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Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
The Monsters have returned. Twenty years have passed since Monsters, Inc., and just eight years since Monsters University. Bobs Gannaway has brought back their stories with Monsters At Work. This comedy-fantasy Disney+ series is both a sequel and a spin-off to the films in that it follows the characters we all know and love but also introducing new ones.
In this review, I will be discussing the show’s two-part premiere. The first episode is titled, “Welcome to Monsters, Incorporated”. Gannaway serves as its writer, while Kaitlyn Ritter is the director. The second episode is titled, “Meet Mift”. Bart Jennett serves as its writer, while Shane Zalvin is the director of the episode.
Spoilers will be present in this article, as its title suggests. Thus, be beware of not scares, but laughs, that may pop up in this piece!
Plot Summary
- “Welcome to Monsters, Incorporated”
Following the events of both films, Henry J. Waternoose has just been fired from the workplace by the Child Detection Agency. Tylor Tuskmon (Ben Feldman) graduates at the top of his class at Monsters University. With the help of Professor Knight (Alfred Molina), he has been accepted to work at Monsters Inc. at the recommendation of James P. “Sulley” Sullivan (John Goodman).
Tuskmon arrives during his first day on the premises, only to discover major changes are being made to the Monsters’ entire existence. For one, Monstropolis is experiencing a new switch of energy from scares to laughter. Monsters University also has to change its School of Scaring into a College of Comedy. Not only that but Tuskmon has been reassigned to MIFT (Monsters Inc. Facilities Team), where he meets his new colleagues. In the end, our main monster makes it his mission to be moved to the laugh floor as Monsters, Inc.’s jokester.
- “Meet Mift”
During his second day on the job, Tuskmon is put through an initiation at MIFT. He also has to attend Monsters Inc.’s Comedy Class, taught by Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal), who is getting cranky and tired from pulling his weight to prevent Monstropolis’s power outages. As it turns out, MIFT really does need Tuskmon, and instead, his colleague Winchester “Banana Bread” (Dee Bradley Baker) is transferred out of the office and to the Laugh Floor.
Characters
Aaron Drown, Julia Pleasants, and Colleen O’Donnell have cast new acting persons in this series along with veteran voices.
Feldman’s Tuskmon is a tall, blue monster with two long horns sticking out of his head horizontally. Val Little (Mindy Kaling) is a classmate of Tuskmon from Monsters University, who dropped out to work as MIFT’s mechanic. Fritz (Henry Winkler) serves as Tuskmon’s one-eyed Tapir-like boss at MIFT. We have Baker’s Winchester as well as Katherine “Cutter” Sterns (Alanna Ubach). Finally, there is Duncan P. Anderson (Lucas Neff), a green four-eyed winged monster who thinks he can compete with Tuskmon to take Fritz’s job.
Crystal and Goodman return as the films’ iconic protagonists, Mike and Sulley. Mike’s girlfriend, Celia Mae (Jennifer Tilly), also makes a return. Bob Peterson voices Roz, the CDA’s leader undercover as Monsters Inc.’s secretary; as well as Roze, Roz’s twin sister and the building’s new secretary. Bonnie Hunt portrays Ms. Hunt, a teacher in the building’s simulation room.
Stephen Stanton replaces the late Dan Gerson as the voices of Smitty and Needlman, two operators of the Door Shredder. Stanton also replaces Sam Black as George Sanderson, a worker at Monsters Inc. and a constant victim of “23-19” codes. Alanna Ubach voices Carla Benitez. Christopher Swindle replaces Katherine Ringgold as Theodore “Ted” Pauley, a huge gorilla-like purple monster with over a dozen replaceable eyes. Swindle also replaces Frank Oz as Jeffrey Fungus, a red three-eyed monster who is Randall Boggs’s former assistant. He also voices a little human boy in the first episode.
Molina briefly returns from Monsters University as Professor Derek Knight. Aisha Tyler plays Tuskmon’s mother, Millie Tuskmon. Gannaway plays Roto, Duncan’s “emotional support animal,” while Abach voices Rose, Tuskmon’s comedy class classmate.
Discussion
Monsters at Work has a neat roster of crew members.
Gannaway serves as the show’s executive producer, with Sean Lurie and Ferrell Barron as the producers. He also does the voice direction alongside the episodes’ supervising directors, who are Stephen Anderson and Kathleen Good, respectively. Dominic Lewis is the series’ musical composition after Randy Newman, who works on the original theme.
Melissa Kurtz serves as the episodes’ line producer, while Dan Molina acts as the editor. Chris Ayers and Jason Merck lead as the art directors. Jason McLean, Ron Tolentino Velasco, and Jeff Wagner design the characters of the show. Meanwhile, Plamen Christov, Limei Z. Hshieh, Edward Li, and Brett Nystul design the episodes’ locations. Kurt Krebs, David Lee, and Emily Walus design the props, while Debbie Oak design the colors and Marty Baumann design the graphics. Lastly, we have Michele Graybeal, Akiko Crawford, Juan Garrido, and Isaac Orloff as the episodes’ background painters.
Additionally, what is interesting to note are the episodes’ different storyboard artists, storyboard revisors, and CG cinematographers.
Troy Adomitis, Tom Bernardo, Isabella Gedigk, Kyle Menke, and Sean Petrilak act as the first episode’s storyboard artists. Naomi Hicks works on their revisions, while Jonathan Roybal serves as the CG cinematographer.
James W. Suhr, Jenessa Warren, Yunhao Zhang, Megan Lawton, Casey Coffey, Ken Morrissey, and Steve Umbleby serve as the latter episode’s storyboard artists. Misty Marsden works on their revisions, while Thomas Leavitt is the episode’s CG cinematographer.
Story
In terms of story, don’t expect to see Boo, who was played by Mary Gibbs in the 2001 film. Gannaway’s series continues after the main events of Monsters, Inc., but not the final scene. Pete Docter’s film ends with Monsters Incorporated at success with its laugh floor. Mike Wazowski puts the pieces of Boo’s door back together for Sulley, who goes through to see her once more. Monsters at Work looks more like the journey to get to that point. These first two episodes act as Days One and Two since the incident that took place on the premises. Therefore, we will have to wait until progress is made, but never fret, as baby steps are taken.
I love the continuity and extrapolation of what Pixar built in these films. For example, Mike and Sulley have been banned from Harry Hausen’s restaurant after bringing a human child there and causing a viral commotion that shut the place down. This series is the type of show that you might catch yourself watch at late-night or during early-morning, like with reruns of The Little Mermaid television series or Buzz Lightyear of Star Command on Disney Channel.
Attention to Detail
Pixar isn’t as attached to this story as much as Disney is. This is one piece that may be missing in the overarching narrative. Although, there are still hints of their work and tone in the series. At the end of Monsters, Inc., Sulley returns Boo to her room, where she shows him her toys — the Pixar doll, a Nemo fish, and a Jessie Doll. In the final act of Monsters at Work‘s first episode, we see a human child hold a small Winnie the Pooh teddy bear.
While the show is targeted at child audiences, it still appeals to older viewers. I liked the inclusion of the 36 1/2 hour Energy Drink, which poked fun at 5-hour Energy Drinks and other beverages and ingested substances needed for high performance.
Performances and Character Developments
I loved the return of Goodman, Crystal, Tilly, Peterson, Hunt, and even Molina from the films. Having them back on-screen was just a joy to see, that time never really passed, allowing me to feel like the tender age of four years old again. Goodman and Crystal’s duo, Mike and Sulley, are still inspirational to me, especially when they tell the newbie worker that they made their way up the professional hierarchy, starting with the mailroom. Personally, I would like to see how the films’ protagonists get to Boo. I also want to see more of Tilly’s Celia Mae, her story, and character development.
However, it seems more likely that the show is focused on Feldman’s Tylor Tuskmon. He and the members of MIFT (“MIFT-fits” as he calls them) make a neat addition, and it’s always great to explore different parts of Monsters, Incorporated. Kaling voices Val Little so well that I absolutely could not recognize her in the role. Winkler is hilarious as Fritz, especially when he has the team initiate Tuskmon into having to “wrench the nut”.
I am curious as to what Ubach, Baker, and Neff have to offer as MIFT members, Cutter, Banana Bread, and Duncan. I also want to know more about Roz’s twin sister, Roze.
Final Thoughts
Each episode runs at 22 to 24 minutes, so these stories pace by pretty fast. Although, I’d like to believe that the first episode provides more information in terms of the narrative than the second one. Despite the pacing, the progression of plot development is gradual. These can be made up for by Dominic Lewis’s music composition, which I profoundly adored. I highly recommend running the episode until the end credits are done playing. While the animation style is slightly different than the 2001 and 2013 films, I cannot wait to see what is new about these characters and their jobs.
Overall, Monsters at Work is not just about one monster; it’s about all the monsters in the workplace. It’s a reflection about the changes in the professional realm, and how this could affect the world at large.
Bobs Cannaway’s Monsters at Work Season 1 is now available on Disney+!
Have you seen the series yet? If you have, what are your thoughts on it? Let us know! For more comedy and fantasy-related news and reviews, follow The Cinema Spot on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!
Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
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