Boo! Pixar Shocks Fans With the Announcement of ‘Monsters Inc. 3’

Put that Pixar franchise back in the spotlight, or so help me! With the 25th anniversary of Monsters Inc., the fourth Pixar movie ever made, on the horizon, Pixar appears to be celebrating the occasion in a big way. An extensive new report from the Wall Street Journal has revealed that a 3rd Monsters Inc. movie is now in the works at Disney’s Oscar-winning animation studio. The WSJ credits the surprising news to insider sources who are “people familiar with the matter.” This will mark the franchise’s first feature film in at least 13 years, with the last being the college-set prequel movie, Monsters University. The franchise also returned in 2021 for a Disney+ spin-off series, Monsters at Work.

Apart from the news that a new Monsters Inc. movie is in development, other details are slim, and it is not currently known whether the third movie will be a direct sequel to the original or take a different route, as Monsters University did. Likely the biggest question fans will have is whether Billy Crystal and John Goodman will be reprising their roles as the neurotic yet clever Mike Wasowski and the cocky yet empathetic James P. Sullivan, respectively. The two comedic acting icons returned as Mike and Sully for both Monsters University and Monsters at Work, so it stands to reason that they’d be willing to return again. Plus, Disney is also in the middle of developing a Monstropolis-themed land and roller coaster at Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Disney World in Orlando, Florida, which will likely feature voices from the original movies. Other notable names who could potentially return for the third movie include Steve Buscemi as Sully’s villainous rival Randall, Jennifer Tilly as Mike’s romantic partner Celia, and Pixar regular John Ratzenberger as the Abominable Snowman.

The story of Monsters, Inc. began in 2001 with the original film, in which the employees of the titular company, Mike and Sully, work hard at the energy plant that generates power by scaring children. Things take a surprising turn when a young girl whom Sully affectionately names Boo (Mary Gibbs) escapes into the monster world, leading the two heroes to uncover a company-wide conspiracy. The prequel, 2013’s Monsters University, takes place several years before the events of the first movie, showing how Mike and Sully went from bitter rivals to best friends. Finally, Monsters at Work jumps forward to the aftermath of Monsters Inc., with the company now harnessing energy through laughter rather than screams.

Pixar Has Several Other Sequels in the Works

Pixar and CCO Pete Docter (who coincidentally made his directorial feature debut with the original Monsters Inc.) are still committed to original stories, with their new sci-fi comedy Hoppers already becoming one of the studio’s best-reviewed movies in years. However, after the astronomical success of Inside Out 2, sequels are still on the table. Later this year on June 19, Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz (Tim Allen), and the rest of the gang will be back for Toy Story 5, with them teaming up to stop a maniacal tablet from replacing toys for good. Beyond that, the recent WSJ report also confirmed that Pixar fans can expect Incredibles 3 todebut in 2028 and Coco 2 in 2029.

Monsters Inc. 3 is reportedly in development now, with the rest of the franchise currently streaming on Disney+. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.