BACKGROUND
Monsters, Inc. remains one of Pixar’s most creative and imaginative films. It will always be remembered as one of Pixar’s first movies as well, being a part of their animation legacy, back in a time when they were still proving themselves in animation.
The movie ended with Sulley finally reuniting with Boo, but we never got to see it. This led to some wondering whether Pixar would revisit Monsters, Inc. and allow the audience to see Boo, potentially all grown up and back in the monster world with Mike and Sulley. It’s worth pointing out that Pixar never seemed to be in the game of making sequels, at least not back in the 2000s. They’d only made one, Toy Story 2 (1999), before 2010, which is when Toy Story 3 came out. But we can forgive Pixar for those sequels.
Pixar was a studio that made original films, usually with a twist, but always with colourful and detailed animation. They made movies about fish trying to find home, about superheroes fighting evil, and rats wanting to cook. They didn’t seem to feel the need to go back and revisit any previous movie – until the 2010s. This decade has come to be known as “the sequel years” by some Pixar fans and animation historians, because in those ten years, Pixar made eight sequels or prequels to popular properties out of eleven films. These sequels can make a lot of money, using an audience’s love of an original film to immediately interest them in watching a new film with most of the same characters.
But in choosing to make sequels, Pixar inadvertently opened themselves up to a lot of criticism. Movie-goers don’t always like sequels, although some can be better than the original, so when they come across one that is particularly in bad, it taints the whole bunch. Pixar was recovering from one specific disappointment in the 2010s, Cars 2 (2011), panned by critics and viewers alike. It can be argued this is Pixar’s worst movie. So, just two years later, how would viewers take it when they chose to revisit Monsters, Inc. in 2013.
My family did watch Monsters University at the cinema, specifically whilst on holiday in Florida, one of only two or three times we did that. I personally prefer Monsters University to Monsters, Inc., probably because it feels more relatable and more rooted in real-life to me. I can understand the university setting and the emotional growth that Mike and Sulley go through during the events of Monsters University. I was at university at the time, so that probably helped me like it a lot too. But I am aware that some felt this film was an insult to Monsters, Inc. Others felt it was just ok.
PLOT
Monsters University begins during Mike Wazowski’s school days, as his class take a field trip to the renowned energy company, Monsters, Inc. After being embarrassed that he has be “buddies” with his teacher and that his roar was less impressive than his classmates, Young Mike finds himself in awe of the top scarers at Monsters, Inc. as the group watch the Scare Floor in action. One of these scarers, Frank McCay, talks to the class and tells them the best place to learn to be a scarer is Monsters University, or MU, despite a fellow scarer saying his alma mater, Fear Tech, is the best.
The class are told to stay behind a line on the floor whilst the Scare Floor is online, only being able to watch from a distance. However, Mike is so small that he cannot see as he gets pushed to the back of the crowd. His teacher is so pre-occupied with everyone else that it’s not until Mike has crossed the line already that she is alerted to him breaking the rules. The class watch as Mike follows Frank McCay into a child’s bedroom, so he can watch the scarer up close. As Frank leaves the room after a successful scare, he is surprised to find all of the students and their teacher looking concerned. He looks around to find Mike looking dazed but happy. Frank tells Mike what he did was dangerous, but he was impressed how quiet Mike was in there, not even realising he was anywhere near him. Frank gives Mike his MU baseball cap, and Mike’s dream of becoming a scarer takes flight.
After the title sequence, which shows Mike going through school and passing his scare exams to get into Monsters University, we see Mike getting off the bus at the entrance to the university, excited to get started. He gets registered and goes off on a campus tour, where they pass the Scaring School, the crown jewel of Monsters University, and where Mike will be studying since he got into the Scare Program. Mike later goes by all the society and club booths on the campus, hearing about the Scare Games. He then goes to his dorm and meets his roommate, who will be his lifelong best friend – or so Mike thinks. His roommate is actually Randall, but this isn’t the villainous Randall we know from Monsters, Inc. This is nerdy Randall, who just wants to fit in and do well at school. He even wears glasses, which Mike tells him to lose, so that when Randall goes invisible, nothing gives him away! The two are both on the Scare Program.
Randall and Mike go to their first Scaring Class together, taught by Professor Knight. The class is soon interrupted by Dean Hardscrabble, a legendary scarer who broke the all-time scare record at one point, with the canister from her record-breaking scare on display for all the students to see. The Scare Program is now “her” program because of it. She says there will be an exam at the end of the semester and anyone who fails will be kicked out of the Scare Program; she only wants the best here and if you don’t make the cut, then you’re out. Professor Knight is then left to give his first class. He asks about the properties of a good roar. Mike immediately puts up his hand and begins to answer, but he is interrupted by a loud roar from the back of the room. This is James P. Sullivan, also known as Jimmy – or Sulley to us – and he’s late to class, but he doesn’t care. Professor Knight hears the surname and asks if Jimmy’s father is the great scarer, Bill Sullivan; he is, making Sulley a celebrity on campus already. With people like him his competition to remain on the Scare Program, Mike vows to study hard to ensure he stays on the program.
That night, Randall tries to convince Mike to go to a fraternity and sorority party with him, but Mike wants to stay in and study, so Randall goes on alone. Suddenly, Mike hears a strange noise coming from his window and a random pig is pushed inside. Sulley follows the pig in through the window and is confused about seeing Mike there, thinking this is his own room; it’s not. Sulley says the pig is Fear Tech’s mascot that he just stole to impress the fraternities on campus, mostly Roar Omega Roar. The pig runs off with Mike’s MU cap and the two chase it all the way through the university, with Mike even riding it at one point. They end up at the party, and Mike throws a ball at a row of bikes, which fall over onto a bin, letting it roll in the path of the pig, so it is caught. Mike picks up the pig, and Sulley picks up Mike, to show off the mascot. Sulley is then wanted by all the fraternities and Mike is ignored. Johnny Worthington, president of the Roars, comes over to invite Sulley into their house. Mike tries to follow but he is told the party is only for Scare students. He says he is one so Sulley is told to talk to his “friend”. Sulley reiterates that they aren’t friends, but tells Mike the party is for Scare students who actually have a chance. The Roars point out the oddball fraternity of Oozma Kappa and suggests Mike joins them instead. Mike is now determined to be a better scarer than Sulley, to prove everyone wrong.
Over the next few weeks, Mike buckles down and aces all of his tests, whilst lazy and entitled Sulley doesn’t try and spends all his time partying. On the day of the final exam of the semester, Mike and Randall sit down to revise and wait their turn in the Scare Simulator, where they will be tested on their knowledge of scare theory as well as their performance of scares. Sulley is warned by the Roars that should he fail, since they’ve seen his failing test results, he won’t be allowed into their fraternity, and they watch and wait in the lecture theatre. Sulley decides to annoy Mike during his wait, telling Mike he doesn’t belong in the Scare Program and that is why he has to study so much, and the two start trying to outdo each other. They aren’t quiet about it though, and they are noticed by Dean Hardscrabble, Professor Knight, and the other students, especially when Sulley trips over and knocks into Hardscrabble’s scream canister. It sets off and the room goes silent. Dean Hardscrabble goes over to Mike and Sulley, saying accidents happen, and that she will test them on their Scare Program knowledge right now. Mike is given details of a child’s fears and asked what scare he should do. Mike gives the correct answer and is about to demonstrate it, when Hardscrabble cuts him off. She says she doesn’t need to see anymore because Mike is simply not a scary monster, and that is something that cannot be taught. Mike is out of the Scare Program. Now, it is Sulley’s turn. He just roars loudly at Hardscrabble before she finishes telling him about the child’s fears. She lets Sulley know that actually the child wasn’t scared of roars, so this would’ve made the child cry, not scream. This is also a fail and Sulley is kicked out of the Scare Program, and is also out of the Roars fraternity.
The next semester, both Sulley and Mike are stuck in boring Scream Can Design, with Mike sad and Sulley furious about how they’ve ended up here. In his room, Mike throws a book at the wall in anger, seeing a leaflet for the Scare Games behind him. That gives Mike an idea. He goes to the Scare Games kick-off party and asks to sign up his team, with fraternity Oozma Kappa. Dean Hardscrabble is surprised to find Mike fighting so hard to be in the games. Mike asks her to make a deal with him: if he wins the Scare Games, then she will let him back in the Scare Program. Hardscrabble agrees and even sweetens the deal, saying the whole team can enter the Scare Program if they win, but if they lose, Mike must leave Monsters University forever. The deal is agreed – but there’s just one problem; Mike’s team needs six people, and the two-headed monster there only counts as one. Mike desperately begs someone else to join the team, like Randall, but he passes Mike over to join the Roars, wanting to be popular instead. Only Sulley wants to join, to get back in the Scare Program, so, out of desperation, Mike allows Sulley on the team.
Mike and Sulley move into the Oozma Kappa house. They are introduced to their new “brothers”, who were all former Scare students, who didn’t make the cut. There is mature student Don Carlton; Art, a philosophical hippie-type character; the two-headed Terri and Terry; and Scott Squibbles, also known as Squishy. His mother owns the Oozma Kappa house. Mike and Sulley are taken to their room, which they will have to share. Sulley is concerned about this team’s lack of scariness but Mike says he can fix it. The lights go out, and Sulley and Mike head to the basement to see what’s going on. It is their initiation ceremony into the fraternity, although it is interrupted by Squishy’s mother doing laundry!
The next morning, Oozma Kappa get a letter about the first event of the Scare Games. That evening, they meet in the sewer, and are told their first event is called the Toxicity Challenge, where they will have to race through an obstacle course of sea urchins, that will cause swelling if touched. This is to match the toxicity of human children, of course. Cheered on by Squishy’s mother, Oozma Kappa nervously get ready for the race, but Sulley and Mike have chosen to treat this as a race against each other. They rush off without the rest of their team, laughing at the other as they each get stung by the sea urchins. They eventually cross the line after the Roars, but since the rest of their team has not made it across, it doesn’t count. Mike and Sulley see other teams finish, and then Oozma Kappa roll over the line – in last place. That appears to be the end of their Scare Games and Mike’s time at Monsters University, but they are handed a lifeline. Jaws Theta Chi is disqualified for using a protective gel that meant they could not be stung. Oozma Kappa are back in.
Not wanting a repeat of that incident in further events, Mike starts preparing Oozma Kappa with workouts and tests. Sulley chooses not to join in as he doesn’t feel he needs the practice in scaring. For the next event, Mike tells the rest of the team to follow him precisely. The challenge takes place in the library, where teams must retrieve a flag hanging up without being thrown out of the room by the scary squid-like librarian. Sulley gets fed up with Mike’s slow and steady approach, seeing only they and one other team haven’t got their flag. Sulley rushes ahead and slams to the floor after falling off a ladder. The librarian goes over to Sulley to throw him out, but Oozma Kappa make loud distractions and dodge the librarian’s attempts to throw them out the library. They gather up Mike and run out of the room. On exiting, Mike says they never got the flag – only to see Squishy got it during all the chaos.
With their surprise advancement to the next event, they are invited to a party for all the remaining teams at the Roars’ house. Sulley isn’t sure about it, but eventually gets in the spirit once they are there. Mike sees the Hall of Scarers and the Scare Games trophy in the house, and this makes him want to win even more. However, as Johnny Worthington proceeds to give a speech about Oozma Kappa’s surprise success, Mike and the others start to think something is wrong. Sure enough, they are pranked, covered in paint, glitter, and toys and teddy bears. A picture is taken, which the Roars use the next day for a charity fundraiser, selling t-shirts, and the picture is plastered all over campus. They are now being called Cute-ma Kappa because they aren’t scary. The Roars tell them they might as well quit now because they’ll never win. Dejected, they all seem to agree – except for Mike.
Mike decides to take them all on a field trip to Monsters, Inc. They sneak onto the roof and watch the scarers in action on the Scare Floor. Mike shows them that there is not one type of scarer, and that scarers come in all shapes and sizes. This encourages them to continue on with the Scare Games together, but vow to work as a team from now on – even Sulley. After a quick getaway from Monsters, Inc. security due to their trespassing, they start training together. At the next event, a maze where they must avoid scaring paintings of teenagers, Oozma Kappa manage to advance, with the sorority the Pnks being eliminated. The next event is a hide-and-seek style game, which Oozma Kappa also do well in, leaving the final two teams being them and the Roars. Their final event, the Scare Simulator, will be held the following night. Dean Hardscrabble witnesses this and Sulley goes to speak to her, to tell her she was wrong. Hardscrabble says she isn’t concerned because she knows for a fact one of their team is not scary enough to win, with that person being Mike. Sulley is aware of this and tries to help Mike be scary that night, telling him to dig deep and let the anger out. He tells Mike he’s done well, but actually, Sulley isn’t sure it’s enough.
At the final event, each member of each team must scare a robotic child in the Scare Simulator, using the scare reports to work out the most effective scare to do. Mike has prepared everyone for this and knows they are ready. He says he should be the first in the simulator, but Sulley thinks Mike should go last, because of all his hard work with the team. Their order is agreed, with Mike going last, and Don going first. Don does well in his simulator and Oozma Kappa take the lead as the Roars scarer trips over toys on the simulator floor. Next up is Terri and Terry, then Squishy, then Art. Their lead over the Roars diminishes each time. It is up to Sulley to bring back the lead. He goes up against Randall. Using what Mike taught him about other scares, not just roaring, Sulley manages to get an impressive scare, so much so that Randall’s own scare is sabotaged by both simulators shaking. Randall says that will be the last time he loses to Sulley, and a rivalry begins.
Finally, it is Mike’s turn to go against Johnny Worthington and they’ll need Mike to pull off a record-breaking scare to win. Mike prepares to scare the robotic kid, hearing all the mean things everyone said about him not being scary, and leaps up to deliver the record-breaking scare Oozma Kappa need to win. The crowd, the Roars, and Oozma Kappa are stunned at their win. After the event, Mike stands by the simulator and speaks to Sulley, not believing what just happened. As they are about to leave to celebrate, Mike says “boo” to the simulator and the kid screams, and a full scare is recorded. Mike investigates the controls and sees that his settings were lower than everyone else’s. He asks Sulley if he did this and he admits he did, because he didn’t want the team to suffer because Mike isn’t scary. Hurt, Mike walks off alone. The rest of Oozma Kappa overhear this, and know their win was not truly earnt. Sulley is invited back to the Roars, but he hands them the trophy and goes after Dean Hardscrabble. He admits his cheating. She expels Sulley and says he must be such a disappointment to his family. An alarm then goes off, because someone has broken into the door lab. Sulley rushes over, thinking Mike has done something stupid.
Mike has done just that. In a bid to prove how scary he is, Mike has entered a door that was being tested and finds himself at a girls’ summer camp. He tries to scare the campers but they aren’t scare at all, and he runs into the woods, sad and upset. Sulley gets to the door lab and asks Oozma Kappa to create a distraction so he can get in the door. They do that and Sulley goes in. The camp is empty, but rangers are around trying to search for the animal or intruder in the cabin. Sulley runs into the woods to avoid them and finds Mike by the lake. The two have a heart-to-heart, as Mike laments the fact his dream of being a scarer can never come true, and Sulley saying he’s a big failure. Still being hunted down, Mike and Sulley plan a way back to Monsters University. Mike decides they’ll have to create enough scare energy in the human world to power the door from the other side to let them back into the monster world. Sulley doesn’t think he can do it, but Mike says together they can. Back at the cabin, Mike starts to set the atmosphere for the scare, making strange things happen, and keeping hidden. The rangers come in and start to feel scared. Suddenly, Sulley appears in front of them and lets out a powerful roar. The roar terrifies the rangers and the scream energy starts to power the door, causing chaos over at the university. Mike and Sulley burst through the door and land back in the door lab just as the door explodes. Dean Hardscrabble is shocked to have witnessed all this. Mike and Sulley are taken away by the authorities, the Child Detection Agency and its No. 1 Roz.
The next day, Mike and Sulley apologise to Oozma Kappa and say their goodbyes; the two have been expelled from Monsters University. The Oozmas actually let them know that Dean Hardscrabble has let them all into the Scare Program, despite the cheating. We also learn that Don is engaged to Squishy’s mother Sheri, which makes Squishy understandably uncomfortable! Sulley and Mike then leave campus to wait for Mike’s bus. Mike gets on the bus to head home, but Sulley stops the bus and tells Mike that he is the one who actually achieved something at university, helping Oozma Kappa at the Scare Games, for example. He tells Mike he isn’t scary, but he is fearless. Dean Hardscrabble comes over to them and tells them to keep surprising people, like they did with her, and thanks them, in a way, for showing her that there is not one approach to teaching scarers. But that there is nothing more they can be taught here, and wishes them luck for their future. Mike then remembers that Monsters, Inc. are always hiring in the mailroom so they can join a scare company after all!
Just before the End Credits, we see Mike and Sulley’s journey through Monsters, Inc., working with The Abominable Snowman in the mailroom, before moving up to janitors, cafeteria workers, and then finally getting a chance to audition as a scarer and assistant duo, which is obviously where we see them during Monsters, Inc. Finally, in a mid-credits scene, we see the slug-like monster who is about to be late for class early on in the film finally arrive at his class, only to find it is the end of the year!
CHARACTERS & CAST
Mike, Sulley, and Randall are the three main characters to make a return from Monsters, Inc. in Monsters University. This time, instead of this being Sulley’s story, Monsters University focuses on Mike and his dream of being a scarer that cannot be fulfilled. Mike is determined to prove he can be a scarer, being dedicated to his studies and the theory of scaring, but learns that he cannot actually scare people, ending his dream at Monsters University. It’s a hard lesson for Mike to learn, that hard work doesn’t necessarily mean that everything will work out, but it’s a necessary and realistic lesson. But in his failure, another path opens up for Mike and things do work out. Sulley is not the same monster we meet in Monsters, Inc., coming across as quite arrogant and entitled, perhaps because of his family’s history in scaring. It is only with Mike’s help that Sulley becomes a real scarer, and the two’s initial rivalry turns into friendship due to this. Randall, on the other hand, begins his time at Monsters University as Mike’s roommate, seeming to be quite friendly and nice. However, he passes over the chance at friendship with Mike for popularity in the Roars fraternity, and his rivalry with Sulley begins after Sulley surpasses him in the Scare Simulator. Billy Crystal, John Goodman, and Steve Buscemi reprised their roles as Mike, Sulley, and Randall here.
Then we have the members of Oozma Kappa. One is Scott, mostly known as Squishy. Squishy is quiet and unassuming. He’s basically a little pink blob, which makes him easy to forget and easy to pick on! In the end, he uses his quietness to be a better scarer, thanks to Mike. Peter Sohn voices Squishy. Sohn is a Pixar animator and voice actor, having directed and written the short film Partly Cloudy (2009) and voiced Emile in Ratatouille (2007) prior to Monsters University. Sohn had also worked as a story artist on Finding Nemo (2003), The Incredibles (2004), and Up (2009). He later directed The Good Dinosaur (2015) and Elemental (2023), and voiced Sox in Lightyear (2022) and Ciccio in Luca (2021).
Don Carlton is a mature student, who seemed to work in sales before returning to his studies at Monsters University. Don has tentacles, which Mike teaches him to use in his scaring. Don Carlton was voiced by Joel Murray. Murray had previously been cast in the CBS sitcom Love & War (1992-95) as Ray Litvak and later the ABC sitcom Dharma & Greg (1997-2002) as Pete Cavanaugh. More recently, Murray was cast in the recurring role of Freddy Rumsen in Mad Men (2007-15) and as Eddie Earl in Starz’ Heels (2021-23).
Terri and Terry are a two-headed monster, who seem to disagree on pretty much everything. Terri, for example, is a dance major, but Terry is not; that must be quite tricky to achieve when one half of your body won’t cooperate! Terri and Terry were voiced by Sean Hayes and Dave Foley respectively. Hayes is most known for his role as Jack McFarland in the long-running Will & Grace (1998-2006, 2017-20). He also has voiced other characters for animated movies, including Steven the devil emoji in The Emoji Movie (2017). More recently, Hayes has been cast in more dramatic movies, including Stu in Am I OK? (2022), which starred Dakota Johnson, and Gary Greenbacks, the TV host in The Running Man (2025). He also won a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for his starring role as Oscar Levant in Good Night, Oscar on Broadway in 2023. Dave Foley voiced Flik in Pixar’s A Bug’s Life (1998) and also played Mr Jonathan Boy/All-American Boy, the Hero Support teacher, in the Disney movie Sky High (2005). In television, Foley appeared in the recurring role of Dr. Fulton in The Middle (2009-18), and was cast as Pat Hein in the Ken Jeong-created sitcom Dr. Ken (2015-17). Foley was also cast as Danish Graves in Season 5 of the series Fargo (2014-24).
Then, there is Art, a chilled out, laidback monster, who majors in philosophy. He is like an upside-down “U” shaped purple furry monster, who uses his flexibility to scare. We also learn Art has been to jail before, when Oozma Kappa are dodging the Monsters, Inc. security – but we don’t know why! Charlie Day voiced Art. He is best known for playing Charlie Kelly in the comedy series It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2005-present), and later co-created the AppleTV+ series Mythic Quest (2020-25). Outside of that, Day also played Dale Arbus in Horrible Bosses (2011) and its 2014 sequel, and was cast as Dr. Newton Geiszler in Pacific Rim (2013), returning to the role in Pacific Rim Uprising (2018). He also voiced characters for other animated movies including Benny in The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (2019) and Luigi in The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023).
There are also the two main teachers at the Scaring School. One is Professor Knight, who is a strict professor, letting Sulley know that just because he can roar loudly, that isn’t going to be enough to pass the Scare Program. He also seems impressed by Mike’s knowledge of scare theory, with Mike being the best in the class. We don’t hear anything negative about Mike from Professor Knight, despite the fact surely he doesn’t think Mike is scary either and clearly doesn’t have a future as a scarer. Professor Knight was voiced by Alfred Molina. Molina has starred in numerous stage and screen productions. Some of these include performing as Tevye in the musical Fiddler on the Roof on Broadway from 2004 to 2005; Comte de Reynaud in the Academy Award-nominated film Chocolat (2000); Jack Mellor in another Academy Award-nominated film An Education (2008); and as Doctor Octopus in Spider-Man 2 (2004) and Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). For Disney, Molina voiced the roles of Double Dan and King Agnarr in Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018) and Frozen II (2019), and played the role of Maxim Horvath in The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (2010).
Dean Hardscrabble is the intimidating and terrifying dean of Monsters University. All the scare students are obviously scared of her, and it would seem that Professor Knight would rather she hadn’t burst into his first class of the year! Hardscrabble warns the students on that first day that they will be thrown out by the end of the first semester if they don’t do well enough; it’s as simple as that, which isn’t exactly motivating on your first day at college! She continuously tells Mike that he is not scary, and will never be scary, so doesn’t deserve to be in the Scare Program. By the end of the movie though, after witnessing Mike and Sulley’s amazing scare in the door lab, she realises that she misunderstood Mike’s potential and skill, and tells both of them to keep surprising people, wanting them to do well in the future. I do wonder what the entry requirements to the Scare Program are, because surely they had to have some sort of practical assessment before they got into the university, so this would’ve filtered out students like Mike, who might know their theory but can’t execute scaring adequately. This is something Dean Hardscrabble really ought to think about!
Randomly, Dame Helen Mirren was cast as Dean Hardscrabble. Mirren’s career spans all kinds of different genres, so perhaps her casting here shouldn’t be such a surprise. It was a real win for Pixar to get her though. Some of Mirren’s film credits include being cast as Queen Charlotte in The Madness of King George (1994), in which Nigel Hawthorne played the title character; Chris Harper in Calendar Girls (2003); and Madame Mallory in The Hundred-Foot Journey (2014). More recently, she played Betty McLeish/Lili Shroeder in The Good Liar (2019), alongside Ian McKellen. She also played Elizabeth Best in The Thursday Murder Club (2025) for Netflix. Mirren won the Academy Award and BAFTA for Best Actress, amongst many other award wins in her career, for portraying Queen Elizabeth II in The Queen (2006). In series, Mirren starred as Detective Chief Inspector Jane Tennison in Prime Suspect (1991-2006). Monsters University was not Mirren’s first time voicing a character for an animated film; she voiced Queen Tuya in The Prince of Egypt (1998) for DreamWorks.
There are other students that Mike and Sulley encounter on their journey through the Scare Games. Two of these come from the fraternity Roar Omega Roar. The first is president of the fraternity Johnny Worthington. He only wants the best scarers in his fraternity. That is a fact of most fraternities and sororities; it’s not always about being the nicest person, it’s more about how you complement the other members and what you can do for them. Johnny loves the idea of having Sulley in the Roars, probably because he is the son of a top scarer, and therefore has the potential to be great. However, Johnny isn’t afraid to drop Sulley when he flunks out of the Scare Program and replaces him with Randall, whose ability to go invisible and disguise himself separates him from other scarers. Johnny is mean to anyone who he sees as lesser than him, even going so far as to prank Oozma Kappa just to make himself feel like the “big man” on campus. Johnny was voiced by Nathan Fillion, well-known for his leading role as Richard Castle in ABC’s Castle (2009-16). He also had a recurring role as Adam Mayfair in Season 4 of Desperate Housewives (2004-12) before that. More recently in series, Fillion stars as John Nolan in ABC’s The Rookie (2018-present) and was cast as Alton West in Netflix’s The Recruit (2022-25). In movies, Fillion voiced Sterling in Pixar’s Cars 3 (2017), played Master Karja in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023) and Guy Gardner / Green Lantern in Superman (2025).
Every jerk like Johnny Worthington needs a sidekick. In this case, Johnny’s sidekick is Chet, who is a bit of a bumbling fool. He sometimes thinks he’s engaging in smack talk, but actually just makes the Roars look stupid, like when Johnny tells Oozma Kappa that if they lose, no-one will ever remember then. Mike shoots back and says that might be true, but if the Roars lose, then no-one will let them forget it. Instead of coming back with something clever, Chet just agrees that’s true. I think Johnny might want to look at getting a new sidekick! Chet was voiced by Bobby Moynihan, who was both a writer and cast member on Saturday Night Live (1975-present) from 2008 to 2017. He has also voiced characters for animation, including Mel in The Secret Life of Pets (2016) and its 2019 sequel, and Louie Duck in DuckTales (2017-21). For Pixar, he voiced Bobby in Inside Out (2015) and Inside Out 2 (2024) and is set to voice a character in Pixar’s new movie Hoppers, coming in 2026.
Finally, we have Claire and Brock, the two who run the Scare Games. Claire’s lack of enthusiasm and general surliness – she is a teenager, after all – is countered by Brock’s exuberance and general noisiness. Brock is excited by anything and everything, especially when commentating on the Scare Games events. Claire just doesn’t seem to care – at least not until Oozma Kappa seemingly win the Scare Games. Then, all of a sudden, it’s like she’s their biggest fan! Claire was voiced by Aubrey Plaza. Plaza is known for her role as April Ludgate in the mockumentary Parks and Recreation (2009-15), as well as her roles in comedy movies, such as Julie Powers in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010); Lenore in Dirty Grandpa (2016); and Sarah in Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre (2023). Tyler Labine voiced Brock. Labine recently was cast as Dr. Iggy Frome in the medical drama New Amsterdam (2018-23) and starred as Kevin Pacalioglu in Deadbeat (2014-16) for Hulu.
There are a few other names to mention as well. Bob Peterson and John Ratzenberger make their returns as Roz and The Abominable Snowman, respectively, but only in brief cameos. Roz makes her appearance after Mike and Sulley return from the normal world, saying she’ll be watching them, which is something she said in Monsters, Inc. The Abominable Snowman is seen working in the Monsters, Inc. mailroom, warning Mike and Sulley that tampering with the mail is a crime punishable by banishment. I guess we’ve figured out he got banished to the human world then! We also have Bonnie Hunt making a return to the monster world. This time, she voices Mike’s school teacher Karen Graves.
Other names in this movie include John Krasinki who voiced the scarer Frank McCay in the opening sequence of Monsters University. Krasinski became a household name from his role as Jim Halpert in the US version of The Office (2005-13). He went on to have roles in comedy films, including Ben Murphy in License to Wed (2007) and Harley in It’s Complicated (2009). He later co-wrote, directed and starred as Lee Abbott in the horror films A Quiet Place (2018) and A Quiet Place II (2020). He also starred as Jack Ryan in the Amazon Prime Video series Jack Ryan (2018-23). Julie Sweeney voiced Squishy’s mother, Sheri. Sweeney was a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1990 to 1994. More recently, she was cast as Vera Easton in Hulu’s comedy series Shrill (2019-21). Bill Hader voiced the slug monster running late to class. Hader was a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 2005 until 2013. He also voiced Fear in Pixar’s Inside Out (2015), and voiced J.P. Spamley in Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018) and Featheringhamstan in Lightyear (2022).
PRODUCTION
We all remember the time when Disney were releasing direct-to-video sequels constantly, all based on previous popular Disney animated classics. Some of these are beloved by the kids who watched them. Others have been brutally ripped apart, perhaps unfairly, perhaps not.
There was once a time when Pixar movies may have been subjected to this fate, of low-quality animated sequels to some of their biggest hits being made, and it was all thanks to Disney. It has been reported that around 2004 or 2005, Disney tasked Circle 7 Animation, a division of Walt Disney Feature Animation that only lasted from 2004 to 2006, with making a Monsters, Inc. 2. They’d also planned to make a Finding Nemo 2 and a different version of Toy Story 3, as a way of using Pixar properties. Allegedly, Monsters, Inc. 2 had a storyline that saw Mike and Sulley visit Boo for her birthday, but on going through her closet door, they see Boo has moved and they go to find her. When they find Boo, Sulley and Mike discover she is too old to believe in monsters, and they must get her younger brother to convince her to help them leave the human world though her old door. They are also trying to save Celia, who has been captured by a monster-obsessed human wanting to prove monsters are real[1]. It sounds like a wacky story that probably wouldn’t have worked well, so lucky for all of us, that Circle 7 Animation’s plans never came to fruition and the division was promptly shut down. It was supposedly just a pressure tactic from Disney, because during this time, Disney were looking to buy Pixar. This deal was later completed in May 2006.
It wasn’t until a decade after Monsters, Inc. was released that Pixar confirmed they were actually working on a new Monsters, Inc. movie, with this being officially announced at the D23 Expo in 2011, by John Lasseter and voice of Mike Billy Crystal. It was confirmed that this movie was in fact going to be a prequel called Monsters University, making it clear to the audience that they were going to be watching a film about Mike and Sulley in college.
Monsters University was directed by Dan Scanlon, who was a 24-year-old storyboard artist at Pixar when Monsters, Inc. was released in 2001. Monsters University was his directorial debut of a feature film at Pixar; he had already co-directed the short film and Cars spin-off Mater and the Ghostlight (2006) with John Lasseter. Dan Scanlon had worked on Pixar features such as Cars (2006) and Toy Story 3 (2013) as a story artist prior to Monsters University. He later directed and co-wrote Onward (2020). Scanlon left Pixar in 2024. Scanlon stated that prequels are tricky and risky, because the audience already knows where the story is going, so they can feel quite predictable, but the plan was always to be to make the story relatable, whilst also turning the expected story on its head. It was decided the prequel was the way to go, despite its challenges[2].
Scanlon also co-wrote the story of Monsters University, alongside Dan Gerson and Robert L. Baird. Gerson had co-written the screenplay of Monsters, Inc. so no doubt his expertise from the original movie was invaluable when creating the prequel. He also co-wrote the Disney Animation movie Big Hero 6 (2014), alongside Baird, with the film going on to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Film. Gerson sadly passed away in 2016 and was said to be working on Pixar’s Cars 3 (2017) at the time. Baird had co-written the screenplay for the 1999 Disney Channel Original Movie The Thirteenth Year early on his career. After Monsters University and Big Hero 6, Baird co-wrote the screenplays for the animated films Ferdinand (2017), from Blue Sky Studios, and Nimona (2023) for Netflix.
Although we know that Mike and Sulley are going to end up working as a scaring team at Monsters, Inc., we don’t know how they get to that point. The title Monsters University obviously gives away the fact that the prequel will be taking us through their journeys at college, but outside of that, there are so many possibilities for the story to go. Initially, Sulley was still going to be the main attraction of Monsters University, since he was already the focus of Monsters, Inc. There were plans to give him some big emotional backstory, like having an absent father, in order to give Sulley more of a purpose and personality, because in Monsters, Inc., he spends much of his time with Boo, as her protector, so he needed something else to occupy his time in Monsters University. There was also an idea to have Sulley wanting to be a dentist, but that story element was quickly dropped as he was clearly always meant to be a scary monster with his huge stature.
After these ideas didn’t work, it was then decided that perhaps Mike should get his chance to shine in Monsters University, and he should be following his dream of being a scarer, which, before the opening titles even start rolling, we already know is not going to happen because of the events of Monsters, Inc. This eventual failure of his scaring dream is the message that audiences would take away from Monsters University, that although you can work hard in achieving a dream, it doesn’t always work out the way you’d hoped. This basically altered expectations about the film as we saw that the journey to Mike and Sulley ending up at Monsters, Inc. was not an easy one[3].
There were plenty of other sequences and scenes that did not make it into Monsters University. One was that Mike and Sulley were going to end up in Drama Class together after being kicked out of the Scare Program at Monsters University. During this time, the tension between the two and the rivalry would’ve been obvious as they attempt to prepare for the Scare Games and put on this play with their class about the history of scream energy. Over time, it was meant to show Mike and Sulley learning to work together and become friends, with Mike helping Sulley remember his lines during the play after forgetting them on stage. This play would’ve also given us important information about scream energy, that enough scream energy created on the opposite side of a door, in the human world, for example, can be enough to power it on the other side. This is something we learn during the big scare that Mike and Sulley do in the summer camp. It was decided that the Drama Class sequence, although funny, was not necessary since the Scare Games is where Mike and Sulley ultimately resolve their conflict, and it didn’t fit in well with the rest of the story. There was also an alternative prank by Roar Omega Roar on Oozma Kappa, which would’ve seen the Roars scaring them during a movie night, but this was deleted as it was decided that the whole point of this prank was not to show that Oozma Kappa were easily scared, but was meant to show that they are not scary so cannot be scarers. Another deleted sequence would’ve introduced a new college program to us, Recon, where monsters go into the human world to spy on kids and figure out what their fears are, to draft scare reports.
Potentially the most interesting deleted sequence could’ve ended up being the most important sequence in the film, and would’ve helped with a major plot hole that was discovered by viewers. This plot hole revolves around the fact that Mike says to Sulley in Monsters, Inc. that Sulley has been jealous of him since the fourth grade, making it seem like Mike and Sulley already knew each other from school. However, Monsters University tells us that Mike and Sulley first met here, annoying some people because Pixar had ignored something in their own franchise’s storyline. This is something I noticed shortly after watching Monsters University too. But be assured, Pixar did plan to address this. In this deleted concept, Mike was meant to meet Sulley in the fourth grade. Jealous of Sulley’s instant popularity due to his size and scary nature, Mike proceeded to try to outdo Sulley with his knowledge of scare theory. This rivalry went on for years, until Mike and his family moved away. Ultimately, Dan Scanlon felt that this sequence just wasn’t working, so he was told by John Lasseter and Pete Docter, the director of Monsters, Inc., to focus on the college story and not let this one line from Monsters, Inc. affect the prequel. The filmmakers had probably hoped we wouldn’t notice or wouldn’t care[4]. Sadly, some very much did, and still do, care! I like to think that perhaps it’s one of those cases where you can meet someone at school and not really remember them, reconnecting later in life and only realise you’ve met them before after talking about some really specific event. Since Sulley and Mike don’t talk all that much about their past lives in Monsters University, we could imagine that maybe they didn’t get talking about school until after they were expelled and then they remembered each other – but that’s a lot of “ifs” and “maybes”!
With this new college setting in the monster world, it was decided that the filmmakers had to do some proper research into college life, so naturally, they took a research trip, which consisted of tours of Ivy League campuses. It’s not exactly Mexico or South America, like the Pixar team went to for Coco and Up, but I guess it’s something! Some of the universities they visited were Harvard, MIT, and Berkley, so Monsters University became a mixture of all of these campuses. Many of these colleges had a gate entrance, so one was made for Monsters University, for example, and they tended to have buildings made of red brick, so this was incorporated into the design for Monsters University. The Scare School was created to be the focal point of the campus, as older buildings on real campuses were obviously built first, with others spreading out from it. The age of the building was also shown, not just architecturally, but also by the bronze statue outside with the faded paw, showing that many students even before Mike’s class at touched it for good luck.
Other details added to the campus include the use of flyers, with new ones stapled up on top of years of older, crumpled, disintegrating ones, on columns and boards across the area, and they also added bird poop to the buildings and statues to show the age of Monsters University, showing its history and prestige! Monsters University was designed to look like a normal US college campus, but the added motifs and decorations of teeth and eyes made it seem more “monster-like”[5].
Alongside design elements for the look of Monsters University, the team also had to figure out what experiences would need to be added to the movie to make it feel like a quintessential college film. Obviously one glaring omission from this film is alcohol. Pixar and Disney can’t be seen to advertise drinking, underage or not, in their films, but they tried to get across the party atmosphere with their heavy use of fraternities and sororities. This emphasis on parties was even seen in the teaser trailer, where Sulley pranks Mike by gluing bits of mirror to him to turn him into a disco ball!
These fraternities and sororities ended up being quite useful to the story, not only because they created ready-made teams for Mike and Sulley to go up against in the Scare Games competition, but also because they allowed us to see a wide-range of different personalities without the need to introduce us to too many minor characters. This was achieved basically by making each fraternity and sorority a sort of stereotype. For example, the Eeks are the athletic jock girls; the Pnks are the perfect sorority girls, who look sweet on the outside, but are vicious on the inside; the Roars are the cool, posh boys; and Hss are the emo/goth group. Oozma Kappa are the misfit fraternity[6].
There are hundreds of monsters within Monsters University, many more than were seen in Monsters, Inc. Although software had been created for Sulley’s fur for the first movie, this software had been developed so much that even more furry monsters could be designed and used in this movie, to go alongside other types of monsters of varying shapes and sizes, even ones that fly. These additional monsters enormously helped with the atmosphere of Monsters University, to make it feel like it was a place of diversity. Pixar has said to look at the backgrounds to spot all these different types of monsters. But monsters from the previous films who made a return would also need to be aged down for Monsters University. For example, Mike is skinnier, with a more vibrant colour to his skin and less pronounced horns. He also has a retainer. Sulley is skinnier and shaggier, and his fur is shinier[7]. Randall is smaller and punier than he is in Monsters, Inc. and his skin is more purple.
Another character design to mention is that of Dean Hardscrabble. Hardscrabble was going to be a typical, grumpy male dean, with an alligator tail, but after some thought, the filmmakers realised they hadn’t seen a great female scarer in this world so Dean Hardscrabble began a strict, authoritative female dean instead. The basis for her monster appearance is a centipede, and the Pixar team studied giant centipedes to see how they moved and behaved. Despite centipedes generally being considered to be gross-looking by most, the filmmakers said there was a graceful elegance to them, which they wanted to get across in Dean Hardscrabble’s character. I’m going to be perfectly honest and say I thought she was designed after a dragon; I’d never noticed her legs before[8]!
Rounding out the production of Monsters University, there are the usual Pixar Easter eggs and references to mention. The A113, the number of the classroom at CalArts where many Pixar animators studied, is on the door of Scaring 101 on the first day of the Scare Program. The Pizza Planet truck is parked in the driveway of the Jaws fraternity house on that party night when Mike and Sulley are chasing the pig. The Luxo ball from the Pixar short film is seen in graffiti on the wall of the sewer during the Toxicity Challenge of the Scare Games. The next Pixar movie after Monsters University is The Good Dinosaur (2015), so this was referenced with dinosaur toys in the bedroom that Young Mike sneaks into during his school field trip to Monsters, Inc. Pixar Studios’ address of 1200 Park Avenue is also referenced, as Don Carlton’s business card shows his address as being 1200 Dark Avenue.
You can also see a few nods to Monsters, Inc. One of these is that George, the monster who is on the receiving end of the “23-19” alert is a member of the Jaws fraternity. There is also the Winds of Change poster above Randall’s bed, which refers to a line he says to Mike and Sulley in the original film[9]. At the end of Monsters University, you can see a picture of Sulley shaking hands with Mr. Waternoose, the CEO of Monsters, Inc., a main character in the first film, too. It is rumoured that Kelsey Grammer, best known for his role as Frasier Crane in both the sitcoms Cheers (1982-93) and its spin-off Frasier (1993-2004) was meant to voice Mr. Waternoose in an apparently cut scene. Celia, who also only appears in picture-form in this montage, in Mike’s locker, was apparently meant to return for Monsters University too, as was Randall’s assistant Fungus. For some reason, this did not happen. Finally, the title sequence of Monsters University even refers back to Monsters, Inc. as it is another 2D graphic-style title sequence, contrasting against the computer animation of the main film. This time, the opening titles follow Mike’s journey to being a scarer, through his school work and eventual acceptance to Monsters University.
MUSIC
For the score of Monsters University, Randy Newman made his return as the composer, after his work on Monsters, Inc., allowing for continuity between the two films. Newman is known for his frequent collaborations with Pixar over the years, including on A Bug’s Life (1998) and the Toy Story franchise.
Newman’s score had to consist of both bringing emotion to the story and giving the music that “collegiate” feel. This meant using the sound of marching bands and drums to express that university-style sound, where these instruments are used for pep rallies and events like that. Some examples of this sound can be found in the tracks “Main Title”, used for the title sequence, and “The Scare Games”, playing during a montage of some of the games’ events. To record some of this style of music, Pixar brought in the percussion group The Blue Devils Drum Corps, to give that authentic sound. There is also the track “Monsters University”, which is a chorus singing the university’s school song.
Another key point of the college atmosphere of Monsters University that comes across in the music is the mixture of music genres that can be heard across a university campus in the real world; this is mimicked in Monsters University. This can be specifically heard in a couple of tracks. One of these is “Scare Pig”, which is used for the scene of Mike and Sulley chasing down Fear Tech’s pig mascot that Sulley stole. As the two wreak havoc across various parties going on at the college campus, you can hear an acoustic guitar player in a casual get-together, followed by rock music playing at the fraternity and sorority party. Another is “Roar”, the name of the music playing at the Roar Omega Roar party where Oozma Kappa get pranked by the Roars. This is electronica party music, perfect to get people dancing. “Roar” was written and performed by Axwell and Sebastian Ingrosso, from the Swedish House Mafia group, known for their electronic dance music.
There are a few other tracks in the Monsters University soundtrack that I also like. “First Day at MU” is one, as it feels hopeful and reflects how Mike is feeling on that first day at the Scare School, thinking his future is looking bright. Another is “The Big Scare”, which is used for the sequence of Mike and Sulley pulling off that scare at the summer camp with the rangers. It’s a huge moment for not just the history of scaring, but for Mike and Sulley’s friendship and teamwork, as they show that they work best as a scaring team rather than as individuals, with Mike’s attention to detail and Sulley’s natural scaring ability. I also like “Stinging Glow Urchin”, the music playing during the Toxicity Challenge and race in the Scare Games. One other track worth mentioning is “Field Trip”. This features during the moment where Mike takes Oozma Kappa to Monsters, Inc. so they can witness the Scare Floor in action. It uses some of the music from the Monsters, Inc. soundtrack, like the music used in the chase sequences, and the track “Enter the Heroes”, which is used as a slow-motion clip of the scarers arrive for a day of work, but in Monsters University, it is used whenever the factory’s exterior is seen, so both in this sequence for Oozma Kappa and in Michael’s field trip at school at the start of the film.
Newman has stated how happy is to compose music for Pixar’s high-quality animated movies. Director Dan Scanlon also stated how helpful Newman was during the composition stage and orchestral recording of the score, as he had admitted that the music was the part he knew the least about when directed a film. Scanlon said how affecting it was to see the music come together with the animation to make the movie feel complete[10].
Despite Randy Newman winning awards for his music on Monsters, Inc., namely for the song “If I Didn’t Have You”, which won an Academy Award and Grammy Award for Best Original Song, amongst others, the Monsters University soundtrack was not as widely acclaimed. Instead, it only received one nomination, at the Annie Awards, for Outstanding Achievement in Music in an Animated Feature Production. Newman and Pixar lost to the musical team of Robert Lopez, Kristen Anderson-Lopez, and Christophe Beck and their work on Disney’s Frozen. I guess Pixar had to just “let it go” on this occasion.
RECEPTION
Just a little less than 12 years after the release of Monsters, Inc., Monsters University was released in theatres, on 21st June 2013 in the US, becoming Pixar’s first, and only, prequel.
Apparently, it was initially planned for release in November 2012, its date being moved to 2nd November to avoid direct competition with The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2, a very popular film that year. Monsters University’s date later moved to June 2013. It would seem that Disney’s Wreck-It Ralph (2012) took the November 2012 position instead[11].
In theatres, Monsters University was released alongside the Pixar short film The Blue Umbrella (2013). This short followed the journey of a blue umbrella finding love with a red umbrella. After being separated by their owners, the blue umbrella breaks away and attempts to be reunited with the red umbrella, only to be hit by high winds and speeding traffic. The blue umbrella is later found damaged in the road, in a broken heap. It is picked up by its owner, and the red umbrella owner comes over to help. The owners of the blue and red umbrella walk away together, reuniting the two-coloured umbrellas. This short was directed and written by Pixar employee Saschka Unseld. Strangely for a Pixar short, The Blue Umbrella missed out on an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Short Film.
But back to Monsters University. For the most part, Monsters University received positive reviews, although some of these positive reviews generally say that the movie is perfectly fine and watchable, so not exactly a glowing review! Some stated that this prequel was reassuring from Pixar, expanding on the Monsters, Inc. characters and its world. They liked seeing more backstory for Mike and Sulley, and the supporting cast was also memorable and funny. The message of Monsters University, about hard work not necessarily equating to a dream coming true, was an important one to state, as it goes against the general message of child-focused movies, and even parents’ motivation to their children, where we usually hear that being determined in the pursuit of a dream will mean that it happens. It’s not the most upbeat message, but it is more realistic to real life, where things don’t always work out as you’d planned. Personally, I liked the fact the film allowed kids to see that adults can be scared by monsters, with the giant scare Mike and Sulley plan and enact towards the end of the film. Monsters, Inc. had made it seem like only children get scared, but that’s not true; adults get scared too. Others said that they enjoyed the twists in the story, like how Mike didn’t actually win the Scare Games for his team, and that Mike and Sulley did get expelled, with Dean Hardscrabble holding firm on that after they broke numerous university rules. The surprise return of Roz and The Abominable Snowman was also welcomed. Monsters University was considered to be a great film for the family to enjoy.
On the other hand, there were negative comments given by audiences and critics. One of these was purely linked to the expectations, or lack thereof, that come from a sequel. Pixar had a very disappointing sequel with Cars 2. Monsters University was the next prequel or sequel to come after that, so although some felt it exceeded expectations, others felt it was disappointing and lacked an interesting story with heart, unlike its predecessor. With numerous other Pixar sequels already announced to be coming in the following years at this point, those being Finding Dory (2016), Cars 3 (2017), Incredibles 2 (2018), and Toy Story 4 (2019), it is possible that this had annoyed viewers and their annoyance affected their enjoyment of Monsters University, even before they’d seen any of it. It is also the typical “prequel problem” that the viewers know how the story is going to end, because they’ve already seen the original film, so that meant that excitment and tension was lacking. It was decided that Monsters University was simply not a good enough movie to come from Pixar, and the world was still waiting for them to come back and hit the heights they’d last achieved with Toy Story 3 – and pretty much every movie they’d made before then.
Despite the slightly mixed reception, Monsters University did well at the box office in 2013. In North America, it debuted with $82.4 million on its opening weekend, becoming Pixar’s second-best opening weekend for one of their films at the time, with Toy Story 3 the best opening weekend they’d had at $110 million. It also opened in the No. 1 spot at the box office. This meant that Pixar had had 14 No. 1 openings in a row, for all 14 of the feature films they’d made. Its worldwide debut came in at $136.5 million after opening in 35 other countries at this time, however, it was struggling against some tough competition. In Australia, Despicable Me 2 (2013) came out at a similar time to Monsters University. In the box office fight, Monsters University lost in that county[12]. By the end of August 2013, Monsters University had made over $700 million worldwide, making it the fourth-highest grossing Pixar film, behind Toy Story 3 with $1.06 billion, Finding Nemo with $922 million, and Up with $731 million[13]. It later ended its run at just under $745 million.
Overall, in 2013, sadly, Monsters University struggled against some movies that did exceptionally well in the later half of the year. One of these was Disney Animation’s Frozen (2013), which made over $1 billion worldwide. Frozen was in the top spot in the worldwide box office figures. This was followed by Marvel’s Iron Man 3; Despicable Me 2; The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug; and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. Monsters University ended the year at No. 7 in this list, however, it did just about reach the Top 5 in the domestic box office for 2013 and it easily beat out some other animated movie releases for the year, like DreamWorks’ The Croods and Turbo; and Sony’s Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2.
Monsters University was not as widely acclaimed as Monsters, Inc., so naturally, it did not achieve much success during awards season. Monsters University was not even nominated for Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards; this award was won by Frozen. Frozen actually swept the Best Animated Film category at multiple awards ceremonies, including the BAFTAs, the Critics’ Choice Awards, the Annie Awards and the Saturn Awards, where Monsters University was actually nominated. The Satellite Awards didn’t give this award to either Frozen or Monsters University, although both were nominated; the winner was Japanese film The Wind Rises (2013), directed by Hayao Miyazaki. Outside of that, at the Kids’ Choice Awards, Monsters University was nominated in both the Favorite Animated Movie and Favorite Voice From an Animated Movie – for Billy Crystal – categories, but lost out to Frozen, and Miranda Cosgrove as Margo in Despicable Me 2, respectively. Monsters University was nominated for various Annie Awards, including Best Animated Feature, Animated Effects, Character Animation, Character Design, Production Design, and Writing. Billy Crystal was once again nominated for his vocal performance as Mike Wazowski, but lost to Josh Gad and his character of Olaf from Frozen. Pixar did, however, win the Annie Awards for Storyboarding and Editorial for Monsters University. It also won the Hollywood Animation Award at the Hollywood Film Awards.
LEGACY
Mike and Sulley have continued to be popular Pixar characters, showing up on screen and at the Disney Parks. These are some experiences that appeared shortly after Monsters University, and in more recent years.
On screen, the short Party Central (2013) premiered at the D23 Expo in Anaheim in August 2013, just a few months after Monsters University’s release date. It later was attached to the theatrical release of Disney’s Muppets Most Wanted (2014). In this short, directed and written by Pixar director and storyboard artist Kelsey Mann, Mike and Sulley make Oozma Kappa’s first fraternity party one of the best parties ever. They do this by stealing items from Roar Omega Roar’s party, and leading guests through door stations, that go through a human couple’s bedroom, into Oozma Kappa’s house. Squishy’s mother walks in when the party is in full swing, and comes up with a huge stunt that involves jumping through the doors. The party makes students want to join Oozma Kappa – and traumatises the human couple who ask to sleep in their son’s room because they have monsters in their closet! The cast from Monsters University returned to voice their characters here.
Years later, a new addition to the Monsters, Inc. franchise came to Disney+. This was the Disney+ series Monsters at Work (2021-present), which followed the events of Monsters, Inc., specifically the transition of the factory from scream energy to laughter. It follows a recent graduate from Monsters University, Tylor Tuskmon, who comes to Monsters, Inc. to be a scarer, only to be told that job no longer exists. He is instead reassigned to work in the Monsters Inc. Facilities Team. The first series follows Tylor’s struggles as he adjusts to his new career path. The second series sees Tylor debating whether to take a job at rival company Fear Co. Some new characters were added to Monsters at Work, including Tylor, voiced by Ben Feldman, known for such roles as Jonah Simms in Superstore (2015-21) and Ron LaFlamme in Silicon Valley (2014-19). Mindy Kaling joined the voice cast as Val Little, having already voiced Disgust for Pixar’s Inside Out (2015), as well as had success with her own sitcom The Mindy Project (2012-17), as did Henry Winkler, Fonzie in Happy Days (1974-84) and more recently Gene Cousineau in Barry (2018-23). Other characters, and their voice actors, from Monsters, Inc. and Monsters University also returned for select episodes. Billy Crystal and John Goodman reprised their roles as Mike and Sulley too. The series has run for two seasons. One came to Disney+ in 2021 and the other came to both Disney+ and Disney Channel in 2024. Monsters at Work won two Children’s and Family Emmys, one for Individual Achievement in Animation in 2022 for Ron Tolentina Velasco, and another for Voice Directing for an Animated Series in 2025 for Kevin Deters and Stevie Wermers. A third season of the show was confirmed in February 2025.
Outside of that, there have been questions around whether or not we should expect a Monsters, Inc. 3, especially now that Pixar have released Inside Out 2, which did exceptionally well financially, and later announced Toy Story 5, coming in 2026; Coco 2; and The Incredibles 3. It seems like it is only a matter of time. Back in 2016, Pete Docter said he could never say never when asked about a further Monsters, Inc. film, although did also state that the Pixar filmmakers purposely went for a prequel because they didn’t think a story about seeing Boo grown up and meeting up with Mike and Sulley again was particularly interesting[14]. It could also be argued it is too close to the plotline of the Toy Story franchise. This is, however, the story that Monsters, Inc. fans would want exploring in a third film. We’ll have to see what Pixar do, if anything, with the Monsters, Inc. franchise, but frankly, I think the Disney+ series is enough and we don’t need another film.
The Disney Parks also added experiences to its parks after the release of Monsters University, although some were only for a limited time. One of these was the “Monstrous Summer” event that came to Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and Disneyland Resort in California over the summer of 2013, as promotion for Monsters University.
The kick-off to this summertime event was called the “Monstrous Summer All-Nighter”, where Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World and both Disneyland Parks were open from 6am on 24th May 2013 until 6am on 25th May 2013. This all-nighter was announced in April 2013, with Mike Wazowski and Sulley being projected onto Spaceship Earth in Walt Disney World’s Epcot. The actual event included special showings of parades, such as the Mickey’s Soundsational Parade at Disneyland, and two runnings of the Main Street Electrical Parade at Walt Disney World. There were also meet-and-greets with characters and dance parties throughout all the parks on both coasts. It would also seem that Monsters, Inc. was being shown in Tomorrowland at Magic Kingdom during this event, though why you’d choose to watch that instead of riding all the attractions that were open, I don’t know! Other limited time experiences for “Monstrous Summer” included the Walt Disney World Monorail being wrapped in images from Monsters University, in what came to be known as the “Monsterail”, and wake-up calls being available at resort hotels, where Mike could call guests to wake them up[15]. Both Walt Disney World and Disneyland also had two different Monsters University pre-parades, featuring floats, dancers, and Mike and Sulley.
Also at Walt Disney World, specifically at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, guests could meet Mike and Sulley in Monsters University costumes during that summer in a specially-designed area. They later met guests together at Walt Disney Presents, but now, Sulley seems to be the only character from either Monsters, Inc. or Monsters University still meeting guests here during normal park hours, at Pixar Place. In Magic Kingdom’s interactive show Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor, an update was made to the show to include the Monsters University gates as a background for the comedian monsters, although characters from the film were not added.
Perhaps the most exciting of all to come to Walt Disney World though is that at the D23 Expo in 2024, it was announced that humans would once again be invited into the monster world, but this time into Monstropolis itself because Monstropolis is being built at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, taking over the area that was formerly Muppets Courtyard, home to Muppet*Vision 3D since 1991 – and the less popular but much loved by me PizzeRizzo. Fans were very sad to say goodbye to this area, but some interesting concepts are coming to the area, such as the former Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano becoming the Harryhausen’s restaurant, as seen in the first film, and the Monsters, Inc. factory is being constructed to house a ride through the famous door vault, with this set to be the first ever suspended coaster at a Disney Park. The area will not be open until around 2027 or 2028. Muppets Courtyard closed in June 2025, but the Muppets will still be at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, as they will be part of a retheme coming to Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster sometime in 2026[16]. This area may see some small references to Monsters University but nothing major.
At Disneyland, there doesn’t appear to be much specific to Monsters University either, however, Mike and Sulley were characters spotted at Pixar Fest in 2024, meeting guests at Pixar Pier at Disney California Adventure. They also featured as part of the Better Together: A Pixar Pals Celebration! parade, and clips from the film played during Together Forever: A Pixar Nighttime Spectacular. At the renovated Pixar Place Hotel which opened in January 2024, you can see references to both Monsters, Inc. and Monsters University in artwork here, with one specific nod to Monsters University being in the fitness centre. Here, Mike and Sulley’s scene where they run on treadmills, competing against each other in the gym, has been painted as a mural on the wall.
Looking to the international Disney Parks, Disneyland Paris used to have an area with the Monsters, Inc. scream canisters in their Worlds of Pixar area, but these seem to have disappeared as part of the major changes coming to the Walt Disney Studios Park as it transforms into Disney Adventure World for Spring 2026. Also at this park, the stage show TOGETHER: A Pixar Musical Adventure, which opened in 2023, has a performance that features Monsters, Inc. There is also an interactive walk-through exhibit at Shanghai Disneyland called Pixar Adventurous Journey, which has a section featuring the Monsters, Inc. locker room and the door vault, as well as statues of Mike, Sulley, and Boo. Sulley may also be available to meet guests at Tomorrowland on occasion, alongside other Pixar characters. There will also be a new Pixar show coming to Hong Kong Disneyland, which will apparently showcase Monsters, Inc. An opening date is not yet known. But again, these are just newer Monsters, Inc. experiences, and are not themed to Monsters University.
Finally on the Disney Cruise Line, the Eye Scream Treats ice cream location on the Disney Magic, Disney Fantasy, Disney Dream, and Disney Wonder ships has an image of Mike on its signage. The new Disney Adventure Cruise Ship, set to set sail in March 2026, is said to have two restaurants that should reference Monsters, Inc. These are Mike and Sulley’s Flavors of Asia, themed to Harryhausen’s, and Pixar Market Restaurant.
Surprisingly, merchandise for Monsters University is fairly easy to find currently, as the logo has been added to various items of clothing that is on sale at stores around the Disney Parks. Items themed around Sulley, Mike, and Boo tend to be what you’re more likely to find globally and outside of the parks though.
FINAL THOUGHTS
We seem to be living through a time of “sequel fatigue” and it is only looking like this trend is going to continue at all movie studios. Sometimes, these sequels might be a surprise hit, like Toy Story 3, whereas others might be bitterly disappointing, like Cars 2.
Pixar did well from my point of view in making the second instalment of Monsters, Inc. a prequel, because this gave a fresh take on the story. We didn’t have much detail about Mike and Sulley’s lives prior to working at Monsters, Inc. in the first film, so for me, basing the story at university, and having the characters grow into the characters they become in the original film was the best direction to take the story.
I’m not sure a sequel where we just saw Boo again for the sake of appeasing audiences was ever going to be enough, so I can only hope that Pixar don’t progress with this idea, or even a third film in general. But given how their original movies have done at the box office of late, I can sadly see mostly sequels in Pixar’s future, and I would consider Monsters, Inc. 3 high up on their list of possibilities.
REFERENCES
[1] Credit: The Disney Classics, ‘Circle 7 Animation (Pixaren’t)’, TheDisneyClassics.com, 4th September 2021.
[2] Credit: Henry Fitzherbert, ‘Making of the Monsters University scream team’, Express.co.uk, 30th June 2013.
[3] Credit: Pixar, “Story School”, Pixar Official YouTube Channel, 27th September 2016.
[4] Credit: Pixar, “Deleted Scenes”, from Monsters University (2013), Disney+.
[5] Credit: Pixar, “Welcome to Monsters University”, Special Features YouTube Channel, 19th April 2021.
[6] Credit: Pixar, “College Days”, Pixar Official YouTube Channel, 1st October 2016.
[7] Credit: Peter Sciretta, ’10 Things You Need To Know About Pixar’s ‘Monsters University’ [D23 Expo]’, SlashFilm.com, 21st August 2011.
[8] Credit: Pixar, “Monthropology”, from Monsters University (2013), Disney+.
[9] Credit: Julie & T.J., ‘Monsters University – An In-Depth Look at the Hidden Items, References and Details of the Film’, PixarPost.com, 28th June 2013.
[10] Credit: Pixar, “Music Appreciation”, Special Features YouTube Channel, 19th April 2021.
[11] Credit: Jim Vejvoda, ‘Pixar’s Monsters University Pushed’, IGN.com, 8th May 2012.
[12] Credit: Pamela McClintock, ‘Box Office Report: ‘Monsters U’ Zooms to $82 Million Debut; ‘World War Z’ Nabs $66 Million’, HollywoodReporter.com, 23rd June 2013.
[13] Credit: Andrew Stewart, ‘‘Monsters University’ Crosses $700 Mil at Global Box Office’, Variety.com, 29th August 2013.
[14] Credit: Marc Snetiker, ‘Toy Story 4: Pete Docter talks Pixar films, Monsters Inc 3 rumors’, EW.com, 1st November 2016.
[15] Credit: Lex Mancini, ‘The Monstrous Summer All-Nighter in 2013: 24 Hours in Magic Kingdom’, WDWMagazine.com, 24th May 2022.
[16] Credit: Blog Mickey, ‘Muppets Courtyard Blocked Off, Construction of Monsters Inc. Land to Begin Soon at Hollywood Studios’, BlogMickey.com, 8th June 2025.
The Disney Purist 