January 8, 2026 • 54 mins
They scare, because they care. But do they? Do they really?
Animation Season 2026 kicks off with Pixar's fourth feature, turning 25 years old this year, the incomparable Monsters, Inc.
In the world of Monsters, Inc., fear is a power source, and children's screams fuel the world of Monstropolis, which is both clever and a bit dark. This is a bright colourful movie, that cleverly hides its darkness from kids, but adults will see it everywhere.
James P. Sullivan, as Monsters Incorporated's number one scarer, has no idea that his world is literally about to be changed by a three-year-old human girl, who finds herself in Monstropolis. His best friend Mike Wazowski is an eyeball with arms and legs who just wants to put that thing back where it came from, or so help me!
Originally titled Monsters, Monsters, Inc transformed from the story of an accountant in their 30s reliving childhood fears of monsters, to a story about scaring just being the monsters' day jobs. Neither Sulley nor Mike were in the original pitch, both characters evolved massively over time.
The production of Monsters, Inc. involved significant technological advancements for Pixar - only six years after Toy Story - especially in fur animation, making Sulley's character feel more lifelike and relatable. And bizarrely, also tentacles.
Animation isn't just for kids; it’s a versatile art form that can tell deep stories, as seen in the exploration of themes like fear and love in Monsters, Inc. It cleverly critiques societal fears and misconceptions, showing how characters are shaped by the narratives they believe—like the monsters thinking children are toxic.
I'm pretty sure kids aren't toxic, though, right? RIGHT?
I would love to hear your thoughts on Monsters, Inc. !
Verbal Diorama is now an award-winning podcast! Best Movie Podcast in the inaugural Ear Worthy Independent Podcast Awards and was nominated for the Earworm Award at the 2025 Golden Lobes.
CONTACT....
- Twitter @verbaldiorama
- Instagram @verbaldiorama
- Facebook @verbaldiorama
- Letterboxd @verbaldiorama
- Email verbaldiorama [at] gmail [dot] com
- Website verbaldiorama.com
SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA....
Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review
ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA
Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free.
Theme Music:
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(02:52):
Hi, everyone. Happy New year.I'm Em and welcome to Verbal Diorama,
Episode 327, Monsters, Inc.This is the podcast that's all about
the history and legacy ofmovies, you know, and movies you
don't. That didn't file herpaperwork last night and pretty much
never files her paperwork, ifI'm being completely honest. Welcome
(03:12):
to Verbal Diorama. It is now2026. Whether you're a brand new
listener, whether you're aregular returning listener, thank
you for being here. Thank youfor choosing to listen to this podcast.
I am so happy to have you herein 2026 for the history and legacy
of Monsters, Inc. And if youare a regular returning listener,
thank you so much for comingback to this podcast, for continuing
(03:35):
to listen to and support thispodcast in its now seventh year,
well, technically eighth year,I guess, of running, but it's going
to be seven next Month eighthYear of Verbal Diorama thank you
so much for your continuedsupport. It really genuinely means
so much. I am back after a bitof a Christmas break, but in all
(03:56):
honesty, I really struggle tostep away from this podcast. Even
when I do take regular breaks,which I've tried to do more in recent
years, I really strugglebecause I genuinely always want to
come back and I always want towork and I always want to try and
put out episodes and Christmaswas brilliant and it was a lot of
fun. But it was also I reallywant to get back to this podcast
(04:17):
and I really want to talkabout this episode specifically because
welcome once again toAnimation Season. Now, animation
season is something that I'vedone since 2020. So this is the sixth
annual animation season and Iam a huge fan of animated movies
and it's something that Ithink that more podcasts should actually
(04:38):
talk about. Animated MoviesAnimation Season is a celebration
of animation in all forms.Traditional 2D, hand drawn, stop
motion, CGI mix of all theabove, I featured some of the greatest
animation studios of all time.Of Elbow Diorama. In the past I featured
Laika, Aardman, DisneyDreamworks, Pixar Studio Ghibli,
(05:00):
Sony Cartoon Saloon, even thestudios that no longer exist, like
Fox Don Bluth Studios, allhave been featured on this podcast
multiple times in the past.Animation is not just for children.
Animation is not a genre. Itis the perfect art form. It is capable
of depicting anything andanyone without the limitations of
(05:22):
live action cinema. This iswhy Animation Season remains so important
to me and to this podcast. Tohighlight incredible animated films
that you may love or you mayhave discounted for whatever reason.
But in my opinion, youshouldn't because you're missing
out on some incrediblestorytelling. And that's why I love
(05:43):
to do this every January andFebruary. And this year I'm off to
say there are some absolutedoozies in the animation season schedule.
Movies that I get aasked. Whenam I doing an episode for it? Cult
favfavouritesorites,Oscarnominees,Potential Oscarnominees,Oscarwinnersandmoviesthat
(06:03):
I think deserve a little bitmore love. And so we come to the
first episode of AnimationSeason 2026 and the last couple of
years, it's got to become atradition to start the season with
a Pixar movie. Now that's notsomething that I've done every animation
season, but in recent years Ihave. And I feel like you've kind
(06:26):
of got to start how you meanto go on. And where Pixar is concerned,
Pixar have made some trulygreat animated Movies since Toy story
debuted in 1995. But one ofthem most special to me is this movie,
Monsters Inc. Which in 2026 is25 years old. It does not look 25
(06:47):
years old. This movie isincredible. So put that thing back
where it came from. Alsohelped me. Here's the trailer for
Monsters, Inc. The city ofMonstropolis centresfavouritearoundaroundthecity'smainpowercompany,MonstersIncorporated.Thetopscarer
(08:43):
atthecompanyis the lovable andconfident James P. Sullivan, better
known as Sully, and his bestfriend and scaring assistant, the
wisecracking Mike Wazowski.They discover what happens when the
real world interacts withtheirs in the form of a three year
old girl called Boo, whoaccidentally sneaks into the monster
world. And according toeveryone, children are toxic to monsters.
(09:07):
It's up to Sully and Mike tosend Boo back before anybody finds
out. But they end upuncovering a sinister conspiracy
within the company to kidnapand elicit more scares from children.
Let's, as always, run throughthe cast. We have John Goodman as
James P. Sully Sullivan, BillyCrystal as Mike Wazowski, Mary Gibbs
(09:30):
as Boo, Steve Buscemi asRandall Boggs, James Coburn as Henry
J. Waternoose, Jennifer Tillyas Celia May, Bob Peterson as Roz,
and John Ratzenberger as TheYeti Monsters Inc. Has a screenplay
by Andrew Stanton and DanielGerson, story by Pete Docter, Jill
(09:52):
Poulton, Geoff Pidgeon andRalph Eggleston was directed by Pete
Docter and co directed byDavid Silverman and Lee Unkrich.
For as long as children havebelieved that their toys could come
to life when they leave theroom, they've also been afraid of
the monster in their closet orunder their bed. It's hard to remember
a time when we didn't havePixar movies. And to be honest, if
(10:16):
you were born after 1995, youdon't remember a time Pixar didn't
make movies. And look at youif that's the case. I was born a
little bit before 1995.Monsters Inc. Was Pixar's fourth
movie, which again seems likeone of those facts that can't possibly
be true. And it was originallyconceived even before Toy Story was
(10:38):
released. Now I don't need totell you what a huge shift in the
animation industry Toy Storywas I already have in episode 50
of this podcast. It would havebeen easy to write Toy Story off
as Pixar's lightning in abottle, the success of which is something
they could never replicateagain. And yet the creative leads
at Pixar weren't resting ontheir laurels even during Toy Story's
(11:02):
production. I've mentioned inprevious episodes about a meeting
in 1994 between AndrewStanton, John Lasseter, Pete Docter
and Joe Ranft duringproduction of Toy Story to gather
ideas for the next Pixarfeature. Conceived during that lunch
were early stage talks for ABug's Life, Finding Nemo and Wall
E, some of the cream of thecrop that Pixar would ever release,
(11:24):
as well as Monsters, Inc. Itwasn't called that at the time, but
the idea was fixed in thewhole Monsters in a Child's Closet.
The first three Pixar movieshad a story co written and directed
by John Lasseter, and takingon the mantle of directing the fourth
feature would have been adaunting task for anyone. John Lasseter
had proven Toy Story wasn'tjust a fluke that Pixar could become
(11:48):
successful, that this was thelittle animation studio that could.
It's worth noting thatLasseter would end up leaving Pixar
in 2018 due to allegations ofsexual misconduct, so we're not going
to dwell too much on him.Unfortunately, we do have to mention
him because he is kind ofintegral to this story. But in that
original 1994 brainstormingsession were men who would shape
(12:11):
the company and its fortunes,including Andrew Stanton, who would
go on to co write and directFinding Nemo, Wally and Finding Dory.
Joe Ranft would co direct Carsbefore his untimely death in 2005.
And then there's Pete Docter.He would go on to direct Up Inside
out and Soul, but he was giventhe task of directing Pixar's fourth
(12:33):
feature, what would becomeMonsters, Inc. He would also direct
the English dub of myfavoritestudioGhiblimovie.HowSmoothingCastle.Originally,theconceptfor MonstersInc.Wasjustcalled
Monsters,andthe originalpitchfor themovie wasaslightlydifferentidea.Itstillfocusedonmonsters
in yourcloset.Itwasaboutanaccountantinhis30s whohatedhisjobandwasfrightenedbymonsterswhocame
(12:58):
tolifeinspiredbydrawingshemadeasachild.TheintriguingthingtoPete Docterwastheideathatas
kidswehavetheseunnamedunconscious fearsandwecreatemonsters
asawaytomake themtangible.Dr.Andtheteambeganthinking,if monstersrepresentfears,
whatthenarethemonstersthemselvesafraidof?Nowtheobviousanswerwaschildren,ourownfearsbeingafraidofus.Themonstersaren'tmonstersintheirworld. They're
(13:26):
justregularpeople.Theyhavejobs, theyformrelationships,
theytalkabouttheweather,whattheysaw on
theTVlastnight.Scaringkidsisjust theirjob.Doctorhas
saidininterviewsthathegenuinelythoughtMonsters,Inc.Wouldbea disasterandthatitwas
extremelydifficultforhimtofollowJohnLasseterto follow
inhisfootsteps,butalsocarvehisownpathat Pixar.Hestartedworking
(13:49):
onMonsters in1996,andshortlyafterwards,heand hiswifeAmanda welcomedtheir
sonCullisinto theworld.PeteDoctorhasroutinelyinvolvedhisideasof parentingandchildrenintohismovies.InsideOut's
maininspirationforthecharacterof RileywasDoctor'sthenpreteendaughter.Butas
Nicholas into the world.theirinfant son homefromthehospital,thehorrorof
(14:12):
atinyhumancountingonahugeincomparisonhumantotakecareof.Itstartedtogethim thinkingabout
Monsters.PeteDocterwouldworkallday andhewould
comehometohissondoingnewthingsandhatedthefactthathewasn'tthere foranyofhismilestones.Hewouldsayinan
interviewwithIndiewire.Quote,it wasthatstrugglebetween
(14:33):
thesortofduty ofworkandthentheloveofakidthatreallykindofbecametheheartofwhatMonsters wasabout,unquote.Theideaforthemoviewasn'tsolely
doctors,andhe'salwaysrefusedthefull credit,
sayingthathedevelopedtheideawithstoryartistJeffPidgeon.AndproductiondesignerHarley Jessup.Andasthey
developedtheirideas,theywouldtakethemtoJohnLasseter,who wouldadvise
(14:56):
themonhow tomakethescriptstronger.Andmonstersevolvedmany timesfromthatoriginalpitch.It
wentfromanaccountantintheir30stoarealityshowwheremonstersscarekidsforfun,tomonsterswhosejobitwastoscarekids. Butitwouldstilllookdifferent
tothefinishedproduct.Therewasno Sully,butaclumsymonstercalledJohnson.Johnsonwasactuallymorelikethe
(15:20):
characterthatMikeWazowskiwould become.Kindoftimidandinspired
bytherealscarymonstersathiswork.InsteadofRandall,therewasNed, andhewasthetopscareratthecompany.Johnsonwasn'trespected
andisthreatenedwithbeingfired. Thecharacterthatwould
become Boovariedin ageandgenderovertime,butinthescript developerperiodisnamedMary.
(15:45):
And she'solder,aged aroundsevenyearsold. AndsheendsupscaringJohnsonratherthantheother
wayaround.Shefollowshimintothemonsterworld,disguisesherselfasamonster andstayswithJohnsonandhelpshimscareotherchildren.WhenNedfindsoutabout
her, hecallsthe authoritieswhoarrest Johnson, andshehelpshim escapebybringing
(16:06):
himintothe realworld.Dr.Wouldcitethe1973filmPaperMoonasinspirationfortheideaofanadultcharactergettingstuck withachild
forafewyears.After1996,thestory continued
toevolve,buttheissueofempathizingwithmonsterskeptcomingup.Throughvariousdrafts, Johnsonwentfrombeinga
(16:26):
janitortoascarabtohisfinalincarnation.Hewasthestarofthecompany andthebestscarab.
Marywentfrombeingasevenyearoldtoathreeyearoldbecause the
youngershewas,themoreshewoulddependontheoldermonstercharacterJohnson became.Sully,
thecharacterofNedmorphedintoRandallBoggs,who Docter
(16:48):
Would cite the 1973 film PaperofasecondbananatoSully. Earlierdraftshadhimdressinnice
suitsandkissuptoWaterloose.Andthemantrafor Pixar intheseearlydayswasDoIcare?DoIcare?DoIcare?Youhadtocareaboutthese
monstersdespitethembeingmonsters.Andthatwasalwaysgoing tobeatoughthingto
(17:10):
navigateforTod'sstoryinABug'sLife. These
movieswererootedverymuchintherealworld,whereasMonstersInc.Wouldbe basedonitsownmonsterverse.Andanything
couldgointhatworld,whichwasripeforallsorts ofstorytelling.In
May1997,itwaslongtimeDisneyanimatorJoeGrant,whohadstartedworkingat Disneyin1933andreconceptualartfor
(17:33):
theEvil QueeninSnowWhiteandtheSevenDwarves. Whowastheonetosuggest
thetitle?MonstersInc.Aplayonthe1960film MurderInc.Afilmaboutanorganized
kiss up to Waternoose. And themantra for Pixar in originalidea,AndrewStanton,whohadwrittenthethreepreviousPixar
featuresandservedasexecutiveproduceronthefilm, settowork
(17:55):
creatingascreenplaythatwouldcapturethe concept'sspiritandimagination.OnceStantonhad
establishedthefoundationforthefilm through severalscreenplaydrafts,heturned
hisattentiontohisnextproject,FindingNemo,and Dan
Gersonsteppedintowritesubsequentversionsofthescreenplay.GersonjoinedPixarin1999andcollaborated withbothDr.AndcodirectorDavidSilverman,
(18:19):
who joinedin1998,tofocusonDisney in 1933 and drew conceptual
art for the Evil Queen in SnowWhite and the BobPetersonand his
teamwerehelpingtovisualizethescriptwithdrawings, gags,andlotsofinventiveideas.Alongwithco
directorLeeUnkrich,anotherfuturebignameforPixar,eachofthethreedirectorsboughtdifferentstrengths.Silverhadworkedon the
(18:41):
storyandwrotegags.Hehelpeddevelopthepersonalitiesof thecharactersandadded
agreat dealtothefilm'shumor.Unkrichoversawthe editing,stagingand
cinematography,basicallydoingthesame role thathehadon ToyStory2.Throughoutfirstiterationsofthescreenplay,therewasaSullycharacter
andaBoocharacter,buttherewasnoMike Wazowski.Mikewouldn'tevencomeintotheequationuntilastorysummitinApril
(19:08):
1998,acrash exercisetowriteaquick screenplaywhere thegroup atthatsummit
with bothDocterhumourAndcodirectorDavidSilverman,who joined
in 1998, to focus onbackgroundcharacter,asphericalcharacter withoneeyeandlegs,
butwithnoarms.Originally,theyjustwantedhimto havelegs
(19:29):
andusehislegsto doeverything.Butthroughtheprocess, theyfound that
alotofexpressionscountontheasymmetryoffacialexpressions. Andwith
thischaracteronlyhavingoneeye, theystruggledtogethimtoemotewithoutarms
andhands.Sotheyendedupgivinghimarmsandhands. HestartedoutorangeuntilJohnLassetersaidthathelookedlikeanactualorange
(19:51):
witharmsandlegs.WhenitcametodesigningSully,thenDisneyFeatureAnimationpresidentTomSchumacheradvisedtheteamtonotmakehimlooklikeaguyinasuit.Godzillamightdisagree,andsowouldthepersonwho'dhavetoplaythecharacteratDisneyland.Probablyso.Theyoriginallywentwithtentaclesandmultipleeyes,butthatbecameaestheticallychallenging.Designingamonsterwithtentacleswasonething,butanimatingitwouldbeanother.Thestudioevencreatedatentaclepackageincasetheyweregoingtoanimateacharacterwithlotsofarmsorlegs.But Storyboard
(20:27):
artist Ricky Nierva had comeup with a background character, a
spherical character with oneeye and legs, but with no arms. withthechallengeofanimatingatwoleggedcharacterwithfur,withthetentaclepackageusedonbackground
charactersinstead.Then,aboutadecadeintothefuture,whenPixarwereanimatingthecharacterofHankinFindingDory,everyonewouldciteMonstersInc.Astrailblazing inexperimentswithtentacles.ManytestmodelswerebuiltofbothSullyandMike.WhenSullywasJohnson,hewasabrownshorthairedmonsterwithhornsandtheaforementionedgreententacles.Theycollectedallkindsoffursamplesfromllamas,yaks,sheep,goatsandbeartokeephimplayful.Theywentwithamattedmediumlengthfurtomakehimlooklikea
(21:14):
biglovablebear.AfterreviewingversionsofSullythatlookedlikefruit,stripedgumkunners,aleopardandagiraffe,hewouldbecomeabluegreenmonsterwithpurpledotsandtwolegs,notentacles.RickyMiervawastheleadcharacterdesignerforSully,andwhentheyagreedonthedesignofthecharacter, theythenhadtomoveontocreatingthatmuchfur.Butbeforewetalkaboutthefur,theyhadtocastthemovie.AndPeteDocter'sfirstchoiceforSullywaswasn'tJohnGoodman,butactuallyBillMurray.Murrayauditioned,screentested
(21:47):
andwentthroughthewholeprocessrightupuntilDr.Couldn'tevengetholdofhim.BecauseBillMurrayisnotoriouslydifficulttogetholdof.WithMurraynotrespondingtorequeststogetintouch,theymovedonandofferedittoJohnGoodman,whounderstoodthecharacterimmediatelyasthestarquarterbackofScaringforMike.PeteDocterwenttoBillyCrystal,who'dregrettedturning downtheroleofBuzzLightyeartheToyStory.Andhewasdelightedtobeaskedandacceptedprettymuchonthespot.BecauseifPixarcomecallingforavoicerole,yousayyes,unlessyou'reBillMurray.ThismoviewouldbeverydifferentwithBillMurrayasSully.Andthisisanotherbuddypairing,similartothebuddypairingthattheyhadinToyStory.AndforToyStory,TomHanksandTimAllenrecordedtheirlinesseparately,which
(22:37):
wasthenormforanimatedmovies.ButMonstersInc.JohnGoodmanandBillyCrystalnotonlyrecordedtheirlinestogether,they wouldimprovtogether,
leadingtosomeoffthecuffconversations,suchasthe Sully
that looked like fruit,striped gum colours, a leopard and
a giraffe, he would become ablue green monster with purple dots
(23:00):
and two legs, no tentacles.Ricky Nierva was the lead character
designer for Sully, and whenthey agreed on the design of the
character, they then had tomove on to creating that much fur.
But before we talk about thefur, they had to cast the movie.
Andbabies.RobGibbshadstartedworkingatPixarasastoryartistonToyStory2andwasworkingonMonstersInc.Andtheyneededalittlegirltocomeinsotheartistcouldsketchan process
(23:33):
right up until Docter Couldn'even get hold of him. Because Bill
Murray is notoriouslydifficult to get hold of. With Murray
not responding to requests toget in touch, they moved shekneweveryoneandwasverycomfortableintheirpresence.ManyoftherecordingscapturedofMaryarecompletelyorganic,justrecordingsofofalittlegirlhavingfun.Notthatitwaseasy
(23:59):
torecordatwoyearold.Theydon'ttendtositstill.Mary'srecordingswere sogoodthatshewascastasBoointheearlyproductionofMonsters,Inc.
InNovember2000,Pixaractuallypackedupandmovedover500employeesfromPointRichmond toamuchbiggercampusinEmeryville,California,codesignedbyJohnLasseterandSteveJobs.Sowhilethisproductionwasgoingon,theywerealsomovingstudioaswell.OneofthebigproblemsthattheyhadonMonstersInc.Wasmakingthefurmoverealistically.Sollyisan8foottallhornedmonsterwitha700poundbodycoveredinbluegreenfur.Havinganimatorsanimatehisfurbyhandwouldhavebeenanimpossibletask.Developing
(24:46):
hairsimulationsoftwarethatcancontrolhairmovementwasthe answer.Otherstudioshadtackledrealisticfur,mostnotablyrhythmandhuesinits1993PolarBearcommercialsforCocaColaandinitstalkinganimalfacesinthe1995filmBabe.However,renderingthecharactersofMonsters,Inc.Requiredfuronamuchlargerscale.Sullywouldhave2,320,413individualhairsonhisbodyandtheyhadtomakesurethatthehairscastshadowsonotheronesandthatthehairsreactedcorrectly
(25:24):
tolighting.AprogramcalledDeepShadowingwascreatedto helpachievetheeffect.Theyalsodevelopedanewsystemforfog,smoke,steamandotheratmosphericshadingeffects.Evenvariationsinsnowwerephysicallyimpossibletoachieve.BeforeMonsters,Inc.Thescene
whereSullycrashesoutinthesnowwasoneofthemosttechnologicallyadvancedscenesinthemoviebecauseitinvolvedfurreactingtowindandsnow.They alsocreatedoveramillionindividualsnowflakes.SohowdidtheyCreatethefurforSully.Well,theystartedwithcreatingaballoffur,andthentheyransimulationswiththatfur,reactingtocertainmovements.Theymadethefurwetandslimy.Theybraidedit.Theanimatorsgrewsoattachedtothefurballthattheymademonsterswithit.Mostobviously
(26:15):
oneoftheothermonstersonthescarefloorwhoisafurballwithtentacles.Sothey'rebasicallyjusttakingalloftheunusedstuff andjustaddingittomakeothermonsters.Theywouldrunmultiplesimulationsofthefurondifferentscenariostoseehowitmovedandinteractedwithotherthings.SotheytestSullywalking,running,jumping,scratchingandclapping,andtesttheweightofthefur.Sollyalsorananobstaclecourse,butthefirsttimeheranit,thefurwouldglitch,stretch,and
(26:47):
catchonobjects.Insteadofanimatingeachhaironebyone,Pixarcomputerscientistscreatedaprogramcalledfizzt,shortforPhysicsTool,whichwouldautomatethemovementofSully'shairsbasedonwhat'shappeninginanygivenscene.Pixarwouldlaterusethesamesystemtosimulate realisticfuronanimalcharacters
(27:08):
likeRemytheratinRatatouilleandDougthedoginUp.Fistwouldcreatehowhairmoveswithacharacter'smovements,orhowhairscollectivelyrespondtoforceslikegravity,wind,orsnow.PixarwoulduseFistonitsfuturemoviestogiverealisticmovementstoeverythingfromhumanfleshfabrics,watertooctopustentacles.IttookabouttwoyearstowritetheclothsimulationsoftwareusedinMonsters,Inc.Thechallengewastryingtomakeaphysicalsimulationworkinacartoonworld.Blue'sTshirthadtorespondtothebodymovingunderneathanditnotbedistractinginanyway.They hadtoconsiderthedensityandweightofthefabric,howgravityaffectsit,andhowquicklythefoldspullout.Whenherbodystopsmoving,theshirthadtostopmovingaswell.GoingfromToyStory'splasticbodiestoabug's
(28:01):
life'sexoskeletons.Monsters,Inc.WasthefirsttimePixarhadflexiblebodiestoworkwith.Everymaincharacterinthemovie haditsownleadanimator.JohnCarsonSully,AndrewGordononMike,andDaveDivanonBoo.Andthiswasthefirsttimein
Pixar'shistorythateachcharacterhadaleadanimator.LateriterationsofSullyalso hadhimwearing
(28:25):
apairofblackglasses,butthesewereremovedbecausePixarwantedhiseyestobereadableandanditwasfeltglassestookawayfromthat.TodesignMonstropolis,theproductionteamofHarleyJessupandBobPauleywenttolocalFactories,refineries,assemblyplants,blimphangers,andotherindustrialsitesthatcouldinspiretheirdesigns.AdjacenttotheoldPixarstudiosinPointRichmondwas aChevronrefinery,andthatprovidedgoodresearchwithitsmazeofpipesandstructuresfortransportinggas.AtJohnLasseter'surging,theproductiondesignerstookafieldtriptoPittsburghtoobservefirsthandwhatanoldercompanytownbuiltaroundfactoriesmightlooklike.Inspirationfortheindividualworkstationsonthestair
(29:09):
floorcamefromclassicbowlingalleydesigns.TheyenvisionedtheMonstersInc.Factoryasa60seraModernistbuildingandthesurroundingcityhavingbuildingsofover100yearsoldandslightlyrundownbuildingsstrugglingtosurviveanenergyshortage.Aschildrenbecome first
time he ran it, the fur wouldglitch, stretch, and catch on objects.
(29:32):
Instead of animating each hairone by one, Pixar computer scientists
created a program called Fizt,short for Physics Tool, which would
automate the movement ofSully's hairs based on what's happening
in any given scene.thatwouldrunonmonorailtracks.Fizzedalsocameinhere.Withthesoftwaregeneratingmillionsofuniquedoorsandthe in
(29:56):
Ratatouille and Doug the dogin Up. Fizt would create how hair
moves with a character'smovements, or how hairs collectively
respond to forces likegravity, wind, or snow. Pixar would
use Fizt on its future moviesto give realistic movements to everything
from human flesh fabrics,water to octopus tentacles. It took
(30:19):
about two years to writeambianceofthefilm.Fundamentally,theywantedtheMonsterstobethemostcolourfulthingsinMonstropolis.So thecitywas
colouredsomewhatmuted.Thebrightercolours weresavedforthecharactersthemselves,sotheywouldreallystandout.Andthecityitselfhassomefunadditionsandpuns,likeTony'sgroceryspelled
(30:40):
GROSSERYratherthanGROCERY.AswellastherestaurantHarryhausen's,namedofcourse,inhomagetoRayHarryhausen.ThesceneinwhichtheHarryhausen'srestaurantwasdecontaminatedwasoriginallygoingto feature
therestaurantbeingblownup.Andthisscenewasanimatedandfinished.Butthen911happenedandtheanimation wasquicklyredoneandtheexplosionwasreplacedbyaplasmadometoavoidupsettingviewers.OneofthemajornewtechnicalinnovationsofMonsters,
(31:11):
Inc.Wasthecreationofanewdepartmenttokeeptrackofalloftheelementsthatgointocreatingashot, appropriatelycalledtheshotsdepartment.ThisareawasunderthesupervisionofsimulationandeffectssupervisorGalenSussman.Ateamofsevensequencesupervisorsand
16shotsupervisorsworkedonherteamtoassembleandrendereveryshotinthefilm.GalenSussmanwasthe personresponsibleforsavingToyStory2.
(31:37):
Thestoryofthat'sinepisode112,andshewasactuallylaidofffromPixarin2023afterworkingatthecompany foralmost30years.AndthiswasPixar'srealventure
intoaworldotherthanourown.AndMonstropolis isbeautifullyrealized.It'sasimilarworldtoourown,butcaterstomonsters,both
(31:58):
tiny,large,slimyandfurry,butenvironmentallyclosetoourown.Monsterscan traveltoourworldandstillbreatheourair.Forexample,Boo
canrunriotthroughtheMonstropoliscitycenter,butthere'sstilltoiletstorelieveherself.Thisisaworldofshowing,nottelling.There'snoroomforexposition.Youunderstandthescarefloorandhowitallworksimmediately.Andthebrightcolorsaren'tjustlimitedtothemovieitself,butalsoitstitles.PeteDocterisafanofthe modernlooking2Danimationofthe1950s,animationthatcallsbackDisneytoitself.InmovieslikeSleepingBeauty,thetitlesequenceintentionallypayshomagetotheworkofgraphicdesignerandfilmmakerSaulBassBass.MostfamoustitlesequencesincludeAlfredHitchcock'snorthbyNorthwestandPsycho,andthetitlesequence
wasdesignedbyanimatorandillustratorG.FreeBodo.Anditistimetosegueintotheveryfirstobligatory KEANUreference
(32:57):
of2026.Now,ifyou'renewhereandyoudon'tknow whatthat'sit,whatthisis,thisisapartofthepodcastwhereItry
individual doors that wouldrun on monorail tracks. Fizt also
came in here. Withcontinuestobethebestofmen.Ican't of
unique doors and the realisticmovement of doors on tracks. They
(33:18):
mixed and matched 26 colours,12 styles and eight wood colourscolourwithvariousdoorknobsanddecals.
Jessup worked closely with artdirector Tia Kratter to define the
colourcentrepaletteandshadingtexturesforthe characters
and the sets. Dominique servedasartdirectoron thefilm,didlightingstudiesandbeautifulpasteldrawingstohelpdefinetheoverallambiance
(33:48):
ofthefilm.Fundamentally,theywantedtheMonsters tobethemostcolourfulthings
inMonstropolis. So the citywascolouredsomewhat muted.Thebrightercoloursweresavedforthecharactersthemselves,sotheywouldreallystandout.Andthecityitselfhassomefunadditions
(34:10):
andpuns,likeTony'sgroceryspelled GRO
SSER YratherthanGROCERY.AswellastherestaurantHarryhausen's,namedofcourse, inhomagetoRay
Harryhausen.The sceneinwhichtheHarryhausen'srestaurantwasdecontaminatedwasoriginally goingtofeaturetherestaurantbeingblownup.Andthisscene
(34:39):
wasanimatedandfinished.Butthen911happenedandthe animationwasquickly
redoneandtheexplosionwasreplacedby aplasmadometo
avoidupsettingviewers.Oneofthemajor newtechnicalinnovationsof
Monsters, Inc.Wasthecreationlawsuit.ThelawsuitwasfiledbyLaurieMadrid,writer to
(35:03):
avoid upsetting viewers. Oneof the major new technical innovations
of Monsters, Inc. Was thecreation of a new department to keep
track of all of the elementsthat go into creating a shot, appropriately
called the shots department.This area was under the supervision
of simulation and effectssupervisor Galen Sussman. A team
(35:27):
of seven sequence supervisorsand 16 shot supervisors worked on
her team to assemble andrender every shot in the film. Galen
Sussman was the personresponsible for saving Toy Story
2. The story of that's inepisode 112, and she was actually
laid off from Pixar in 2023after working at the company for
(35:51):
almost 30 years. And this wasPixar's real venture into a world
other than our own. AndMonstropolis is beautifully realized.
It's a similar world to ourown, but caters to monsters, both
tiny, large, slimy and furry,but environmentally close to our
own. Monsters can travel toour world and still breathe our air.
(36:15):
For example, Boo can run riotthrough the Monstropolis city centrecolours,butthere'sstilltoilets
torelieveherself.This is aworld of showing, not telling. There's
no room for exposition. Youunderstand the scare floor and how
it all works immediately. Andthe bright coloursfavouraren't justlimitedtothemoviebutalso
(36:39):
itstitles.PeteDocterisafanofthe modernlooking2D
animationofthe 1950s,animationthatcallsbackDisneytoitself.Inmovies likeSleepingBeauty,thetitlesequenceintentionallypayshomageto
theworkofgraphicdesignerandfilmmaker SaulBass Bass.MostfamoustitlesequencesincludeAlfredHitchcock'snorthbyNorthwestandPsycho,andthetitlesequencewasdesignedby
(37:07):
animatorandillustratorG.FreeBodo.Anditistimeto segueintothe
veryfirstobligatoryKEANUreferenceof 2026.
Now,if you'renewhereandyoudon't know whatthat'sit,whatthisis,thisisapart
ofthe podcast whereI tryandlinkevery movie that IfeaturewithKeanuReevesfornoreason
(37:33):
otherthan he isthebestofmenandcontinues tobe thebestofmen.Ican'treallylinkhimtoPixarunlessIgo
theToyStory4route,which tobehonest,I'vedoneafewtimes,so Ifeel
likeIcan'treallydothatanymore. ButbothKeanuandJohnGoodman
(37:57):
haveappearedinWaitingforGodot.Keanurecentlyon Broadwayin2025withhisbill
andTed costarAlexWinter,andGoodmanonBroadwayin 2009
withBillIrwin,JohnGloverandNathanLane. Ihaveto
add,I'venot seenWaitingforGodot.Idon'tthinkit'sanythinglike MonstersInc.IfI'mbeingcompletely
(38:22):
honest. Butmovingon tothemusic, becauseMonstersInc.Marksthe
fourth feature filmcollaborationbetweenPixarandacclaimedcomposerand songwriter
RandyNewman,anditwould givehimhis first Academyawardwinafter16nominations
to the music, because MonstersInc. Marks the fourth feature film
(38:43):
collaboration between Pixarand acclaimed composer and songwriter
Randy Newman, and it wouldgive him his first Academy award
win after 16 nominations forbest Original Song for the song if
I Didn't have you sung by JohnGoodman and Billy Crystal. Newman
also composed the score, a mixof 1940s jazz and big band influences.
(39:08):
He would also win a Grammy forthe song too. So Pixar released an
early teaser trailer forMonsters, Inc. In October 2000, which
was distributed online andincluded on home video releases of
Toy Story 2. It was laterattached to 102 Dalmatians theatrically
(39:29):
and also appeared on theEmperor's New Grief DVD in May 2001
because DVDs did used toinclude trailers at one point in
time. Another trailerpremiered in cinemas in June 2001
with Atlantis the Lost Empire.I am just listing previous episodes
of this podcast here. MonstersInc. Premiered at the El Capitan
(39:53):
Theatre in Hollywood on 28October 2001, but the release of
the movie was almost delayedby a lawsuit. The lawsuit was filed
by Laurie Madrid, writer of ashort story called There's a Boy
in My Closet. The lawsuitnamed Pixar, Disney and Chronicle
(40:14):
Books as defendants, and itwas claimed that they had stolen
Madrid's story and used it asinspiration for Monsters, Inc. Madrid
wrote the short story in 1999and sent it to many publishers, including
Chronicle Books. Madridbelieved Chronicle Books forwarded
it to Pixar, who then used itto come up with Monsters, Inc. Madrid
(40:39):
requested a preliminaryinjunction to block the release of
the film until the court casewas complete. So on the 1st of November
2001, the day before thefilm's release, the film's director,
Pete Docter, and Dick Cook,chairman of Disney's Motion Pictures
Group, appeared before a judgein a Wyoming courthouse. Both Doctor
(41:04):
and Cult took the stand anddoctor explained that Madrid's book
had no impact on the Monsters,Inc. Story or film development and
how the development of thefilm had begun years before Madrid
wrote her story. After anentire day in court, the judge ruled
(41:25):
in favour of Pixar and Disneyand denied Madrid's request for an
injunction on the release ofMonsters Inc. So it was released
the following day on 2November 2001, and the cinema release
was accompanied by Pixar shortfor the Birds. It opened at number
(41:46):
one at the box office, stayedat number one for two weeks before
being dethroned by HarryPotter and the Philosopher's Stone,
or Sorcerer's Stone. It wouldstay in the top 10 for 10 weeks.
At the time, Monsters Inc.Held the record for having the biggest
(42:07):
opening weekend worldwide ofan animated film, making $84.8 million.
That was surpassed in 2007with the Simpsons Movie, which David
Silverman also directed.Monsters Inc. Was also the last Pixar
movie to include a blooperreel until they reintroduced them
for Elio in 2025. TheIncredibles technically also had
(42:30):
animated outtakes, but thosewere part of the actual film and
were only available on the DVDrelease. Monsters Inc's blooper reel
includes the reveal of therenowned company play by the Monsters
Inc. Company players. Put thatthing back where it came from Also
(42:51):
help me on its 115 milliondollar budget, Monsters Ink would
gross 255.9 million dollarsdomestically and 272.9 million dollars
internationally for a totalworldwide gross of 528.8 million
dollars. It would become thethird highest grossing movie of 2001
worldwide after Harry Potterand the Philosophers Slash, Sorcerer's
(43:13):
Stone and the Lord of theRings the Fellowship of the ring.
On its DVD release it wouldsell 5 million copies in its first
day on Rotten Tomatoes. It hasa rating of 96% with a consensus
reading Clever, funny anddelightful to look at, Monsters Inc.
(43:35):
Delivers another resoundingexample of how Pixar elevated the
bar for modern all agesanimation. It was nominated for four
Academy Awards Best AnimatedFeature, Best Original Score, Best
Original Song, Best SoundEditing. As I mentioned it would
win Best Original Song. Itlost Best Animated Feature the inaugural
(43:57):
award to Shrek. I still thinkthis is better than Shrek, only marginally,
but I think the animationholds up so much better. It would
be nominated for and win theBAFTA for the BAFTA Children's Award
for Best Feature Film. Itwould also be nominated for eight
(44:19):
Annie Awards, winningOutstanding Character Animation.
A prequel titled MonstersUniversity was released on 21 June
2013. John Goodman, BillyCrystal and Steve Buscemi reprise
their roles of Sully, Mike andRandall, Dan Scanlon directed Monsters
University and the prequelplot focuses on Sully and Mike's
(44:40):
studies at MonstersUniversity, where they start off
as rivals but soon becomefriends. In 2017, Bob Iger announced
a TV series for Disney set inthe Monsters Inc. Universe called
Monsters at Work, whichpremiered on Disney plus on 7th July
2021. Based on and a directcontinuation of Monsters Inc. It
(45:04):
features the voices of JohnGoodman and Billy Crystal reprising
their roles. Pixar did notproduce the series, it was instead
produced by Disney TelevisionAnimation. Its first season debuted
on Disney plus and its secondon the Disney Channel. There were
plans for a direct theatricalsequel to Monsters Inc. Which would
(45:28):
have been called Monsters Inc.Two Lost in Scaradise. The film would
have focused on Mike and Sullyvisiting the human world to give
Boo a birthday present, onlyto find that she had moved after
getting trapped in the humanworld. Mike and Sully would split
(45:49):
up after disagreeing on whatto do. It ultimately never happened,
not because Pixar thought theidea was bad, but because Pixar wasn't
even involved. Let me explain.So when Disney and Pixar partnered
up to release animated moviesin the 1990s, the original contract
(46:10):
was for seven films withsuccess of Toy Story 2. At the end
of 1999, then Disney CEOMichael Eisner and then owner of
Pixar, Steve Jobs, began todisagree on how Pixar should be run
and the terms of theircontinued relationship. Eisner claimed
(46:31):
that Toy Story 2 as it was asequel did not count towards the
original film count of theagreement, and Steve Jobs disagreed.
After those seven films up toand including Cars were completed,
Pixar said they would notrenew their agreement with Disney
(46:51):
and so Disney created its ownanimation division called Circle
7 Animation. The originalDisney and Pixar partnership meant
that Disney owned the storyand character rights to the movies
and could legitimately maketheir own sequels without Pixar's
involvement. And the MonstersInc. Sequel was set to be developed
(47:14):
by Circle 7 Animation now dueto Disney's purchase of Pixar in
January 2006. On 26 May thatyear, Disney shut down Circle 7 Animation
and transferred most of thestudio's employees to to Walt Disney
Feature Animation, which wasrenamed Walt Disney animation studios
(47:34):
in 2007. Circle 7 Animationhad several Pixar sequels planned
in various stages ofdevelopment at the time, including
Monsters Inc. 2, Lost inScaradise, Finding Nemo 2 and the
Circle 7 version of Toy Story3. Those movies were all cancelled
following Circle 7's closure,and the idea for Monsters Inc. 2
(47:59):
Lost in Scaradise wouldeventually morph into Monsters University
and become prequel. SoMonsters Inc. Was released and was
a big success. So you wouldthink that that would be the end
of the story, but no, becausein 2002 another lawsuit was filed
against Pixar and Disney aboutMonsters Inc. In the federal court
(48:24):
in San Francisco by a posterartist called Stanley Mouse. He claimed
that Monsters Inc. Stars Mikeand Sully were derived from a one
eyed creature called WiseG'Eye and a larger monster who often
appeared together in hiscartoons going back to 1963 and strongly
(48:45):
resembled a character drawn byhim. As part of his ideas for a film
called Excuse My Dust, whichwas Set in Monster City, where the
animated monsters worked forthe Monster Corporation of America.
Stanley Mouse hadunsuccessfully tried to sell the
(49:05):
idea for Excuse My Dust toHollywood studios in 1998. Drawings
attached to the complaintdating from the early 1960s have
a small two legged eyeballwith a large, dull witted monster
character in a buddyfriendship. The law suit also claimed
that a story artist from Pixarvisited him in 2000 and discussed
(49:31):
his work with him. A Disneyspokeswoman responded saying that
the characters in MonstersInc. Were developed independently
by the Pixar and Walt DisneyPictures creator teams and do not
infringe on anyone'scopyrights. The case was ultimately
settled under undisclosedterms. It seems strange now that
(49:53):
in 2026, 25 years ago, Pixarin 2001 was still an up and coming
studio with just a few hitsunder its belt. Their fourth movie
being a buddy movie just likeToy Story and Toy Story 2 might not
have whetted too manyappetites, but early Pixar proved
(50:16):
that their concepts andimaginations were second to none.
And Monsters Inc. Really is noexception. The power of fear really
is the key to this movie. Yes,it's gorgeous, the voice acting is
great and it's incredibly wellconceived and executed. But fear
(50:36):
powers everything. Fear powersthe city of Monstropolis. Quite literally,
fear powers the levels ofscreams a monster can elicit from
a child. The scarier themonster, the bigger the screams.
A fear the monsters haveagainst coming into contact with
human children. Fear of theunknown. What could be behind that
(51:01):
door? What was that noise Iheard downstairs? But like most movies
made by Pixar, it translatesto both a child and adult audience.
For adults, it's the fear ofletting your children go of their
child growing up. The fear ofdisappointing your child, overcoming
(51:23):
your fears is the grandertheme of this movie. And this just
perfectly segues into therelationship between Sully and Boo,
which is the emotional core ofthe ufuellingcolourslXBye. y
Hi, everyone. Happy New year.I'm Em and welcome to Verbal Diorama,
Episode 327, Monsters, Inc.This is the podcast that's all about
the history and legacy ofmovies, you know, and movies you
don't. That didn't file herpaperwork last night and pretty much
never files her paperwork, ifI'm being completely honest. Welcome
(03:12):
to Verbal Diorama. It is now2026. Whether you're a brand new
listener, whether you're aregular returning listener, thank
you for being here. Thank youfor choosing to listen to this podcast.
I am so happy to have you herein 2026 for the history and legacy
of Monsters, Inc. And if youare a regular returning listener,
thank you so much for comingback to this podcast, for continuing
(03:35):
to listen to and support thispodcast in its now seventh year,
well, technically eighth year,I guess, of running, but it's going
to be seven next Month eighthYear of Verbal Diorama thank you
so much for your continuedsupport. It really genuinely means
so much. I am back after a bitof a Christmas break, but in all
(03:56):
honesty, I really struggle tostep away from this podcast. Even
when I do take regular breaks,which I've tried to do more in recent
years, I really strugglebecause I genuinely always want to
come back and I always want towork and I always want to try and
put out episodes and Christmaswas brilliant and it was a lot of
fun. But it was also I reallywant to get back to this podcast
(04:17):
and I really want to talkabout this episode specifically because
welcome once again toAnimation Season. Now, animation
season is something that I'vedone since 2020. So this is the sixth
annual animation season and Iam a huge fan of animated movies
and it's something that Ithink that more podcasts should actually
(04:38):
talk about. Animated MoviesAnimation Season is a celebration
of animation in all forms.Traditional 2D, hand drawn, stop
motion, CGI mix of all theabove, I featured some of the greatest
animation studios of all time.Of Elbow Diorama. In the past I featured
Laika, Aardman, DisneyDreamworks, Pixar Studio Ghibli,
(05:00):
Sony Cartoon Saloon, even thestudios that no longer exist, like
Fox Don Bluth Studios, allhave been featured on this podcast
multiple times in the past.Animation is not just for children.
Animation is not a genre. Itis the perfect art form. It is capable
of depicting anything andanyone without the limitations of
(05:22):
live action cinema. This iswhy Animation Season remains so important
to me and to this podcast. Tohighlight incredible animated films
that you may love or you mayhave discounted for whatever reason.
But in my opinion, youshouldn't because you're missing
out on some incrediblestorytelling. And that's why I love
(05:43):
to do this every January andFebruary. And this year I'm off to
say there are some absolutedoozies in the animation season schedule.
Movies that I get aasked. Whenam I doing an episode for it? Cult
favfavouritesorites,Oscarnominees,Potential Oscarnominees,Oscarwinnersandmoviesthat
(06:03):
I think deserve a little bitmore love. And so we come to the
first episode of AnimationSeason 2026 and the last couple of
years, it's got to become atradition to start the season with
a Pixar movie. Now that's notsomething that I've done every animation
season, but in recent years Ihave. And I feel like you've kind
(06:26):
of got to start how you meanto go on. And where Pixar is concerned,
Pixar have made some trulygreat animated Movies since Toy story
debuted in 1995. But one ofthem most special to me is this movie,
Monsters Inc. Which in 2026 is25 years old. It does not look 25
(06:47):
years old. This movie isincredible. So put that thing back
where it came from. Alsohelped me. Here's the trailer for
Monsters, Inc. The city ofMonstropolis centresfavouritearoundaroundthecity'smainpowercompany,MonstersIncorporated.Thetopscarer
(08:43):
atthecompanyis the lovable andconfident James P. Sullivan, better
known as Sully, and his bestfriend and scaring assistant, the
wisecracking Mike Wazowski.They discover what happens when the
real world interacts withtheirs in the form of a three year
old girl called Boo, whoaccidentally sneaks into the monster
world. And according toeveryone, children are toxic to monsters.
(09:07):
It's up to Sully and Mike tosend Boo back before anybody finds
out. But they end upuncovering a sinister conspiracy
within the company to kidnapand elicit more scares from children.
Let's, as always, run throughthe cast. We have John Goodman as
James P. Sully Sullivan, BillyCrystal as Mike Wazowski, Mary Gibbs
(09:30):
as Boo, Steve Buscemi asRandall Boggs, James Coburn as Henry
J. Waternoose, Jennifer Tillyas Celia May, Bob Peterson as Roz,
and John Ratzenberger as TheYeti Monsters Inc. Has a screenplay
by Andrew Stanton and DanielGerson, story by Pete Docter, Jill
(09:52):
Poulton, Geoff Pidgeon andRalph Eggleston was directed by Pete
Docter and co directed byDavid Silverman and Lee Unkrich.
For as long as children havebelieved that their toys could come
to life when they leave theroom, they've also been afraid of
the monster in their closet orunder their bed. It's hard to remember
a time when we didn't havePixar movies. And to be honest, if
(10:16):
you were born after 1995, youdon't remember a time Pixar didn't
make movies. And look at youif that's the case. I was born a
little bit before 1995.Monsters Inc. Was Pixar's fourth
movie, which again seems likeone of those facts that can't possibly
be true. And it was originallyconceived even before Toy Story was
(10:38):
released. Now I don't need totell you what a huge shift in the
animation industry Toy Storywas I already have in episode 50
of this podcast. It would havebeen easy to write Toy Story off
as Pixar's lightning in abottle, the success of which is something
they could never replicateagain. And yet the creative leads
at Pixar weren't resting ontheir laurels even during Toy Story's
(11:02):
production. I've mentioned inprevious episodes about a meeting
in 1994 between AndrewStanton, John Lasseter, Pete Docter
and Joe Ranft duringproduction of Toy Story to gather
ideas for the next Pixarfeature. Conceived during that lunch
were early stage talks for ABug's Life, Finding Nemo and Wall
E, some of the cream of thecrop that Pixar would ever release,
(11:24):
as well as Monsters, Inc. Itwasn't called that at the time, but
the idea was fixed in thewhole Monsters in a Child's Closet.
The first three Pixar movieshad a story co written and directed
by John Lasseter, and takingon the mantle of directing the fourth
feature would have been adaunting task for anyone. John Lasseter
had proven Toy Story wasn'tjust a fluke that Pixar could become
(11:48):
successful, that this was thelittle animation studio that could.
It's worth noting thatLasseter would end up leaving Pixar
in 2018 due to allegations ofsexual misconduct, so we're not going
to dwell too much on him.Unfortunately, we do have to mention
him because he is kind ofintegral to this story. But in that
original 1994 brainstormingsession were men who would shape
(12:11):
the company and its fortunes,including Andrew Stanton, who would
go on to co write and directFinding Nemo, Wally and Finding Dory.
Joe Ranft would co direct Carsbefore his untimely death in 2005.
And then there's Pete Docter.He would go on to direct Up Inside
out and Soul, but he was giventhe task of directing Pixar's fourth
(12:33):
feature, what would becomeMonsters, Inc. He would also direct
the English dub of myfavoritestudioGhiblimovie.HowSmoothingCastle.Originally,theconceptfor MonstersInc.Wasjustcalled
Monsters,andthe originalpitchfor themovie wasaslightlydifferentidea.Itstillfocusedonmonsters
in yourcloset.Itwasaboutanaccountantinhis30s whohatedhisjobandwasfrightenedbymonsterswhocame
(12:58):
tolifeinspiredbydrawingshemadeasachild.TheintriguingthingtoPete Docterwastheideathatas
kidswehavetheseunnamedunconscious fearsandwecreatemonsters
asawaytomake themtangible.Dr.Andtheteambeganthinking,if monstersrepresentfears,
whatthenarethemonstersthemselvesafraidof?Nowtheobviousanswerwaschildren,ourownfearsbeingafraidofus.Themonstersaren'tmonstersintheirworld. They're
(13:26):
justregularpeople.Theyhavejobs, theyformrelationships,
theytalkabouttheweather,whattheysaw on
theTVlastnight.Scaringkidsisjust theirjob.Doctorhas
saidininterviewsthathegenuinelythoughtMonsters,Inc.Wouldbea disasterandthatitwas
extremelydifficultforhimtofollowJohnLasseterto follow
inhisfootsteps,butalsocarvehisownpathat Pixar.Hestartedworking
(13:49):
onMonsters in1996,andshortlyafterwards,heand hiswifeAmanda welcomedtheir
sonCullisinto theworld.PeteDoctorhasroutinelyinvolvedhisideasof parentingandchildrenintohismovies.InsideOut's
maininspirationforthecharacterof RileywasDoctor'sthenpreteendaughter.Butas
Nicholas into the world.theirinfant son homefromthehospital,thehorrorof
(14:12):
atinyhumancountingonahugeincomparisonhumantotakecareof.Itstartedtogethim thinkingabout
Monsters.PeteDocterwouldworkallday andhewould
comehometohissondoingnewthingsandhatedthefactthathewasn'tthere foranyofhismilestones.Hewouldsayinan
interviewwithIndiewire.Quote,it wasthatstrugglebetween
(14:33):
thesortofduty ofworkandthentheloveofakidthatreallykindofbecametheheartofwhatMonsters wasabout,unquote.Theideaforthemoviewasn'tsolely
doctors,andhe'salwaysrefusedthefull credit,
sayingthathedevelopedtheideawithstoryartistJeffPidgeon.AndproductiondesignerHarley Jessup.Andasthey
developedtheirideas,theywouldtakethemtoJohnLasseter,who wouldadvise
(14:56):
themonhow tomakethescriptstronger.Andmonstersevolvedmany timesfromthatoriginalpitch.It
wentfromanaccountantintheir30stoarealityshowwheremonstersscarekidsforfun,tomonsterswhosejobitwastoscarekids. Butitwouldstilllookdifferent
tothefinishedproduct.Therewasno Sully,butaclumsymonstercalledJohnson.Johnsonwasactuallymorelikethe
(15:20):
characterthatMikeWazowskiwould become.Kindoftimidandinspired
bytherealscarymonstersathiswork.InsteadofRandall,therewasNed, andhewasthetopscareratthecompany.Johnsonwasn'trespected
andisthreatenedwithbeingfired. Thecharacterthatwould
become Boovariedin ageandgenderovertime,butinthescript developerperiodisnamedMary.
(15:45):
And she'solder,aged aroundsevenyearsold. AndsheendsupscaringJohnsonratherthantheother
wayaround.Shefollowshimintothemonsterworld,disguisesherselfasamonster andstayswithJohnsonandhelpshimscareotherchildren.WhenNedfindsoutabout
her, hecallsthe authoritieswhoarrest Johnson, andshehelpshim escapebybringing
(16:06):
himintothe realworld.Dr.Wouldcitethe1973filmPaperMoonasinspirationfortheideaofanadultcharactergettingstuck withachild
forafewyears.After1996,thestory continued
toevolve,buttheissueofempathizingwithmonsterskeptcomingup.Throughvariousdrafts, Johnsonwentfrombeinga
(16:26):
janitortoascarabtohisfinalincarnation.Hewasthestarofthecompany andthebestscarab.
Marywentfrombeingasevenyearoldtoathreeyearoldbecause the
youngershewas,themoreshewoulddependontheoldermonstercharacterJohnson became.Sully,
thecharacterofNedmorphedintoRandallBoggs,who Docter
(16:48):
Would cite the 1973 film PaperofasecondbananatoSully. Earlierdraftshadhimdressinnice
suitsandkissuptoWaterloose.Andthemantrafor Pixar intheseearlydayswasDoIcare?DoIcare?DoIcare?Youhadtocareaboutthese
monstersdespitethembeingmonsters.Andthatwasalwaysgoing tobeatoughthingto
(17:10):
navigateforTod'sstoryinABug'sLife. These
movieswererootedverymuchintherealworld,whereasMonstersInc.Wouldbe basedonitsownmonsterverse.Andanything
couldgointhatworld,whichwasripeforallsorts ofstorytelling.In
May1997,itwaslongtimeDisneyanimatorJoeGrant,whohadstartedworkingat Disneyin1933andreconceptualartfor
(17:33):
theEvil QueeninSnowWhiteandtheSevenDwarves. Whowastheonetosuggest
thetitle?MonstersInc.Aplayonthe1960film MurderInc.Afilmaboutanorganized
kiss up to Waternoose. And themantra for Pixar in originalidea,AndrewStanton,whohadwrittenthethreepreviousPixar
featuresandservedasexecutiveproduceronthefilm, settowork
(17:55):
creatingascreenplaythatwouldcapturethe concept'sspiritandimagination.OnceStantonhad
establishedthefoundationforthefilm through severalscreenplaydrafts,heturned
hisattentiontohisnextproject,FindingNemo,and Dan
Gersonsteppedintowritesubsequentversionsofthescreenplay.GersonjoinedPixarin1999andcollaborated withbothDr.AndcodirectorDavidSilverman,
(18:19):
who joinedin1998,tofocusonDisney in 1933 and drew conceptual
art for the Evil Queen in SnowWhite and the BobPetersonand his
teamwerehelpingtovisualizethescriptwithdrawings, gags,andlotsofinventiveideas.Alongwithco
directorLeeUnkrich,anotherfuturebignameforPixar,eachofthethreedirectorsboughtdifferentstrengths.Silverhadworkedon the
(18:41):
storyandwrotegags.Hehelpeddevelopthepersonalitiesof thecharactersandadded
agreat dealtothefilm'shumor.Unkrichoversawthe editing,stagingand
cinematography,basicallydoingthesame role thathehadon ToyStory2.Throughoutfirstiterationsofthescreenplay,therewasaSullycharacter
andaBoocharacter,buttherewasnoMike Wazowski.Mikewouldn'tevencomeintotheequationuntilastorysummitinApril
(19:08):
1998,acrash exercisetowriteaquick screenplaywhere thegroup atthatsummit
with bothDocterhumourAndcodirectorDavidSilverman,who joined
in 1998, to focus onbackgroundcharacter,asphericalcharacter withoneeyeandlegs,
butwithnoarms.Originally,theyjustwantedhimto havelegs
(19:29):
andusehislegsto doeverything.Butthroughtheprocess, theyfound that
alotofexpressionscountontheasymmetryoffacialexpressions. Andwith
thischaracteronlyhavingoneeye, theystruggledtogethimtoemotewithoutarms
andhands.Sotheyendedupgivinghimarmsandhands. HestartedoutorangeuntilJohnLassetersaidthathelookedlikeanactualorange
(19:51):
witharmsandlegs.WhenitcametodesigningSully,thenDisneyFeatureAnimationpresidentTomSchumacheradvisedtheteamtonotmakehimlooklikeaguyinasuit.Godzillamightdisagree,andsowouldthepersonwho'dhavetoplaythecharacteratDisneyland.Probablyso.Theyoriginallywentwithtentaclesandmultipleeyes,butthatbecameaestheticallychallenging.Designingamonsterwithtentacleswasonething,butanimatingitwouldbeanother.Thestudioevencreatedatentaclepackageincasetheyweregoingtoanimateacharacterwithlotsofarmsorlegs.But Storyboard
(20:27):
artist Ricky Nierva had comeup with a background character, a
spherical character with oneeye and legs, but with no arms. withthechallengeofanimatingatwoleggedcharacterwithfur,withthetentaclepackageusedonbackground
charactersinstead.Then,aboutadecadeintothefuture,whenPixarwereanimatingthecharacterofHankinFindingDory,everyonewouldciteMonstersInc.Astrailblazing inexperimentswithtentacles.ManytestmodelswerebuiltofbothSullyandMike.WhenSullywasJohnson,hewasabrownshorthairedmonsterwithhornsandtheaforementionedgreententacles.Theycollectedallkindsoffursamplesfromllamas,yaks,sheep,goatsandbeartokeephimplayful.Theywentwithamattedmediumlengthfurtomakehimlooklikea
(21:14):
biglovablebear.AfterreviewingversionsofSullythatlookedlikefruit,stripedgumkunners,aleopardandagiraffe,hewouldbecomeabluegreenmonsterwithpurpledotsandtwolegs,notentacles.RickyMiervawastheleadcharacterdesignerforSully,andwhentheyagreedonthedesignofthecharacter, theythenhadtomoveontocreatingthatmuchfur.Butbeforewetalkaboutthefur,theyhadtocastthemovie.AndPeteDocter'sfirstchoiceforSullywaswasn'tJohnGoodman,butactuallyBillMurray.Murrayauditioned,screentested
(21:47):
andwentthroughthewholeprocessrightupuntilDr.Couldn'tevengetholdofhim.BecauseBillMurrayisnotoriouslydifficulttogetholdof.WithMurraynotrespondingtorequeststogetintouch,theymovedonandofferedittoJohnGoodman,whounderstoodthecharacterimmediatelyasthestarquarterbackofScaringforMike.PeteDocterwenttoBillyCrystal,who'dregrettedturning downtheroleofBuzzLightyeartheToyStory.Andhewasdelightedtobeaskedandacceptedprettymuchonthespot.BecauseifPixarcomecallingforavoicerole,yousayyes,unlessyou'reBillMurray.ThismoviewouldbeverydifferentwithBillMurrayasSully.Andthisisanotherbuddypairing,similartothebuddypairingthattheyhadinToyStory.AndforToyStory,TomHanksandTimAllenrecordedtheirlinesseparately,which
(22:37):
wasthenormforanimatedmovies.ButMonstersInc.JohnGoodmanandBillyCrystalnotonlyrecordedtheirlinestogether,they wouldimprovtogether,
leadingtosomeoffthecuffconversations,suchasthe Sully
that looked like fruit,striped gum colours, a leopard and
a giraffe, he would become ablue green monster with purple dots
(23:00):
and two legs, no tentacles.Ricky Nierva was the lead character
designer for Sully, and whenthey agreed on the design of the
character, they then had tomove on to creating that much fur.
But before we talk about thefur, they had to cast the movie.
Andbabies.RobGibbshadstartedworkingatPixarasastoryartistonToyStory2andwasworkingonMonstersInc.Andtheyneededalittlegirltocomeinsotheartistcouldsketchan process
(23:33):
right up until Docter Couldn'even get hold of him. Because Bill
Murray is notoriouslydifficult to get hold of. With Murray
not responding to requests toget in touch, they moved shekneweveryoneandwasverycomfortableintheirpresence.ManyoftherecordingscapturedofMaryarecompletelyorganic,justrecordingsofofalittlegirlhavingfun.Notthatitwaseasy
(23:59):
torecordatwoyearold.Theydon'ttendtositstill.Mary'srecordingswere sogoodthatshewascastasBoointheearlyproductionofMonsters,Inc.
InNovember2000,Pixaractuallypackedupandmovedover500employeesfromPointRichmond toamuchbiggercampusinEmeryville,California,codesignedbyJohnLasseterandSteveJobs.Sowhilethisproductionwasgoingon,theywerealsomovingstudioaswell.OneofthebigproblemsthattheyhadonMonstersInc.Wasmakingthefurmoverealistically.Sollyisan8foottallhornedmonsterwitha700poundbodycoveredinbluegreenfur.Havinganimatorsanimatehisfurbyhandwouldhavebeenanimpossibletask.Developing
(24:46):
hairsimulationsoftwarethatcancontrolhairmovementwasthe answer.Otherstudioshadtackledrealisticfur,mostnotablyrhythmandhuesinits1993PolarBearcommercialsforCocaColaandinitstalkinganimalfacesinthe1995filmBabe.However,renderingthecharactersofMonsters,Inc.Requiredfuronamuchlargerscale.Sullywouldhave2,320,413individualhairsonhisbodyandtheyhadtomakesurethatthehairscastshadowsonotheronesandthatthehairsreactedcorrectly
(25:24):
tolighting.AprogramcalledDeepShadowingwascreatedto helpachievetheeffect.Theyalsodevelopedanewsystemforfog,smoke,steamandotheratmosphericshadingeffects.Evenvariationsinsnowwerephysicallyimpossibletoachieve.BeforeMonsters,Inc.Thescene
whereSullycrashesoutinthesnowwasoneofthemosttechnologicallyadvancedscenesinthemoviebecauseitinvolvedfurreactingtowindandsnow.They alsocreatedoveramillionindividualsnowflakes.SohowdidtheyCreatethefurforSully.Well,theystartedwithcreatingaballoffur,andthentheyransimulationswiththatfur,reactingtocertainmovements.Theymadethefurwetandslimy.Theybraidedit.Theanimatorsgrewsoattachedtothefurballthattheymademonsterswithit.Mostobviously
(26:15):
oneoftheothermonstersonthescarefloorwhoisafurballwithtentacles.Sothey'rebasicallyjusttakingalloftheunusedstuff andjustaddingittomakeothermonsters.Theywouldrunmultiplesimulationsofthefurondifferentscenariostoseehowitmovedandinteractedwithotherthings.SotheytestSullywalking,running,jumping,scratchingandclapping,andtesttheweightofthefur.Sollyalsorananobstaclecourse,butthefirsttimeheranit,thefurwouldglitch,stretch,and
(26:47):
catchonobjects.Insteadofanimatingeachhaironebyone,Pixarcomputerscientistscreatedaprogramcalledfizzt,shortforPhysicsTool,whichwouldautomatethemovementofSully'shairsbasedonwhat'shappeninginanygivenscene.Pixarwouldlaterusethesamesystemtosimulate realisticfuronanimalcharacters
(27:08):
likeRemytheratinRatatouilleandDougthedoginUp.Fistwouldcreatehowhairmoveswithacharacter'smovements,orhowhairscollectivelyrespondtoforceslikegravity,wind,orsnow.PixarwoulduseFistonitsfuturemoviestogiverealisticmovementstoeverythingfromhumanfleshfabrics,watertooctopustentacles.IttookabouttwoyearstowritetheclothsimulationsoftwareusedinMonsters,Inc.Thechallengewastryingtomakeaphysicalsimulationworkinacartoonworld.Blue'sTshirthadtorespondtothebodymovingunderneathanditnotbedistractinginanyway.They hadtoconsiderthedensityandweightofthefabric,howgravityaffectsit,andhowquicklythefoldspullout.Whenherbodystopsmoving,theshirthadtostopmovingaswell.GoingfromToyStory'splasticbodiestoabug's
(28:01):
life'sexoskeletons.Monsters,Inc.WasthefirsttimePixarhadflexiblebodiestoworkwith.Everymaincharacterinthemovie haditsownleadanimator.JohnCarsonSully,AndrewGordononMike,andDaveDivanonBoo.Andthiswasthefirsttimein
Pixar'shistorythateachcharacterhadaleadanimator.LateriterationsofSullyalso hadhimwearing
(28:25):
apairofblackglasses,butthesewereremovedbecausePixarwantedhiseyestobereadableandanditwasfeltglassestookawayfromthat.TodesignMonstropolis,theproductionteamofHarleyJessupandBobPauleywenttolocalFactories,refineries,assemblyplants,blimphangers,andotherindustrialsitesthatcouldinspiretheirdesigns.AdjacenttotheoldPixarstudiosinPointRichmondwas aChevronrefinery,andthatprovidedgoodresearchwithitsmazeofpipesandstructuresfortransportinggas.AtJohnLasseter'surging,theproductiondesignerstookafieldtriptoPittsburghtoobservefirsthandwhatanoldercompanytownbuiltaroundfactoriesmightlooklike.Inspirationfortheindividualworkstationsonthestair
(29:09):
floorcamefromclassicbowlingalleydesigns.TheyenvisionedtheMonstersInc.Factoryasa60seraModernistbuildingandthesurroundingcityhavingbuildingsofover100yearsoldandslightlyrundownbuildingsstrugglingtosurviveanenergyshortage.Aschildrenbecome first
time he ran it, the fur wouldglitch, stretch, and catch on objects.
(29:32):
Instead of animating each hairone by one, Pixar computer scientists
created a program called Fizt,short for Physics Tool, which would
automate the movement ofSully's hairs based on what's happening
in any given scene.thatwouldrunonmonorailtracks.Fizzedalsocameinhere.Withthesoftwaregeneratingmillionsofuniquedoorsandthe in
(29:56):
Ratatouille and Doug the dogin Up. Fizt would create how hair
moves with a character'smovements, or how hairs collectively
respond to forces likegravity, wind, or snow. Pixar would
use Fizt on its future moviesto give realistic movements to everything
from human flesh fabrics,water to octopus tentacles. It took
(30:19):
about two years to writeambianceofthefilm.Fundamentally,theywantedtheMonsterstobethemostcolourfulthingsinMonstropolis.So thecitywas
colouredsomewhatmuted.Thebrightercolours weresavedforthecharactersthemselves,sotheywouldreallystandout.Andthecityitselfhassomefunadditionsandpuns,likeTony'sgroceryspelled
(30:40):
GROSSERYratherthanGROCERY.AswellastherestaurantHarryhausen's,namedofcourse,inhomagetoRayHarryhausen.ThesceneinwhichtheHarryhausen'srestaurantwasdecontaminatedwasoriginallygoingto feature
therestaurantbeingblownup.Andthisscenewasanimatedandfinished.Butthen911happenedandtheanimation wasquicklyredoneandtheexplosionwasreplacedbyaplasmadometoavoidupsettingviewers.OneofthemajornewtechnicalinnovationsofMonsters,
(31:11):
Inc.Wasthecreationofanewdepartmenttokeeptrackofalloftheelementsthatgointocreatingashot, appropriatelycalledtheshotsdepartment.ThisareawasunderthesupervisionofsimulationandeffectssupervisorGalenSussman.Ateamofsevensequencesupervisorsand
16shotsupervisorsworkedonherteamtoassembleandrendereveryshotinthefilm.GalenSussmanwasthe personresponsibleforsavingToyStory2.
(31:37):
Thestoryofthat'sinepisode112,andshewasactuallylaidofffromPixarin2023afterworkingatthecompany foralmost30years.AndthiswasPixar'srealventure
intoaworldotherthanourown.AndMonstropolis isbeautifullyrealized.It'sasimilarworldtoourown,butcaterstomonsters,both
(31:58):
tiny,large,slimyandfurry,butenvironmentallyclosetoourown.Monsterscan traveltoourworldandstillbreatheourair.Forexample,Boo
canrunriotthroughtheMonstropoliscitycenter,butthere'sstilltoiletstorelieveherself.Thisisaworldofshowing,nottelling.There'snoroomforexposition.Youunderstandthescarefloorandhowitallworksimmediately.Andthebrightcolorsaren'tjustlimitedtothemovieitself,butalsoitstitles.PeteDocterisafanofthe modernlooking2Danimationofthe1950s,animationthatcallsbackDisneytoitself.InmovieslikeSleepingBeauty,thetitlesequenceintentionallypayshomagetotheworkofgraphicdesignerandfilmmakerSaulBassBass.MostfamoustitlesequencesincludeAlfredHitchcock'snorthbyNorthwestandPsycho,andthetitlesequence
wasdesignedbyanimatorandillustratorG.FreeBodo.Anditistimetosegueintotheveryfirstobligatory KEANUreference
(32:57):
of2026.Now,ifyou'renewhereandyoudon'tknow whatthat'sit,whatthisis,thisisapartofthepodcastwhereItry
individual doors that wouldrun on monorail tracks. Fizt also
came in here. Withcontinuestobethebestofmen.Ican't of
unique doors and the realisticmovement of doors on tracks. They
(33:18):
mixed and matched 26 colours,12 styles and eight wood colourscolourwithvariousdoorknobsanddecals.
Jessup worked closely with artdirector Tia Kratter to define the
colourcentrepaletteandshadingtexturesforthe characters
and the sets. Dominique servedasartdirectoron thefilm,didlightingstudiesandbeautifulpasteldrawingstohelpdefinetheoverallambiance
(33:48):
ofthefilm.Fundamentally,theywantedtheMonsters tobethemostcolourfulthings
inMonstropolis. So the citywascolouredsomewhat muted.Thebrightercoloursweresavedforthecharactersthemselves,sotheywouldreallystandout.Andthecityitselfhassomefunadditions
(34:10):
andpuns,likeTony'sgroceryspelled GRO
SSER YratherthanGROCERY.AswellastherestaurantHarryhausen's,namedofcourse, inhomagetoRay
Harryhausen.The sceneinwhichtheHarryhausen'srestaurantwasdecontaminatedwasoriginally goingtofeaturetherestaurantbeingblownup.Andthisscene
(34:39):
wasanimatedandfinished.Butthen911happenedandthe animationwasquickly
redoneandtheexplosionwasreplacedby aplasmadometo
avoidupsettingviewers.Oneofthemajor newtechnicalinnovationsof
Monsters, Inc.Wasthecreationlawsuit.ThelawsuitwasfiledbyLaurieMadrid,writer to
(35:03):
avoid upsetting viewers. Oneof the major new technical innovations
of Monsters, Inc. Was thecreation of a new department to keep
track of all of the elementsthat go into creating a shot, appropriately
called the shots department.This area was under the supervision
of simulation and effectssupervisor Galen Sussman. A team
(35:27):
of seven sequence supervisorsand 16 shot supervisors worked on
her team to assemble andrender every shot in the film. Galen
Sussman was the personresponsible for saving Toy Story
2. The story of that's inepisode 112, and she was actually
laid off from Pixar in 2023after working at the company for
(35:51):
almost 30 years. And this wasPixar's real venture into a world
other than our own. AndMonstropolis is beautifully realized.
It's a similar world to ourown, but caters to monsters, both
tiny, large, slimy and furry,but environmentally close to our
own. Monsters can travel toour world and still breathe our air.
(36:15):
For example, Boo can run riotthrough the Monstropolis city centrecolours,butthere'sstilltoilets
torelieveherself.This is aworld of showing, not telling. There's
no room for exposition. Youunderstand the scare floor and how
it all works immediately. Andthe bright coloursfavouraren't justlimitedtothemoviebutalso
(36:39):
itstitles.PeteDocterisafanofthe modernlooking2D
animationofthe 1950s,animationthatcallsbackDisneytoitself.Inmovies likeSleepingBeauty,thetitlesequenceintentionallypayshomageto
theworkofgraphicdesignerandfilmmaker SaulBass Bass.MostfamoustitlesequencesincludeAlfredHitchcock'snorthbyNorthwestandPsycho,andthetitlesequencewasdesignedby
(37:07):
animatorandillustratorG.FreeBodo.Anditistimeto segueintothe
veryfirstobligatoryKEANUreferenceof 2026.
Now,if you'renewhereandyoudon't know whatthat'sit,whatthisis,thisisapart
ofthe podcast whereI tryandlinkevery movie that IfeaturewithKeanuReevesfornoreason
(37:33):
otherthan he isthebestofmenandcontinues tobe thebestofmen.Ican'treallylinkhimtoPixarunlessIgo
theToyStory4route,which tobehonest,I'vedoneafewtimes,so Ifeel
likeIcan'treallydothatanymore. ButbothKeanuandJohnGoodman
(37:57):
haveappearedinWaitingforGodot.Keanurecentlyon Broadwayin2025withhisbill
andTed costarAlexWinter,andGoodmanonBroadwayin 2009
withBillIrwin,JohnGloverandNathanLane. Ihaveto
add,I'venot seenWaitingforGodot.Idon'tthinkit'sanythinglike MonstersInc.IfI'mbeingcompletely
(38:22):
honest. Butmovingon tothemusic, becauseMonstersInc.Marksthe
fourth feature filmcollaborationbetweenPixarandacclaimedcomposerand songwriter
RandyNewman,anditwould givehimhis first Academyawardwinafter16nominations
to the music, because MonstersInc. Marks the fourth feature film
(38:43):
collaboration between Pixarand acclaimed composer and songwriter
Randy Newman, and it wouldgive him his first Academy award
win after 16 nominations forbest Original Song for the song if
I Didn't have you sung by JohnGoodman and Billy Crystal. Newman
also composed the score, a mixof 1940s jazz and big band influences.
(39:08):
He would also win a Grammy forthe song too. So Pixar released an
early teaser trailer forMonsters, Inc. In October 2000, which
was distributed online andincluded on home video releases of
Toy Story 2. It was laterattached to 102 Dalmatians theatrically
(39:29):
and also appeared on theEmperor's New Grief DVD in May 2001
because DVDs did used toinclude trailers at one point in
time. Another trailerpremiered in cinemas in June 2001
with Atlantis the Lost Empire.I am just listing previous episodes
of this podcast here. MonstersInc. Premiered at the El Capitan
(39:53):
Theatre in Hollywood on 28October 2001, but the release of
the movie was almost delayedby a lawsuit. The lawsuit was filed
by Laurie Madrid, writer of ashort story called There's a Boy
in My Closet. The lawsuitnamed Pixar, Disney and Chronicle
(40:14):
Books as defendants, and itwas claimed that they had stolen
Madrid's story and used it asinspiration for Monsters, Inc. Madrid
wrote the short story in 1999and sent it to many publishers, including
Chronicle Books. Madridbelieved Chronicle Books forwarded
it to Pixar, who then used itto come up with Monsters, Inc. Madrid
(40:39):
requested a preliminaryinjunction to block the release of
the film until the court casewas complete. So on the 1st of November
2001, the day before thefilm's release, the film's director,
Pete Docter, and Dick Cook,chairman of Disney's Motion Pictures
Group, appeared before a judgein a Wyoming courthouse. Both Doctor
(41:04):
and Cult took the stand anddoctor explained that Madrid's book
had no impact on the Monsters,Inc. Story or film development and
how the development of thefilm had begun years before Madrid
wrote her story. After anentire day in court, the judge ruled
(41:25):
in favour of Pixar and Disneyand denied Madrid's request for an
injunction on the release ofMonsters Inc. So it was released
the following day on 2November 2001, and the cinema release
was accompanied by Pixar shortfor the Birds. It opened at number
(41:46):
one at the box office, stayedat number one for two weeks before
being dethroned by HarryPotter and the Philosopher's Stone,
or Sorcerer's Stone. It wouldstay in the top 10 for 10 weeks.
At the time, Monsters Inc.Held the record for having the biggest
(42:07):
opening weekend worldwide ofan animated film, making $84.8 million.
That was surpassed in 2007with the Simpsons Movie, which David
Silverman also directed.Monsters Inc. Was also the last Pixar
movie to include a blooperreel until they reintroduced them
for Elio in 2025. TheIncredibles technically also had
(42:30):
animated outtakes, but thosewere part of the actual film and
were only available on the DVDrelease. Monsters Inc's blooper reel
includes the reveal of therenowned company play by the Monsters
Inc. Company players. Put thatthing back where it came from Also
(42:51):
help me on its 115 milliondollar budget, Monsters Ink would
gross 255.9 million dollarsdomestically and 272.9 million dollars
internationally for a totalworldwide gross of 528.8 million
dollars. It would become thethird highest grossing movie of 2001
worldwide after Harry Potterand the Philosophers Slash, Sorcerer's
(43:13):
Stone and the Lord of theRings the Fellowship of the ring.
On its DVD release it wouldsell 5 million copies in its first
day on Rotten Tomatoes. It hasa rating of 96% with a consensus
reading Clever, funny anddelightful to look at, Monsters Inc.
(43:35):
Delivers another resoundingexample of how Pixar elevated the
bar for modern all agesanimation. It was nominated for four
Academy Awards Best AnimatedFeature, Best Original Score, Best
Original Song, Best SoundEditing. As I mentioned it would
win Best Original Song. Itlost Best Animated Feature the inaugural
(43:57):
award to Shrek. I still thinkthis is better than Shrek, only marginally,
but I think the animationholds up so much better. It would
be nominated for and win theBAFTA for the BAFTA Children's Award
for Best Feature Film. Itwould also be nominated for eight
(44:19):
Annie Awards, winningOutstanding Character Animation.
A prequel titled MonstersUniversity was released on 21 June
2013. John Goodman, BillyCrystal and Steve Buscemi reprise
their roles of Sully, Mike andRandall, Dan Scanlon directed Monsters
University and the prequelplot focuses on Sully and Mike's
(44:40):
studies at MonstersUniversity, where they start off
as rivals but soon becomefriends. In 2017, Bob Iger announced
a TV series for Disney set inthe Monsters Inc. Universe called
Monsters at Work, whichpremiered on Disney plus on 7th July
2021. Based on and a directcontinuation of Monsters Inc. It
(45:04):
features the voices of JohnGoodman and Billy Crystal reprising
their roles. Pixar did notproduce the series, it was instead
produced by Disney TelevisionAnimation. Its first season debuted
on Disney plus and its secondon the Disney Channel. There were
plans for a direct theatricalsequel to Monsters Inc. Which would
(45:28):
have been called Monsters Inc.Two Lost in Scaradise. The film would
have focused on Mike and Sullyvisiting the human world to give
Boo a birthday present, onlyto find that she had moved after
getting trapped in the humanworld. Mike and Sully would split
(45:49):
up after disagreeing on whatto do. It ultimately never happened,
not because Pixar thought theidea was bad, but because Pixar wasn't
even involved. Let me explain.So when Disney and Pixar partnered
up to release animated moviesin the 1990s, the original contract
(46:10):
was for seven films withsuccess of Toy Story 2. At the end
of 1999, then Disney CEOMichael Eisner and then owner of
Pixar, Steve Jobs, began todisagree on how Pixar should be run
and the terms of theircontinued relationship. Eisner claimed
(46:31):
that Toy Story 2 as it was asequel did not count towards the
original film count of theagreement, and Steve Jobs disagreed.
After those seven films up toand including Cars were completed,
Pixar said they would notrenew their agreement with Disney
(46:51):
and so Disney created its ownanimation division called Circle
7 Animation. The originalDisney and Pixar partnership meant
that Disney owned the storyand character rights to the movies
and could legitimately maketheir own sequels without Pixar's
involvement. And the MonstersInc. Sequel was set to be developed
(47:14):
by Circle 7 Animation now dueto Disney's purchase of Pixar in
January 2006. On 26 May thatyear, Disney shut down Circle 7 Animation
and transferred most of thestudio's employees to to Walt Disney
Feature Animation, which wasrenamed Walt Disney animation studios
(47:34):
in 2007. Circle 7 Animationhad several Pixar sequels planned
in various stages ofdevelopment at the time, including
Monsters Inc. 2, Lost inScaradise, Finding Nemo 2 and the
Circle 7 version of Toy Story3. Those movies were all cancelled
following Circle 7's closure,and the idea for Monsters Inc. 2
(47:59):
Lost in Scaradise wouldeventually morph into Monsters University
and become prequel. SoMonsters Inc. Was released and was
a big success. So you wouldthink that that would be the end
of the story, but no, becausein 2002 another lawsuit was filed
against Pixar and Disney aboutMonsters Inc. In the federal court
(48:24):
in San Francisco by a posterartist called Stanley Mouse. He claimed
that Monsters Inc. Stars Mikeand Sully were derived from a one
eyed creature called WiseG'Eye and a larger monster who often
appeared together in hiscartoons going back to 1963 and strongly
(48:45):
resembled a character drawn byhim. As part of his ideas for a film
called Excuse My Dust, whichwas Set in Monster City, where the
animated monsters worked forthe Monster Corporation of America.
Stanley Mouse hadunsuccessfully tried to sell the
(49:05):
idea for Excuse My Dust toHollywood studios in 1998. Drawings
attached to the complaintdating from the early 1960s have
a small two legged eyeballwith a large, dull witted monster
character in a buddyfriendship. The law suit also claimed
that a story artist from Pixarvisited him in 2000 and discussed
(49:31):
his work with him. A Disneyspokeswoman responded saying that
the characters in MonstersInc. Were developed independently
by the Pixar and Walt DisneyPictures creator teams and do not
infringe on anyone'scopyrights. The case was ultimately
settled under undisclosedterms. It seems strange now that
(49:53):
in 2026, 25 years ago, Pixarin 2001 was still an up and coming
studio with just a few hitsunder its belt. Their fourth movie
being a buddy movie just likeToy Story and Toy Story 2 might not
have whetted too manyappetites, but early Pixar proved
(50:16):
that their concepts andimaginations were second to none.
And Monsters Inc. Really is noexception. The power of fear really
is the key to this movie. Yes,it's gorgeous, the voice acting is
great and it's incredibly wellconceived and executed. But fear
(50:36):
powers everything. Fear powersthe city of Monstropolis. Quite literally,
fear powers the levels ofscreams a monster can elicit from
a child. The scarier themonster, the bigger the screams.
A fear the monsters haveagainst coming into contact with
human children. Fear of theunknown. What could be behind that
(51:01):
door? What was that noise Iheard downstairs? But like most movies
made by Pixar, it translatesto both a child and adult audience.
For adults, it's the fear ofletting your children go of their
child growing up. The fear ofdisappointing your child, overcoming
(51:23):
your fears is the grandertheme of this movie. And this just
perfectly segues into therelationship between Sully and Boo,
which is the emotional core ofthe ufuellingcolourslXBye. y
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The Breakfast Club
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!