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Monsters at Work: Playtime Isn’t Easy

Disney+ Monsters At Work Monsters, Inc. Review

Last week, Monsters At Work‘s first two episodes debuted on Disney+. Pixar’s new television series revisits the world of the beloved Monsters, Inc. and Monsters University films. Though film protagonists Mike and Sulley return as part of the main cast, we explore more of the happenings on the newly founded Laugh Floor through the eyes of Tylor Tuskmon. Tylor’s adventures to step up to the challenge of his new MIFT job continue in the newly premiered episode, ‘The Damaged Room.’

At the end of the second episode, Tylor was still unenthused about staying on as a permanent member of the MIFT team. However, he got his first taste of MIFT responsibility helping Mike with a 13-20 situation. In the third episode, Tylor finally gets proper on-the-job experience. After a monster inadvertently causes damage to a kid’s room, Tylor, accompanied by Val, Cutter, and a leering Duncan, has to quickly apply a fix.

Meanwhile, the little girl the room belongs to needs looking after. Enter Mike and Sulley to take on the job of babysitting. Mike claims kids don’t affect him and so shares none of Sulley’s concerns about getting swayed by his “feelings.” Of course, over the course of the episode, Mike reveals he has a soft side.

The greatest strength of the series continues to be the characters. Mike and Sulley are reliably funny every time they show up, but Duncan and Cutter’s wry sense of humor are easily a major charm point of the series. We’re also treated to character building when Val reveals another side to her silly personality. Between Mike with his Snore and Val and Tylor’s bonding, there was plenty of sweetness in this new episode. Plus, there were numerous callbacks to the Monsters, Inc. film, especially the iconic musical, ‘Put That Thing Back Where It Came From, Or So Help Me!’

We can’t wait to see what Tylor and company are up to next week. Before that episode releases, be sure to check out the deleted scene of Tylor’s graduation ceremony.

Last modified: July 15, 2021

Maya has been unabashedly in love with the animation medium since early childhood, helped in no small part by the feature films and shorts from Pixar Studios. Having enjoyed writing about the magic of the animated films’ art and stories, Maya is excited to share a different perspective at Upcoming Pixar.