Disney+ is earning itself a bigger name with each passing day. Apart from having the biggest movie stars working on the shows produced by the streaming platform and successful episodic programming, the online site is pulling out big guns every now and then. It released the trailer of Monsters at Work, which includes a comeback for Disney’s grouchiest character, Roz. She is the original slug from Monsters, Inc and we cannot wait to watch what the new spinoff series has in store for the fans.
Monsters at Work follows a new recruit voiced by Ben Feldman who works in the Monsters, Inc. maintenance department. The other new voice cast include Mindy Kaling, Henry Winkler, Lucas Neff, and Alanna Ubach. The colorful trailer also shows the return of Billy Crystal and John Goodman as Mike and Sulley, and the addition of Henry Winkler as a cute, one-eyed, elephant-nosed creature named Fritz. The animation looks stellar and is well-supported by a jazzy soundtrack. You will also spot Jennifer Tilly Bonnie Hunt and Bob Peterson as they reprise their respective roles from the acclaimed 2001 film.
The series will revolve around a fresh character called Tylor Tuskmon, an eager young monster who graduated top of his class at Monsters University and has always dreamed of becoming a scarer. However, when he lands a job at Monsters, he discovers that scaring is out and laughter is in. After Tylor is temporarily reassigned to the Monsters, Inc. Facilities Team (MIFT), he must work alongside a misfit bunch of mechanics while setting his sights on becoming a jokester. At the end of the original film, the monsters discovered that children’s laughter is much more powerful than screams. In Monsters at Work, Mike and Sulley have their hands full as they work to transition Monsters, Inc. from running on scare-power to running on laugh-power.
Monsters At Work is developed and executive produced by Disney animation veteran Bobs Gannaway (Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Planes: Fire & Rescue). Academy award-nominated Sean Lurie (Inner Workings) is the producer, and Kat Good (Big Hero 6 The Series) and Steve Anderson (Meet the Robinsons) serve as supervising directors. The late Rob Gibbs (Monsters, Inc.) also served as director on some of the earlier episodes.
The project has been in development since 2017 and was officially announced during 2019’s D23 Expo. Originally slated for release in 2020, the series was delayed due to the pandemic. In spite of the revised production schedule, Crystal remained enthusiastic about the project, gushing, “It’s fantastic looking, it’s hilarious, and we’re having a lot of fun doing it.”
Monsters at Work premieres in all its scary, funny glory on 7 July 2021.