By Frank Yemi
Monsters, Inc. may finally get the long-awaited sequel. In a recent interview, Pixar’s chief creative officer Pete Docter provided an update on the possibility of a sequel to the beloved animated film.

When asked by Entertainment Weekly about the criteria for choosing which stories deserve to be expanded into franchises, Docter shared insights into the decision-making process at Pixar.”I always thought there was some rule that would be the formula for what films become franchises or what gets sequels, and there isn’t,” Docter explained. “It’s much looser, but obviously, it’s based on all of the above. We have to find something we think is worthy, first and foremost. It should be something hopefully the audience responded to — and then we could still not find anything. We’ve been searching for ideas for a Monsters, Inc. sequel for a long time, and we haven’t seen enough to start working on anything there yet.”

Monsters, Inc., the 2001 film directed by Docter and featuring the voices of John Goodman and Billy Crystal, has long been considered for a sequel. Initially, a follow-up titled Monsters, Inc. 2: Lost in Scaradise was in development as early as 2005. The sequel aimed to take the franchise in a new direction and was part of a broader initiative by The Walt Disney Company’s new animation division, Circle 7, which was set to produce sequels to popular Pixar films like Toy Story and Finding Nemo.

A Planned Sequel to Monsters, Inc. Was Canceled
However, creative differences between Disney and Pixar during contract renewal negotiations led Disney to pursue these sequels independently. The leadership change at Disney in 2006, which saw the reconciliation of the two studios, resulted in Pixar taking back control over its franchises, leading to the cancelation of Lost in Scaradise.

Monsters University Explores Mike and Sulley’s Relationship

Despite the cancelation, the premise of Lost in Scaradise remains a compelling foundation for a potential sequel. While Disney and Pixar have since expanded the Monsters, Inc. universe with the prequel Monsters University and the Disney+ series Monsters at Work, neither has fully explored the new directions that Lost in Scaradise promised.

Monsters University delves into the origins of Mike and Sulley’s relationship but does not advance their story beyond the original film. Monsters at Work, which incorporates elements from the scrapped sequel, such as Sulley taking over the company, still stops short of introducing significant new elements to the franchise. The show’s recent season finale saw the return of the antagonist Randall, intensifying his villainous role, and fans are still waiting for significant milestones like Mike and Celia’s wedding.

As Pixar continues to search for a worthy story to continue the Monsters, Inc. saga, fans remain hopeful that the studio will eventually find the right idea to bring Mike, Sulley, and the rest of the gang back to the big screen.

Source: Entertainment Weekly, CBR