Parents' Guide to

Monsters at Work

By Ashley Moulton, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 5+

Charming Pixar sequel series delivers laughs, mild suspense.

TV Disney+ Kids' Animation 2021
Monsters at Work Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

Community Reviews

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age 8+

Based on 2 parent reviews

Momma_Chark
Momma_Chark Adult
August 16, 2021
age 10+

"The Cover Up" ep is disturbing

We have been watching the new episodes and all seemed fine and dandy until we got to the episode named "The Cover Up". The story involves an incident that renders one of the inspectors “unconscious “ but for all intents and purposes the characters assume he is dead and treat it as if they are disposing a body and covering it up. I could not believe what I was seeing. This is extremely dark, not humorous and de values life in a way I found gut wrenching. In a world where we are promoting kindness, empathy and tolerance a show with this story line has no place .. especially from Pixar.

This title has:

Too much violence
1 person found this helpful.
Hihihihidash
Hihihihidash Adult
July 12, 2021
age 5+

Great

This new series is awesome name less scary it has no reason to be less kid friendly than the original it is much more kid friendly than the original (apart form bad language like ‘screwed’)

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
See all 2 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Monsters at Work picks up right where Monsters, Inc. left off -- with Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal) and James P. Sullivan, aka "Sulley" (John Goodman) converting their power plant from scare-power to laugh-power. They get promoted to CEO, and Mike's first act in charge is to promote his girlfriend Celia (Jennifer Tilly) from receptionist to floor manager. Recent Monsters University graduate Tylor Tuskmon (Ben Feldman) is thrilled to get a job offer at the prestigious Monsters, Inc., but on his first day he learns that the company no longer has a need for an expert Scarer. Instead, he must learn to become a Jokester- a monster that visits kids at night and gets them to laugh. While he trains, he gets a temporary job in the MIFT (Monsters Incorporated Facilities Team) department. There he has to learn to get along with his oddball co-workers: the excessively friendly Val (Mindy Kaling), old-timer Fritz (Henry Winkler), and opportunistic Duncan (Lucas Neff). Can Mike and Sulley teach Tylor to be funny so they all can realize their dreams?

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2):
Kids say (6):

The new-and-improved Monsters, Inc. company's slogan is "It's laughter we're after," and this joyful series follows through on the fictional company's goal. The same outstanding voice cast from the original movie reprise their roles, and Billy Crystal's Mike is even more amped up since his official job function is to teach the monsters to be funny. The new characters Tylor and Val are great (though sadly the devastatingly cute Boo from the original doesn't appear in the series). In the typical Disney/Pixar tradition, Monsters at Work has humor for both kids and adults. Besides the yuks, the heartwarming characters and inventive storylines really make the series shine. Kids will enjoy seeing the monsters learn from their mistakes as they try to master something new, and will empathize with Tylor as he adapts and goes after a new dream. This series could have phoned it in and coasted on the success of its movie predecessor, but there's a lot for kids to love (and laugh at) in this sequel.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the monsters' perseverance. How do Mike and Sulley persevere to make the new Monsters, Inc. successful? How does Tylor adapt his plan so he can fulfill his dreams at Monsters, Inc.?

  • What do YOU think is funny? If you were a monster, how would you try to make kids laugh?

  • The monsters in the MIFT department are all really different than Tylor. How do you try to get to know people that are different than you are?

TV Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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