With the new release ofInside Out 2, Pixar is finally giving fans the long-awaited sequel toone of the company’s most beloved filmsin recent memory. However, not every classic from the studio has been so fortunate. Throughout the animation behemoth’s 45-year history,various sequels, collaborations, and adaptations have beenplanned and subsequently scrapped, leaving a long list of possibilities as to what creative projects might have once been made. Not even some of the studio’s most recognizable properties were spared from these cancellations, asMonsters, Inc.,the beloved 2001 movie directed byPete Docterand starringJohn GoodmanandBilly Crystal, was originally slated for a sequel. The follow-up was tentatively titledMonsters, Inc. 2: Lost in Scaradise,andthe story would havesignaled a completely new direction for the franchise.
The doomed continuation was in development as early as 2005, whenThe Walt Disney Company set up a new animation division, Circle 7, that was supposed to develop sequels to some of Pixar’s greatest hits, such asToy StoryandFinding Nemo. Around this time,creative differences betweenthe two animation juggernauts caused them to fail at negotiating a contract renewalto continue their joint partnership, prompting Disney to develop sequels to the Pixar classics on their own. However, when a change in Disney’s leadership allowed the two studios to reconcile in 2006, Pixar insisted that only its own animators would be allowed to work on a follow-up toMonsters, Inc. As such, any additional work onLost in Scaradisewas subsequently cancelled, but the plot of this forgotten sequel lives on as a promising foundation for what could have been.
Monsters Inc.
In order to power the city, monsters have to scare children so that they scream. However, the children are toxic to the monsters, and after a child gets through, two monsters realize things may not be what they think.
What Would ‘Monsters, Inc. 2: Lost in Scaradise’ Have Been About?
According to Jim Hill Media, the sequel would have taken place shortly after the events of the first film, with one of the sequel’s screenwriters,Robert Muir, confirming that the sequelwas set to explore how Sulley and Mike navigated the new world order they created after eliminating scream power inMonsters, Inc.With Sulley taking a position in management to replace the first film’s villainous Henry Waternoose (James Coburn) and Mike becoming one of the company’s top comedians, audiences would have seen both characters adjusting to their new roles in life, but their newfound sense of stability wouldn’t last long. On the day beforeMike’s wedding to Celia(Jennifer Tilly),Sulley and Mike would have become trapped in the human world, introducing several fascinating new concepts to the Monsters, Inc.franchise.
One of the ideas from Muir and his writing partner, Bob Hilgenberg, that excited Disney executives the most was the pair’s pitchto introduce audiences to even more recognizable monsters on Earth. Building on the popularity of The Abominable Snowman(John Ratzenberger) fromMonsters, Inc., Mike and Sulley would have interacted with monsters inspired by a variety of human cultures as they struggled to make their way back home, coming across terrifying icons like El Chupacabra and the Jersey Devil during their unintended exile from Monstropolis. Instead of relegating these new characters to urban legends, Muir and Hilgenberg’s story would have attempted to fold the earthly monsters intothe world ofMonsters, Inc., connecting them to the audience’s favorite scarers while also expanding the mythology of the franchise in an exciting new way.
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The sequel would also have allegedly included promising storylines such as a redemption arc forSteve Buscemi’sRandall, a subplot involving Celia’s jealous ex, andnew details about how only humans who believed in monsters could see them in the human realm. Most adults and more mature children, for instance, would supposedly have been unable to see Sulley and Mike once they were trapped in the human world, only adding to the tension between the two. In Muir and Hilgenberg’s story, Sulley and Mike go to the human world because Sulley feels lost without his relationship with Boo, and the pressure for him to reconnect with Boo conflicts with the pressure for Mike to return home in time for his wedding,testing the bounds of the pair’s relationshipand leading both of them on a journey of discovery that would have answered many questions from Pixar’s originalMonsters, Inc.
‘Lost in Scaradise’ Would’ve Shown Fans What Happened to Boo After ‘Monsters Inc.’
As the main source of drama in the first movie, Boo is undoubtedly one of the mostenjoyable parts ofMonsters, Inc.Her innocence contrasts with themanipulative attitudes of Waternoose and Randall, and her heartwarming connection to Sulleybrings an element of sweetness into a scary new world.Yet, at a time whenpopular franchises routinely spawn sequelsand spinoffs,Monsters, Inc.still hasn’t revealed what happened to the character at the heart of its beloved story. While Boo’s relationship with Sulley is sweet enough in the original movie to be left satisfying as is, there’s always room to add new meaning to pre-existing relationships, which is why it’s so exciting thatLost in Scaradisewould have explored an older Boo.
In thescrapped sequel, Sulley and Mike would have arrived in the human world through Boo’s old door, only to discover a stranger sleeping in her bed instead of her. Realizing that Boo’s family had moved, the iconic Pixarduo would allegedly have reunited with Boo in the film’s third act, relying upon her belief in them to return home. Yet, as a child now removed from the old connections of her childhood bedroom, Sulley and Mike would have had to prove they still existed in order to get Boo’s attention, introducing audiences to new members of Boo’s family, like her brother.
Still, Boo’s lapse in belief would have been especially relatable for fans of the originalMonsters, Inc., as itwould haveallowed the franchise to mature with its audience. Children who connected with Boo’s fear and glee while exploring the world of the original movie would likewise have been able to connect with herfaltering beliefs as she grew up, and Boo’s ability to rekindle her connection with Sulley by the sequel’s end would have represented a renewal of its audience’s faith in their own fantasies. Sulley’s own ending in the movie would also have struck a chord with older audiences, as his return to Monstropolis allegedly would have coincided with a need to say goodbye to Boo for good, confirming that sometimes even monsters need to let children go in order for them to grow.
‘Monsters University’ and ‘Monsters at Work’ Continue Mike and Sulley’s Stories
While Disney and Pixar have released two follow-ups to the originalMonsters, Inc.in the way of a prequel,Monsters University, and a continuation series,Monsters at Work, neither of these installments in the franchisecapture the same potential ofLost in Scaradise’sbeautiful premise.Monsters Universityexplores Mike and Sulley’s pastdeeply but doesn’t redefine their relationship past the first movie, whileMonsters at Workincludes several aspects fromLost in Scaradise’spitch, such as Sulley taking over the company,but it doesn’t go as far as the scrapped sequel in adding new elements to the franchise. Randall’s reappearance in the Season 2 finale doubles down on his previous villainy, and the show has yet to include Mike and Celia’s wedding.
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Even more frustratingly,the release ofMonsters at WorkmakesLost in Scaradise’scancellation seem unnecessary in hindsight. Disney confirmed Muir’s worst fears that all of Circle 7’s work would be discarded solely in favor of Pixar employees back in the mid-2000s. However,the production ofMonsters at Workwas recently outsourced to a separate animation house, Icon Creative Studio, for the 2021 sequel to the franchise, anyway. The show excels with a talented voice cast and fun depiction of life at Monsters, Inc.now that the company is moving in a more comedic direction, but the series still overlooksLost in Scaradise’smost promising innovations. With new monsters and a more mature look at familiar characters, thislost sequel’s original vision created a compelling return to the world ofMonsters, Inc.,even if Pixar ultimately opted not to open its door.
