Screenwriters Share Their Early Draft of "Monsters, Inc." Sequel In New Interview

A new report has the writers of the first sequel to Monsters, Inc. that went unproduced sharing more about their film, only months after it was revealed that Pixar was in early development on a third theatrical title in the franchise.

What's Happening:

• A new report from TheWrap reveals that back in the day, two writers were assigned the task of penning a Monsters, Inc. sequel at Disney.
• Let's back up a bit. This came at a time when Pixar and Disney were not the best of friends, and when Steve Jobs - who was one of those leading the animation studio at the time - was unhappy with how their partnership was playing out after the massively successful films from their studio took the world by storm.
• As the original deal reached their end point, then-Disney CEO Michael Eisner made a bold move and started their own computer animation studio - Circle 7 - which was tasked with producing sequels (likely direct-to-video) of the Pixar movies that they had made with Disney. This included a potential Toy Story 3 and a second Monsters, Inc., reportedly with the subtitle, Lost in Scaradise.
• The writers were Bob Hilgenberg and Rob Muir (also dubbed "Bob & Rob"), who had previously written sketches at The Second City, LA and The Groundlings before working on Cable TV comedy blocks like USA's Up All Night.
• In their version of the script for Monsters, Inc. 2, Bob & Rob had Mike Wazowski getting married, Sulley promoted, and Boo would be older - all resulting in hilarity, right?
• Upon further research, we also know that the plot took place about a year after the first film, seeing Sulley and Mike decide to visit Boo on her birthday with a gift. As they enter the room, they spot an old woman sleeping in her bed, inevitably finding out that Boo and her family had moved away to a new home. As such, Mike and Sulley go on a quest in the human world to find her.
• The full interview on TheWrap with the writers has the duo also explaining that their pitch was well received, advancing to a meeting with Michael Eisner which, according to them, was the last creative meeting Eisner took as CEO of the Walt Disney Company.
• In the interview, Muir says "We stand by that script, we’re very proud of it. It’s one of those things where, when we were writing it, everything was falling into place. It was a labor of love and were very passionate about it. We wanted to make sure we stuck with the Pixar brand. Our goal was, when somebody read the script, to not know if we were influenced by Pixar or not.”
• It was the same goal that Eisner had for Circle 7, with the animation quality intended on being as good as Pixar's and the writing as well. Though, considering that when Disney acquired Pixar Animation Studios, they went the prequel route when crafting a new movie in that universe.
• Circle 7 was shut down shortly after Disney acquired Pixar in 2006.
• Devotees may recall that back in 2024, a new report from Bloomberg gave a bit of insight into the operation at the iconic animation house, putting more emphasis on sequels than original ideas. And those original ideas that are produced must have seeds to become a full blown franchise.
• At that point, it was revealed that every Pixar title in their catalog up until that point was being considered for another installment or spinoff, with Finding Nemo and The Incredibles being reported as strong candidates.
• Since then, we've got announcements for Coco 2 and Incredibles 3. Following the big success of Toy Story 5, more are also likely in the future.
• As for Monsters, Inc., we also got Monsters University as a prequel to the original film in 2013, and the Disney+ sequel series, Monsters at Work, in 2021 with a second season that debuted in 2024. That series takes place immediately after the events of Monsters, Inc. as the company switches to Laugh Power. As of press time, the series is neither officially cancelled or renewed, and a third season isn't completely off the table yet.
• As Hoppers released earlier this year, a blurb in a Wall Street Journal post revealed that Pixar was in early development on a third Monsters, Inc. film. That was only a few months ago, which could explain why this writing duo seems to be starting a campaign for Pixar to address their script.
• Hilgenberg says in the interview, "It was really important for us to have Pixar read it and say 'wow, that's where we would have taken it.' We stand by it. Call Pixar, tell them to make our version. Show up with signs - 'Bob & Rob's draft!'"
• You can check out the full interview over at TheWrap.