Okay, first thing’s first.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don’t care if Monsters Incorporated doesn’t use scream power anymore, this was my first reaction when I found out that a Monsters, Inc. sequel is officially going forward at Pixar. While there have been rumblings of a sequel for years now, this was confirmed in a Wall Street Journal piece detailing the current state of Pixar, in which new originals like Ono Ghost Market and an untitled musical from Turning Red director and current Pixar MVP Domee Shi were announced as well. Understandably, the news of a sequel for one of Pixar’s most beloved films is taking up most of the oxygen, one that people have been clamoring for ever since they first saw that perfectly open-ended conclusion back in 2001. This particular sequel is very important to me as well, because if you know anything about me, you know I’m ride or die for Monsters, Inc. It’s my favorite movie. This franchise, and the first film in particular, mean so much to me, and the idea of a continuation of this story is something I’ve had literal decades to consider at this point. I have so many thoughts about this announcement and I need to get them out somehow, so here we are.

The Not So Fun Stuff

Too Many Sequels?

Not everything is great in the world of Pixar, and they’ve been in a precarious situation for quite some time now. Since the 2010s, one of the biggest criticisms leveled against this studio is their reliance on sequels to their classic films to keep the lights on. Personally I’m of a few minds when it comes to these sequels. To start, I love seeing original ideas do well commercially and critically. In an industry so reliant on IP and recognizable characters to get audiences in theaters, it’s genuinely thrilling to see tons of people go to a movie because they want to take a chance on a new story. As I write this, Pixar is reaping the rewards of arguably their first original blockbuster in a decade with the success of Hoppers, whose promo cycle is the reason we know about the Monsters, Inc. sequel in the first place. 

Even if IP is the name of the game in Hollywood, it stings to see Pixar in particular put in this position. Their prestige as a studio comes almost entirely from their legendary 2000s run, in which the studio didn’t release a single sequel (their only sequels from their golden age are 1999’s Toy Story 2 and 2010’s Toy Story 3) and were still able to completely dominate the theatrical animation industry, both commercially and critically. It can suck to see a studio whose success was built on originality and innovation in a position where they need franchises to keep the lights on. This has been the case for the last 15 years, and it shows no sign of slowing down between the upcoming Toy Story 5, the in-production Incredibles 3 and Coco 2, and of course the subject of this article.

I think to some extent the Pixar sequel factory is necessary for them to continue as a studio, whether we like it or not. These movies make money. Inside Out 2 was briefly the most commercially successful animated film of all time, and during Disney’s utterly dominant 2010s run, films like Incredibles 2 and Toy Story 4 and even the prequel Monsters University played a major role in their parent studio reaching ridiculous heights. These films making bank is what allows this studio to still make exciting originals. It’s easy to forget because this happened at the worst possible time, when the studio wasn’t able to capitalize on them to the extent they should have, but the early 2020s saw Pixar going all in on originals, releasing Onward, Soul, Luca, Turning Red, and Elemental within a three year stretch. Unfortunately that three year stretch includes that time the world fucking ended, so those middle three films weren’t afforded the chance to premiere in theaters and we’ll never know how well they could’ve done financially (Turning Red in particular was robbed of a theatrical run). After the studio made a gamble on these stories that didn’t fully pay off, it’s understandable why they’d go back to tried and true worlds that they can still mine stories from, and if they’re going to use the success of those films to push new stories like Hoppers, I can make peace with it.

I also just think the Pixar track record on sequels is… pretty good? This is obviously subjective and I know some of these movies have some VERY passionate hatedoms, but for the most part, I think Pixar are able to continue their classic stories in ways that make sense and fit a larger narrative arc, and even when they stumble, I rarely think these are bad movies. Inside Out 2 is good! Toy Story 4 is good, and probably the most gorgeous looking movie the studio has ever made (the carnival scenes at the end just destroy me every time I watch it)! Monsters University is a really interesting prequel that expands on the world of Monstropolis in a really interesting way and adds a lot of weight to the original film’s story! Even if their sequels are very rarely better than the films they’re adapting from, I trust Pixar to make these films enjoyable and thought provoking all the same. 

Shut The Fuck Up Pete Docter

On the surface, this is only tangentially connected to a Monsters, Inc. sequel, but it’s something I feel obliged to bring up before we get to the actually enjoyable parts of this piece. Pete Docter is the current CCO of Pixar, and the director of Monsters, Inc., Up, Inside Out and Soul, four of the most emotional and therapeutic films in the Pixar canon. More than anybody, he is the face of Pixar as it exists today. In the same WSJ article where this sequel was announced, Docter discusses the studio’s most recent film before Hoppers, the 2025 film Elio, a sweet space adventure that was unfortunately neutered by a massive rewrite in the middle of production. When discussing the removal of queer themes from the script and the decision to not make the titular Elio gay, his justification was “We’re making a movie, not hundreds of millions of dollars of therapy.”

I don’t envy Pete Docter. I don’t think he ever planned to be in the position he’s in today, and he seems much more comfortable on the creative side of filmmaking. He’s only in this position because his longtime coworker and friend used his position as CCO to be a misogynist and a giant creep. He had to lead this company through a global pandemic. He took power in 2017, right at the tail end of Disney’s imperial era and right before it became a permanent fixture of the all-encompassing culture war. He is in a tough position and is steering the ship as best he can during a very uncertain time for this studio, and I have to commend him for that.

All that being said, FUUUUUUCK this sentiment. Fuck you, and fuck off with this bullshit. You cannot direct Inside Out of all films, a film that made nearly a billion dollars at the box office mind you, and suddenly be against “hundreds of millions of dollars of therapy.” Fuck you for insinuating that the EXISTENCE of queer people is too much for general audiences to handle, that the idea of seeing us on screen is so loaded and complicated that it’s best to completely derail a film production to remove an elements of queerness. What a goddamn slap in the face to your queer employees, your queer fans, and especially the queer children who missed out on the affirmation that there are other kids just like them, and they are just as worthy of love and respect and centering in meaningful, moving stories. 

I think the culture war element is important here. In 2022, Pixar released Lightyear, a convoluted mess of a film that’s supposed to be the in-universe film that made Andy want to get a Buzz Lightyear toy, despite the film itself being boring, not feeling remotely like a mid-90s blockbuster, and having some of the most logic-breaking plot developments in any Pixar film. This was their first theatrical release since the pandemic hit, and it didn’t do very well, mostly because audiences were not sold on a reason for this movie to exist in the first place. However, a very loud minority of people would have you believe that this movie failed because of a 5 second clip where two women kiss. This was 2022, and the grievance culture right wing was starting to ascend to real power and influence, with Lightyear being just one of their many targets. This five second kiss caused Pixar to face real backlash, and I think it traumatized Docter to some extent. The most notable cut from Elio was a scene where the titular character imagined himself grown up, and during this montage, he would be married to his childhood crush, who happened to be another boy. I can see how this short moment of gay representation could give him flashbacks to the Lightyear backlash, and it led to a rewrite where the queer themes of this very personal story for its director went from undertones to barely there at all tones.

And the real kicker here is that this decision didn’t even pay off! After being advertised two years before its eventual release date, Elio was quietly released in theaters in summer 2025, and flopped! Between minimal advertising and a lack of identity thanks to its massive rewrite and three directors being at the helm, audiences simply didn’t care about Elio one way or the other. It’s such a shame, too, because Pixar has a large queer fanbase that would’ve LOVED to see something more overtly queer from this studio. Docter and Pixar’s higher-ups decided it was more important to appease the right wing outrage industry, something designed to move from one target to another as fast as possible to keep their audience engaged and outraged, over the queer fans who’ve supported this studio for decades. More importantly, they put the right wing outrage machine over the queer children who could’ve had the chance to see themselves on screen in Elio’s character arc, and the non-queer children who could’ve had the chance to learn more about the world around them and see that queerness is normal and worth highlighting. 

It especially hurts to hear this from Docter. He’s directed some of the most emotional and loving films in all of Pixar’s catalog. Monsters, Inc. is a deeply tender story about overcoming your biases and being open to change. Sulley believes that human children are toxic until he actually meets one, and sees that not only are these children not scary, but they’re just as worthy of love and protection and understanding as monsters. He’s a deeply open-minded character, which is one of the reasons I love him so much. This caring, empathetic core can be felt in all of the films Pete Docter has directed, and I’m worried that having this position of power at such a large studio has changed that. There’s (very unsubstantiated!!!) rumors that Docter is returning to direct the Monsters, Inc. sequel, marking his return to the franchise after the Dan Scanlon-directed Monsters University. If Pete Docter the filmmaker wants to come back and lend his heartfelt, sensitive touch to this world once again, then I’m all for it. But if the money-brained, focus group-oriented CCO Pete Docter is going to bring that mindset into his filmmaking, then I’d rather he just not be involved.

Well that sucked. But this is an article about my favorite movie of all time getting a proper sequel. And that’s fucking exciting. So let’s talk about what this could all mean for the world of Monsters, Inc.!!!

The Fun Stuff!!!

The Disney World Factor

While the announcement of a Monsters, Inc. sequel came as a shock to a lot of people, it’s not a surprising move if you pay attention to this franchise, and that’s not just because Pixar likes making sequels for their beloved classics. Out of the blue in August 2024, it was announced that Monsters, Inc. is coming to Disney World in the form of a Monstropolis land at Hollywood Studios. This franchise, which hadn’t had a theatrical entry in over a decade at this point, was suddenly getting a whole new area of a Disney park. The area will be a recreation of the city of Monstropolis, with its classic brownstone feel showcased in the original film, as well as in season 2 of Monsters at Work, with the main attraction being an indoor rollercoaster themed after the iconic door vault sequence. With the memorable visual of Mike, Sulley, Boo and Randall whizzing around the already rollercoaster-like door vault, this scene being adapted into a ride feels like a no-brainer, and is something people have been asking for since the film came out. Still, it’s surreal to know that this is actually going to be a real ride soon!

I was completely blindsided by this announcement back in 2024. I’d always wanted a door vault ride, but with Monsters, Inc. already having Mike & Sulley To The Rescue at California Adventure and Ride & Go Seek at Tokyo Disney, I never expected to get another ride based on this franchise, let alone a whole new land. This area is going to be a Monsters, Inc. fan’s dream, especially that door vault coaster. I hope the queue is filled to the brim with little easter eggs for the franchise, and seeing how the jumps from room to room will be translated into the ride is so exciting!

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the area that Monstropolis is taking over, however. Muppet fans, I am so sorry. You guys didn’t deserve to see Muppet*Vision killed off like this. I adore that franchise too (I considered writing an overly detailed analysis of the 2026 Muppet Show special/backdoor pilot when figuring out what to write about after my albums list, let me know if you’d be interested in that!) and I desperately wish that land had been able to coexist with Monstropolis. At least the Rock’n Rollercoaster is getting a Muppets reskin? They certainly fit in at Disney World a lot more than fucking Aerosmith lol. 

Admittedly, this section is primarily just to remind people that a Monstropolis land is coming to Disney World and that’s really cool and I’m excited for that. But it was also my first indication back in 2024 that a proper sequel was not only possible, but likely. If Disney was willing to invest this much into this franchise at its parks, it only makes sense that they’re doing the same for it at its film studios. Even nearly 25 years after it began, Disney is confident enough in the vibrant world and rich characters of Monsters, Inc. that they believe people will support an entire themed area based on its story and worldbuilding. If they’ll do that, they will absolutely watch a continuation of its story in theaters. It’ll be very interesting to see when this land is ready, and just how much of this sequel is potentially integrated into it. Either way, this was the first sign that a Monsters, Inc. sequel was a real possibility.

What About Boo?

One thing that made the idea of a Monsters, Inc. sequel so unapproachable for so many years is that the original film has an ending that is simply perfect. I don’t think any Pixar ending is truly untouchable and unable to be expanded upon, but Monsters, Inc. might be the closest. That shot of Sulley opening Boo’s reassembled door, her little excited “Kitty!”, the fact that we never cut back to her, we just stay on Sulley, as his face fills with love and elation that he gets to see the child he cares so much for again. Perfection.

This is a beautiful note to end on, and one that means so much to so many people that there’s always been a massive risk when it comes to developing their relationship any further. That scene wraps the perfect little bow on top of what is, in my opinion, the heart of this whole franchise. The father-daughter dynamic between Sulley and Boo is the tender center of this whole world, and it’s something this sequel will have to consider very strongly when determining the direction this story takes. Sulley, Mike, and the entire world have been changed by this relationship between giant monster and little girl, and with Mike and Sulley (presumably) being the focus of this sequel, this will be the first time we see the evolution of this dynamic past the final scene of Monsters, Inc. It won’t be the first time we see ANY events after that scene takes place, but we’ll get to that in a minute. 

The Boo question is something that will simply have to go unanswered for the time being. We simply don’t know anything about this film beyond the fact that it exists. How far into the future will this take place? Will we jump back into things right where the first movie left off, or will the real life 25 year time jump be reflected in the story? Hopefully not THAT long, but who knows, we could very well see a young adult Boo on our screens in the next few years. Who will Boo be in her 20s? Who will she be at even 5 or 6 years old, when we only know her as a toddler? Hell, maybe this movie won’t be about her at all! Maybe the story is about something else completely, leaving that legendary ending basically untouched. It’s a very unique position for a Pixar sequel to be in, and I simply have to trust that the artists at this studio will do their best to honor this incredible scene while still moving the story forward in an interesting way.

Lost In Scaradise

As many people already know, this is not the first time a Monsters, Inc. follow-up has been developed. In the mid-2000s, a studio called Circle 7 Animation was set up by Disney with the purpose of making sequels to Pixar films that Disney would eventually own the rights to as part of their distribution deal with the company. These plans fell through when Disney bought Pixar outright in 2006, but before then, sequels for Toy Story, Finding Nemo and of course Monsters, Inc. were being developed at this studio. Being the only film without a proper follow-up after the release of Finding Dory, people have taken a particular interest in Monsters, Inc. 2: Lost In Scaradise, as a look into a potential continuation of the Monsters franchise that could’ve been.

I won’t divulge the full plot summary here, you can watch a great video from YouTuber Hemmas Studios if you’re interested, but the gist of the story is that Mike and Sulley are invited to Boo’s 7th birthday party, but when they visit her room, they discover that she’s moved, and they set upon a quest in the human world to find her. Hijinks ensue, including the two being chased by a monster hunter, having to work with the banished Randall Boggs, meeting El Chupacabra, and eventually reuniting with Boo. 

The script is actually solid, and showcases a lot of unique additions to the Monsters universe that make sense to move the story forward. It introduces an element that would later be used in DreamWorks’ Rise of the Guardians (hella underrated movie) about how humans need to believe in monsters in order to see them in the first place, which adds a layer of tension to Boo and Sulley’s reunion, as she initially no longer believes in him. The cabin scene in Monsters University shuts this down as a possibility, but it goes to show that the writers were concerned with developing this story further, taking the idea of Boo growing up seriously and taking bold swings to explain why monsters need to scare children specifically in order to power their world, as well as adding believable drama to the relationship between Boo and her monster friends. 

Lost In Scaradise being set in the human world is another logical choice to continue this story. Every piece of Monsters, Inc. media has toyed with the possibility of getting stuck in the human world, but they’ve never made the jump of telling a story primarily set in our own world. This has definitely been for the best, as the world of Monstropolis is such a fun and fascinating world to be in, but a proper sequel feels like a great chance to put these characters in a whole new context and see how they react. I really like the plotline of teaming up with El Chupacabra to bring all the banished monsters back into their world. The whole idea of banishment has always really terrified me, especially when you consider that the CEO of a private company is fully capable of just disappearing people that stand in their way, and they are more than willing to go through with it! It’s possibly the darkest element of this whole franchise, and exploring the ramifications of banishment would be a really fascinating direction to take a potential sequel in. 

In the wake of the news of a new Monsters, Inc. film, a lot of people have wondered if Pixar will adapt this story, whether by taking certain elements to fit into a new narrative or just bringing this script back outright. I think the former is much more likely than the latter, considering this is a 20+ year old script from a studio that isn’t Pixar, but still a very solid script with many elements that could be worked into a new story that adds to the franchise in a logical and exciting way. Only time will tell just how much Lost In Scaradise impacts the upcoming film, but either way, it’s a fascinating footnote in the Monsters, Inc. franchise, and one worth looking into if you love these films. 

The Limbo State of Monsters at Work

The biggest question I have about a Monsters, Inc. sequel isn’t about Boo. It’s not about if the film will take place in the human world or the monster world. It’s not about how woke it will or won’t be (I hope it’s woke as fuck). My question is how this film will address the fact that… there already kind of is a Monsters, Inc. sequel?

It was very easy to miss, since this was a Disney+ original series, but in 2021 and 2024 we got two seasons of Monsters at Work. The show follows Tylor Tuskmon, a young scarer who joins Monsters Incorporated literally one day after they switch to laugh power. The series follows Tylor as he works alongside the Monsters Inc Facilities Team, or MIFT, as he aspires to become a jokester on the laugh floor as well as gives us a look into how the monster world and the characters we’ve grown to love are adjusting to this massive societal change in not only how they collect their energy, but what it means to be a monster in the first place. The first season takes place in between the time jump at the end of the first Monsters, Inc., as Tylor grows more comfortable alongside the MIFT crew while following his ambitions as a scarer-turned-jokester. The season even ends with a shot for shot recreation of the scene with Mike and Sulley on the laugh floor! A very clean ending, leaving us exactly where the first movie left off.

The stakes are raised in season 2, which is the first time we’ve ever seen the events following Monsters, Inc. in a (presumably!) canon piece of Monsters media. Tylor and his former MIFT coworker/now laugh assistant Val are on the laugh floor, but Tylor isn’t comfortable in his position as a jokester, leading his relationships to get more and more strained as he’s allured by the promise of a scaring position at rival company FearCo by its CEO, Johnny Worthington. All the while Monsters Incorporated is experiencing massive power supply shortages, despite laugh power being proven to generate ten times the power of scream energy. It’s revealed that (SPOILERS) Johnny has been syphoning laugh energy from the rival company, with the help of Randall, and has been using a combination of laugh and scream energy to both discredit Monsters Incorporated and juice their own numbers. This is quite bad, as it’s not only an unethical business practice, but the combination of laugh and scream energy is extremely volatile and essentially makes the city a ticking time bomb. Tylor and friends of course save the day, and the current state of the Monsters canon consists of Monsters Incorporated being on top, Tylor and Val as a successful comedy duo for the company, Johnny in jail, and Randall on the loose after breaking out of prison. 

So I really like this show. It’s far from perfect, but for a series that doesn’t primarily focus on Mike and Sulley, it makes a lot of sense as a canonical continuation of this franchise. It’s clear that SO much work was put into this show, crafting a storyline that takes the elements of the franchise established by the two films and bringing them together in a very enjoyable way. The animation is really stunning, especially for a TV show, and a lot of care was put into evoking a similar feeling to the films on a much smaller budget. I see the events of Monsters at Work as canon, and I think they should be factored into any theatrical continuation of this franchise. But it’s worth considering how many other people consider this show canonical, because it’s worth considering how many people have seen it in the first place. 

Despite some pretty good streaming metrics, it’s pretty clear that Monsters at Work has had a fraction of the cultural impact that the first two films in this franchise have left. This upcoming sequel will undoubtedly capture a much larger audience than a straight to Disney+ TV show did, and most of that audience will have no idea who Tylor Tuskmon or Val Little or Duncan Anderson are. This show adds a lot of things to the canon, from Johnny Worthington being CEO of FearCo to Celia being a laugh floor supervisor to Waternoose having an estranged, non-evil son named Roger, and general audiences simply have no idea that any of it happened. There’s the fact that the people who HAVE seen this show are generally mixed on it, finding it fun but not up to the standards the films set. There’s also the fact that this series wasn’t made by Pixar in the first place, instead being produced by Disney Television Animation, meaning that the artists at Pixar had minimal input on the direction of this story and haven’t had the opportunity to develop a follow-up of their own until now.

With the complete dead silence on news about this series in the nearly two years since its second season aired, alongside the news about an official Monsters, Inc. sequel, it’s safe to say that Monsters at Work is probably done. The series is now in limbo, and we have yet to see what will become of its characters and world development. Will MIFT be incorporated into the story of the Monsters, Inc. sequel at all? Will it be told in a way that skirts around the events of the series, continuing Mike and Sulley’s story while maintaining the canon of the show? Will they be completely retconned? I’ve grown attached to these new characters over the past five years, and would admittedly be bummed to see them dismissed by Pixar when so much work was put in to continue this franchise with love and admiration from the artists at Disney Television Animation, but it also makes a lot of sense from a storytelling and business perspective to axe them from the narrative. Only time will tell what becomes of this underappreciated show. 

Oh My God I Get To See My Blorbos Again

Ultimately, no matter what direction this sequel goes in, I will be seated. I am incredibly excited for this film. This franchise, and the original Monsters, Inc. film, mean so much to me. It’s been my rock for as long as I can remember, knowing that no matter how much my life changes, these characters are still here and I can enter their brilliant, wonderful world whenever I want. The comedy of Mike and Sulley as a duo, the rivalry they have with Randall, all the colorful monsters that make their world feel so lived in, and of course the tender relationship between Sulley and Boo. It all just makes me so happy. I love that this world exists, and I love that people still care about it enough to want to see more. I’ve always wanted to see where Mike and Sulley and Boo go from here because I genuinely care about them as characters. The fact that we’re just a few years away from all these questions being answered is deeply exciting for me. No matter what happens with this film, the Monsters, Inc. franchise will always be something I hold close to my heart, and I feel so fortunate to be able to see what story they’ll tell with this world and these characters next.