Monsters, Inc. Director Addresses Sequel Rumors

Pixar has a bevy of riches when it comes to franchises, as the animation company has never shied away from developing new IP. Since it’s catalog is so vast, there are many that would love to see them go back to some fan favorites, which of course includes the lovable world of Monsters Inc.

Monsters, Inc. director and Pixar filmmaker Pete Docter recently spoke to EW about the early days of the franchise and was asked about a possible sequel.

“You never say never — who knows what will happen?” Docter says. “We purposely went with a prequel for Monsters University because we didn’t want to answer some of the questions about what happens to Boo, and how does she grow up, and things like that. It would have to be really compelling, which is hopefully the benchmark for all of our sequels, anyway.”

If it were to be a sequel, it would be to the original film, as Monsters University was a prequel showing Mike (Billy Crystal) and Sully’s (John Goodman) early college days. It would also have to feature an older Boo, which actually somewhat coincides with the original Monsters, Inc. pitch.

“Part of that idea was like a Peter Pan-type thing, where [Wendy] had been visited by Peter Pan as a kid and had sort of half-forgotten who he was,” Docter explains.

The original Monsters, Inc. (2001) contained a budget of $115 million and successfully blew past that in the states alone with a $289 million domestic gross. Worldwide it brought in over $577 million. Mike and Sully became fixtures in Disney merchandise and promotions, but it took 12 years to get another film in the series due to Pixar’s popularity and the variety of new franchises. Monsters University, a prequel to the original film, hit theaters in June of 2013, and while it didn’t quite meet the domestic totals of the original, it still brought in over $268 million stateside. It was a different picture worldwide, however, as the film surpassed the originals $577 million with an over $744 million dollar haul.

Pixar’s next project is another entry in the popular Cars series with Cars 3, followed by the mysterious Coco on November 22, 2017. After that, it’s time for the much anticipated Incredibles 2, which is slated for June 15, 2018, and the beloved Toy Story franchise will get its fourth entry on June 21, 2019. If a new Monsters, Inc. film were to happen, it would not be until at least late 2019 or early 2020, but that doesn’t mean we can’t hold out hope that it eventually happens.