Monsters, Inc. (franchise)

Monsters, Inc. is a CGI animated film series and Disney media franchise that began with the 2001 film of the same name, produced by Pixar and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. The original film was followed by a prequel film Monsters University, released in 2013.[1]

Monsters, Inc.
Created byPixar Animation Studios
Owned byDisney Enterprises, Inc.
Films and television
Film(s)
Short film(s)
Animated seriesMonsters at Work (2021)
Games
Video game(s)
Audio
Original musicMonsters, Inc. Scream Factory Favorites (2002)
Miscellaneous
Theme park attraction(s)
  • Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue! (2006–present)
  • Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor (2007–present)
  • Monsters, Inc. Ride & Go Seek (2009–present)

The franchise takes place in a fictional universe where monsters are the primary citizens of society and harness the energy of humans to power their cities. The company known as Monsters Incorporated accomplishes this by patenting doors which lead to the human world.

Feature films

Monsters, Inc. (2001)
Main article: Monsters, Inc.

The first film introduces the monster world, where Monstropolis is powered by the screams of human children as monsters enter the human world at night. When a little girl accidentally enters the monster world, friends James P. Sullivan and Mike Wazowski must find a way to hide her from the authorities and return her to her own world and, in the process, learn that not everything they have been led to believe about humans is true. The film surpassed Toy Story 2 and peaked as the second highest-grossing animated film of all time, behind only 1994's The Lion King at the time.[2] It was one of the first animated films to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature but lost to Shrek.

Monsters University (2013)
Main article: Monsters University

A prequel to the first film, Monsters University tells Sulley and Mike's backstory. The future friends meet at college and initially start off as enemies, but end up on the same team in the university's "Scare Games", where they and their team of misfits must beat the odds and win the competition, or be expelled from school. As the team struggles, the two learn to work together, and slowly become best friends.

Television series
Main article: Monsters at Work

Monsters at Work is upcoming television series spin-off of Monsters, Inc. produced by Disney Television Animation for Disney+. The spin-off of Monsters, Inc. was confirmed in a Disney press release on November 9, 2017 as part oflist of in development series for The Walt Disney Company's upcoming streaming service.[3] On April 9, 2019, it was revealed that the show would be titled Monsters at Work and premiere in late 2021.[4] Five of the original cast would return including John Goodman and Billy Crystal reprising their roles as Sulley and Mike, respectively.[5]

Its premise is following a young eager mechanic, Tylor Tuskmon (Ben Feldman), six months after the original movie. Tuskmon hopes to be promoted to the Laugh Floor alongside Mike and Sulley.[6]

Short films

Charades (2001)

Charades[7] is a two-minute[8] promotional short animated film, featuring characters from Monsters, Inc.. The short was theatrically released on November 16, 2001 with Warner Bros. Pictures' Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. The cast consists of John Goodman and Billy Crystal.[7]

In the short, Sulley is shown playing a game of charades with Mike, but Mike is unable to guess the phrase "Harry Potter". Afterwards, Mike attempts to charade, but a bored Sulley quickly and correctly guesses Star Wars. A bewildered Mike asks how he does it.[8]

Mike's New Car (2002)
Main article: Mike's New Car

Party Central (2013)
Main article: Party Central

Party Central is a six-minute[9] short animated film, featuring characters from Monsters University. It premiered on August 9, 2013, at the D23 Expo. The short was set to be released theatrically with The Good Dinosaur in 2014,[10] before the film was pushed back to 2015. Instead, it was theatrically released on March 21, 2014, with Muppets Most Wanted.[9] The short was written and directed by Kelsey Mann, story supervisor on Monsters University.[9] The cast consists of Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Peter Sohn, Julia Sweeney, Charlie Day, Nathan Fillion, Dave Foley, Sean Hayes, Bobby Moynihan, and Joel Murray.[11]

In the short, the Oozma Kappa fraternity organizes a party, but no one shows up. To solve the problem, they use door stations to steal visitors from the biggest party going on at another fraternity.[10]

Reception
Further information on the reception of each film: Monsters, Inc. § Reception; and Monsters University § Reception

Box office performance

The film series has grossed a total of $1,306,110,769, making the Monsters, Inc. franchise the ninth highest-grossing animated film franchise.

Monsters, Inc. ranked No. 1 at the box office its opening weekend, grossing $62,577,067 in North America alone. The film had a small drop-off of 27.2% over its second weekend, earning another $45,551,028. In its third weekend, the film experienced a larger decline of 50.1%, placing itself in the second position just after Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. In its fourth weekend, however, there was an increase of 5.9%. Making $24,055,001 that weekend for a combined total of over $562 million. It is the seventh biggest (in US$) fourth weekend ever for a film.[12][13]

Monsters University has earned $268,227,670 in North America, and $475,066,843 in other territories, for a worldwide total of $743,294,513.[14] The film earned $136.9 million on its opening weekend worldwide. For unknown reasons, Disney declined to provide a budget for the film, although BoxOffice.com cites a budget of a total of $270 million.[15] Entertainment Weekly speculated that it was higher than that of Brave ($185 million), mostly due to high cost of John Goodman and Billy Crystal reprising their roles.[16] Shockya, a subsidiary website of CraveOnline, estimated the budget to be $200 million, on par with Toy Story 3 and Cars 2.[17]

Film Release date Box office gross Box office ranking Budget Ref(s)
North America Other territories Worldwide All time
North America		 All time
worldwide
Monsters, Inc. November 2, 2001 $289,916,256 $272,900,000 $562,816,256 #74 #126 $115,000,000 [18]
Monsters University June 21, 2013 $268,492,764 $475,066,843 $743,559,607 #82 #74 $200,000,000 [14]
Total $558,143,926 $747,966,843 $1,306,110,769 $315,000,000

Critical and public response
Film Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic CinemaScore
Monsters, Inc. 96% (196 reviews)[19] 78 (34 reviews)[20] A+[21]
Monsters University 80% (201 reviews)[22] 65 (41 reviews)[23] A[21]

Cast and characters
Main article: List of Monsters, Inc. characters

This is a list of characters from the 2001 film, Monsters, Inc. and its 2013 prequel, Monsters University.

Character Main films Short films Television series
Monsters, Inc. Monsters University Charades Mike's New Car Party Central Monsters at Work
2001 2013 2001 2002 2013 2021
James P. "Sulley" Sullivan John Goodman
Michael "Mike" Wazowski Billy Crystal Billy Crystal Billy Crystal
Noah Johnston
(young)
Boo Mary Gibbs
Randall "Randy" Boggs Steve Buscemi
Henry J. Waternoose III James Coburn Photograph
Celia Mae Jennifer Tilly Jennifer Tilly
Roz Bob Peterson Bob Peterson
Jeff Fungus Frank Oz
Smitty Dan Gerson Stephen Stanton
Needleman
Jerry Slugworth Steve Susskind Silent cameo
Abominable Snowman John Ratzenberger John Ratzenberger
Mrs. Flint Bonnie Hunt Photograph
Thaddeus "Phlegm" Bile Jeff Pidgeon
George Sanderson Samuel Lord Black Silent role Silent cameo
Charlie Philip Proctor Silent cameo
Peter "Claws" Ward Joe Ranft
Dean Abigail Hardscrabble Helen Mirren
Scott "Squishy" Squibbles Peter Sohn Peter Sohn
Don Carlton Joel Murray Joel Murray
Terry Perry Dave Foley Dave Foley
Terri Perry Sean Hayes Sean Hayes
Art Charlie Day Charlie Day
Sherri Squibbles Julia Sweeney Julia Sweeney
Johnny J. Worthington lll Nathan Fillion Nathan Fillion
Chet Alexander Bobby Moynihan Bobby Moynihan
Professor Derek Knight Alfred Molina
Brock Pearson Tyler Labine
Claire Wheeler Aubrey Plaza
Carrie Williams Beth Behrs Beth Behrs
Mrs. Karen Graves Bonnie Hunt
"Frightening" Frank McCay John Krasinski
Referee Bill Hader
Slug
Tylor Tuskmon Ben Feldman
Val Little Kelly Marie Tran
Fritz Henry Winkler
Bernard John Ratzenberger
Roz Bob Peterson
Duncan Lucas Neff
Cutter Alanna Ubach
Millie Tuskmon Aisha Tyler
Monsters, Inc. Security Guard Reginald Ballard
  • Note: A grey cell indicates the character was not in the film.

Crew
Film Director(s) Producer(s) Executive Producer(s) Writer(s) Composer Editor(s)
Monsters, Inc. Pete Docter
Co-directed by: Lee Unkrich & David Silverman		 Darla K. Anderson John Lasseter & Andrew Stanton Screenplay by: Andrew Stanton & Daniel Gerson
Original Story by: Pete Docter, Jill Culton, Jeff Pidgeon & Ralph Eggleston		 Randy Newman Robert Grahamjones & Jim Stewart
Monsters University Dan Scanlon Kori Rae John Lasseter, Pete Docter, Andrew Stanton & Lee Unkrich Screenplay by: Daniel Gerson, Robert L. Baird & Dan Scanlon
Story by: Dan Scanlon, Daniel Gerson & Robert L. Baird		 Greg Snyder

Video games

Theme park attractions

Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor

Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor is a comedy club attraction in Tomorrowland at Magic Kingdom at the Walt Disney World Resort.[24]

It opened on April 2, 2007, replacing the Circle-Vision attraction The Timekeeper. The characters from the 2001 and 2013 Disney/Pixar animated films Monsters, Inc. and Monsters University that appear in the attraction are Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal) and Roz (Bob Peterson). By November 2006, the attraction as Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor Comedy Club was going through a testing phase with expect regular operation in January 2007.[24]

The attraction was nominated for the 6th Annual VES Awards - Outstanding Visual Effects in a Special Venue Project in 2008, but lost to Dinosaurs - Giants of Patagonia.[25]

On October 27, 2020, Since Walt Disney World reopened, after being temporarily closed during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Walt Disney World announced that all recent entertainment shows are laid off, such as Citiens of Hollywood at Disney's Hollywood Studios and Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor at Magic Kingdom, due to a dispute between the Actors' Equity Association and Walt Disney World.[26][27]

Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue!

Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue! is a dark ride attraction in Hollywood Land at Disney California Adventure at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. It is based on the 2001 Disney·Pixar film Monsters, Inc. It opened on January 22, 2006.[28]

The audio animatronic of Roz is the only figure in the ride that is fully animated, complete with a moving mouth and interactivity.

The attraction replaced the short-lived Superstar Limo dark ride.[29]

References
  1. Graser, Marc (April 22, 2010). "Disney drawing 'Monsters Inc.' sequel". Variety. Retrieved March 6, 2012.
  2. Price, p. 201
  3. Littleton, Cynthia (9 November 2017). "New 'Star Wars' Trilogy in Works With Rian Johnson, TV Series Also Coming to Disney Streaming Service". Variety.
  4. @tranloan (February 26, 2020). "Stephen Anderson confirms that a 10 episode season of Monsters At Work will tentatively premiere on Disney+ in the spring of 2021. Kelly Marie Tran will loan her voice to the show as Val Little. (Source: @podWAM)" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  5. Andreeva, Nellie (April 9, 2019). "'Monsters At Work': Billy Crystal & John Goodman To Reprise 'Monsters, Inc.' Voice Roles On Disney+ Animated Series". Deadline.
  6. Goldberg, Lesley (April 9, 2019). "'Monsters, Inc.' Voice Cast to Return for Disney+ Series (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 9, 2019.
  7. Total Film June 2018 - ‘The Films of Pixar’ Magazine
  8. Trail, Mand (August 9, 2013). "'Monsters Inc.' Short Film 'Charades'". Monsters and Critics. Retrieved December 27, 2009.
  9. Rottenberg, Josh (January 7, 2014). "Disney to showcase new Pixar short 'Party Central' in front of 'Muppets Most Wanted' - EXCLUSIVE". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
  10. Fischer, Russ (August 9, 2013). "'Monsters University' Short Film 'Party Central' Revealed". /Film. Retrieved August 9, 2013.
  11. "Just Released: First Look at Party Central Short". Disney Insider. January 7, 2014. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
  12. "Monsters, Inc. – Weekend Grosses". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved September 4, 2010.
  13. "Top Weekends: 2nd – 12th — Weekend Grosses". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved September 4, 2010.
  14. "Monsters University (2013)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved June 24, 2013.
  15. "Monsters University (G)". Box Office. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
  16. "Box Office report: 'Monsters University' scares up $82 million, 'World War Z' shatters expectations". Entertainment Weekly. June 23, 2013. Retrieved June 23, 2013.
  17. Belcastro, Joe. "Box Office Report: Monsters University schools The Heat and White House Down". Shockya. Retrieved July 8, 2013.
  18. "Monsters, Inc". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved May 12, 2013.
  19. "Monsters, Inc". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved July 25, 2013.
  20. "Monsters, Inc". Metacritic. Retrieved July 25, 2013.
  21. "CinemaScore". cinemascore.com. Retrieved March 16, 2015.
  22. "Monsters University". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
  23. "Monsters University". Metacritic. Retrieved July 25, 2013.
  24. Boyd, Christopher; Powers, Scott (November 20, 2006). "Monsters, Inc. comedy act gives material a test". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  25. "6th Annual VES Awards". www.visualeffectssociety.com. March 24, 2015. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
  26. "Equity Cast Members Notified of Layoffs at Disney World".
  27. "Full List of All Recent Disney World Entertainment Layoffs".
  28. Krosnick, Brian (June 9, 2012). "Monsters, Inc. Mike and Sulley to the Rescue". Theme Park Tourist. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
  29. Eades, Mark (December 14, 2015). "Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue!". Orange County Register. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
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