Monsters at Work - Review

When Pixar announced they were doing a new Monsters Inc related movie a few years ago, and then we got Monsters University, folks were annoyed, not because it was a bad movie, but just because it wasn’t the story we wanted. The way the first movie ended off, there was a lot of speculation about what things could be moving forward and now we have an idea, because Monsters at Work picks up the day after the original movie ended. The question is, after all this time, are these monsters worthy of a good laugh, or is more scream inducing still?

The show picks up with new monster Tylor Tuskmon showing off his prodigious scaring skills in the simulator at Monster University and after breaking all the records on it, is given his acceptance letter into Monsters Inc. As Tylor is our entry into this new world of Monsters Inc, he makes an odd first impression, he doesn’t seem all that scary, but is elated to become a scarer, but with his letter in hand, he heads on out. We then get to see Mike and Sulley, adjusting to the new norm, including constant brownouts from there not being enough scarers, but their adjustment is made slightly more difficult by their sudden promotion to leading the entire company, well Sulley leading and Mike giving himself odd and lengthy titles.

While the pair we know are attempting to adjust and come up with a new slogan, we swap back to Tylor and his discovery that they are no longer scaring. Whilst reassigned to MIFT, the Monsters Inc Facilities Team, he quickly discovers that the folks down there are perhaps would not meet the definition of sane, but as there are no windows, that may explain things. Each of the characters we get to meet, Val, Duncan, Cutter, and their leader Fritz are charming enough, they are just a little to eager and scare Tylor off. His vanishing act ends up with him entering the laugh floor, though as someone who is not that comedically inclined, his attempt ends up in disaster and MIFT are called in to repair the damage. The second episode feels a bit similar to the first, with Tylor not wanting anything to do with MIFT, but after an accident happens and they rush to save the day, giving Tylor a little more respect for the crazy members of the team.

My issue with the show is that, while it is meant to focus on new characters, that really isn’t what fans care about, we want more adventures with Mike and Sulley and while we do get more in the second episode, it feels more of a reason to involve MIFT more than anything. That is not saying that the story of Tylor can’t be interesting, just right now, it isn’t, as the shows central character, he should be able to make you care about him and his plight, but he fails. The character loosing his entire job and purpose in one fell swoop would be enough to make anyone angry, but Tylor just doesn’t say anything, even when the crazy antics of MIFT, which other folks understand to be weird, start to get weird, he doesn’t speak up and say anything. This makes him become a pushover and while chanting can be a powerful influencer, given that he was meant to be some incredible scaring monster, not being able to say no seems like a weird thing to have left out.

There is a chance that episodes later in the shows run, will correct this, but right now, as the central character, my interest in him is almost none. I had more fun seeing the other characters from the movies return, of course Mike and Sulley were big draws, but Celia Mae, Mike’s girlfriend, Smitty and Needleman, the two squeaky voiced interns and even Roz, made for some fun moments. The cross over between the original monsters and the new monsters is slim right now and while I can understand why, I hope there is more to happen. Of course, Tylor and the MIFT crew are not the only new monsters in town, one big new addition is that Roz, the head of the CPA is out and Roze, her sister is in, the only real difference is that Roze has some coloured hair and even less of a sense of humour.

While I may not be a fan of the new characters, yet the cast that is bringing the show to life is incredible and that is even with some voices not matching their names. Returning from the movies are John Goodman and Billy Crystal as Sulley and Mike respectively, alongside them are Jennifer Tilly, Bonnie Hunt, John Ratzenberger and Bob Peterson. Each of the voices fit perfectly with my memory of them from the movies. New monsters are voiced by Ben Feldman, who folks may know from Superstore, voices Tylor and manages to make him someone you can easily sympathise with. Mindy Kailing from The Office and many other shows voices the self-proclaimed best friend Val, with MIFT leader Fritz voiced by acting legend Henry Winkler, the big thing here is that if you didn’t know it was him, you would never guess. There is a lot to enjoy in their performances, so hopefully the later episodes give them more to do.

On the animation side, things are interesting, Sulley, Mike and all the returning monsters look just as you will remember them, but the new monsters are perhaps the more interesting. They all fit the theme of the world, but there is one big drawback, as the show isn’t animated by Pixar, there is a level of detail missing to all the new monsters. The world, from the laugh floors to MIFT itself, all look incredible, there is a lot to see and enjoy in the scenes, but the characters that live in them feel flat by comparison. Again, the character design is excellent, but the execution is just not up to the level that you would expect from something with the Pixar name attached to it, the best example is Fritz, he is clearly meant to be a furry monster, just like Sulley or Val, but there is never any detail to his texture, which is really odd when he is in shots with Val, who has depth to her fur. None of this detracts from the overall presentation, but it just seems weird to have such contrasting looks.

Monsters at Work may not be the follow up to 2001’s Monsters, Inc. that people were after, but it is offering a new perspective into the world that many enjoyed. While the newer monsters are going to be interesting to discover over time, right now, most of them are annoying and Tylor, the main monster seems too weak to carry the show further. The draw of seeing Mike and Sulley on the screen again, is going to be a big reason for fans of them to watch, but their limited screen time and interactions with the new crew, may turn folks away before long.

The Score

8.0

Review access provided by Disney

The Pros

+Picking up the day after the movie ends, means we get to see exactly what happened next

+The returning characters are a big draw and even though it has been 20 years, sound just as great

The Cons

-The new monsters are more complicated, while entertaining, they are not quite as interesting to watch

-Some of the monsters seem flat in scenes, when they are being shown next to other monsters, showcasing oddities with the rendering of the show.