Every Pixar fan knows Monsters University, but far fewer know that a very different Monsters, Inc. sequel almost made it to screens years earlier. Now, the writers behind that shelved project have pulled back the curtain on what could have been, and the details will make fans wish it had happened.
Lost In Scaradise
In an interview with TheWrap, writers Bob Hilgenberg and Rob Muir revealed the story of their canceled sequel, titled Monsters, Inc. 2: Lost in Scaradise. The film would have picked up in a logical spot, with Mike Wazowski preparing for his wedding, Sulley enjoying a new promotion at the company, and an older Boo returning to reconnect with the monsters who once protected her. The central plot flipped the original on its head: Mike and Sulley would travel into the human world to visit Boo for her birthday, only to find her family had moved, sending the pair on a fish-out-of-water adventure to reunite with their friend.
The writers remain proud of their work more than two decades later. “We stand by that script, we’re very proud of it,” Muir said, describing it as a labor of love written to feel indistinguishable from a true Pixar film. The pair are even openly campaigning for the studio to revisit their ideas, joking that fans should show up with signs reading “Bob and Rob’s draft.”
A Casualty Of The Pixar-Disney War
The sequel was a product of a tense era before Disney acquired Pixar in 2006. With the two studios at odds under then-Disney CEO Michael Eisner, Disney launched its own animation studio, Circle 7, to produce sequels to films the companies had made together. Hilgenberg and Muir were assigned both a third Toy Story film and the Monsters, Inc. follow-up. When Disney purchased Pixar and Circle 7 was shut down, both scripts were shelved, and Pixar eventually took the franchise in a prequel direction with 2013’s Monsters University.
The timing of the reveal is notable, as a genuine new Monsters, Inc. sequel is reportedly in development at Pixar. Interest in the franchise remains high, with the world of Monstropolis even taking shape as a new land at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Whether Pixar borrows from Lost in Scaradise or charts its own course, Mike and Sulley’s next chapter appears to finally be coming.
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