Disney+ may have brought Monsters, Inc. to life in the present day with Monsters at Work, but now this beloved film heads to the past. In a brand new Pixar Remix, Monsters, Inc. is given the classic movie treatment. In this old-timey short, Pixar retells the story of Monsters, Inc. but this time as though it were a black and white, silent movie.
Pixar shares:
It’s scarin’ time! Grab your popcorn and watch Mike and Sulley fill up those scream canisters in this classic silent film style. Stream Monsters, Inc. on Disney+!
And indeed, the short harkens back to the kinds of cartoons that Disney’s earliest fans watched. And honestly, even though the story becomes much abridged, the format really works for it. The Monsters, Inc. short even comes complete with a little fake static and shakiness to keep things feeling authentic. The different musical tempos and cues also remind us of how wonderfully creative filmmaking was, even when creators had fewer bells and whistles to choose from.
We also love details like the classic “chase” sequence the animators added in and the way Boo pulls out a club, Bam Bam style, to wack Randall into line. Not to mention, the animation style fits perfectly. Everyone is absolutely adorable and maybe even cuter than their original forms.
Despite the lack of frills, the story also remains true to its heart. The relationship between Boo and Sulley resonates just as brightly in this short. And the final dialogue card that simply says, “Kitty!” before everything fades to black is genius. We can’t help tearing up a little.
This short is the fourth Pixar Remix in the ongoing series. Pixar has so far also remixed WALL•E in 16-Bit, Up in a style inspired by anime, and Cars as a musical. We can’t wait to see what they remix next. Maybe Toy Story in live-action? Oh, wait, that’s already happening.
