In "Monsters University," Mike is unable to scare a bunch of kids at a summer camp. The failed attempt happens after Mike and Sulley use an experimental door to enter the human world, expecting to find a normal bedroom. Instead, the door opens into a summer-camp cabin filled with children.
Mike tries to frighten the campers, but they laugh at him rather than scream. The scene is a major turning point because Mike has spent years believing that hard work and academic knowledge alone will make him a successful scarer. His failure shows that he lacks the natural ability to frighten children, even though he understands scare theory better than many students.
The film is Pixar's 2013 prequel to "Monsters, Inc." and follows Mike and Sulley's university years. A common mix-up is confusing this scene with the Scare Games, where Mike helps train Oozma Kappa. The summer-camp incident occurs outside the competition and leads Mike to accept that he is better suited to supporting a scarer than being one himself.