP: [Removing Jaws Theta Chi from the Leaderboard and adding Oozma Kappa back on] Which means that Oozma Kappa's back in the games - it's a miracle!
Dean Hardscrabble: Your luck will run out eventually.
[Walks away]
Mike Wazowski: This is gonna be harder than I thought.
Dean Hardscrabble: Mr. Sullivan. I am a seven year old boy...
[Sulley roars before Dean Hardscrabble can finish]
Dean Hardscrabble: I wasn't finished.
Sulley: I don't need to know any of that stuff to scare.
Dean Hardscrabble: That 'stuff' would've informed you that this particular child is afraid of
snakes. So a Roar wouldn't make him scream, it would make him cry, alerting his parents, exposing the monster world, destroying life as we know it. And of course we can't have that. So I cannot recommend that you continue in the Scare Program. Good day.
Sulley: [confused] But I'm a Sullivan.
Dean Hardscrabble: Well then, I'm sure your family will be
very disappointed.
[Johnny and the Rest of the RORs, having been watching nearby, leave the gallery, taking Sulley's ROR Jacket with him]
[Dean Hardscrabble has turned off the door to the Human World that Mike and Sulley went into, before they could even get back out]
Don: They're still in there.
Dean Hardscrabble: Until the Authorities arrives, this door stays off.
Squishy: *No*! You can't do this.
[he and the others begin to walk over, only to be held
back]
Dean Hardscrabble: [Raising her wings] ENOUGH! I WANT THIS ROOM CLEARED NOW!
[Everyone begins to back away out of the room slowly]
[Sulley rushes to the Door Making Lab, where Dean Hardscrabble is with some Campus Security Guards]
Dean Hardscrabble: No-one goes near this door until the authorities arrive!
Squishy: [Sulley gets approached by the Rest of his Team] James wait, we can help.
Sulley: Look, it's my fault Mike got into this, so it's up to me to
get him out of it.
Don: Leave it to the old master of sales.
[Walks up to to Dean Hardscrabble and the Security Guards]
Don: Hi there. Don Carlton, Sales Person. How often have you asked yourselves the following question?
Dean Hardscrabble: Arrest him.
[the Security Guards press Don up against the wall, allowing
the coast to be clear for Sulley to get to the door]
MU Security Guard: [to Don] Up against the wall *Pops*.
Dean Hardscrabble: [Noticing Sulley] Sullivan, don't you dare.
[desperate, Sully enters the door that Mike went through into the Human World]
Dean Hardscrabble: [During the Final Exam] Mr. Wazowski, I'm a 5-year-old girl on a farm in Kansas afraid of lightning. Which scare do you use?
Mike Wazowski: [confused] Should I go up on the...?
Dean Hardscrabble: [impatiently] Which scare do I use?
Mike Wazowski: That is a shadow approach with a crackle
holler.
Dean Hardscrabble: Demonstrate.
[Mike inhales, but Dean Hardscrabble stops him before he can over go up]
Dean Hardscrabble: Stop. Thank you.
Mike Wazowski: I didn't get to sh...
Dean Hardscrabble: I've seen enough.