Monsters, Inc. Timeline Explained: When All Movies, Pixar Shorts & The TV Show Take Place (2024)

The Monsters, Inc. timeline is deceptively complex due to the release order of the franchise's various installments and when each story is set. The Monsters, Inc. movies, shorts, and TV show don't follow a linear structure when compared to their release dates. While it's easy to tell when certain stories take place in relation to others, some are a little more vague. However, it's still very possible to watch all Monsters, Inc. properties in chronological order.

The Monsters, Inc. franchise began in 2001. As well as receiving a prequel movie, there have also been animated shorts and even a TV show added to the Monsters, Inc. continuity. All the installments adhere to the same canon, creating another modest yet expansive universe from Pixar. However, one of the movies featured a Mike and Sulley retcon. While most Monsters, Inc. stories tend to follow their main characters, the franchise has also shown it's willing to shift focus to other figures to enhance the world in which these underrated Pixar movies are set.

2013's Monsters's University Marks The Earliest Point In The Monsters, Inc. Timeline

The Monsters, Inc. prequel movie works well as a standalone story

Despite being released 12 years after the first Monsters, Inc. movie, Monsters University takes place before the franchise's debut entry. The Pixar prequel shows Mike and Sulley among the frats and sororities at Monsters University during their first meeting and eventual collaboration. Eagle-eyed viewers will also spot other figures in Monsters University who eventually pop up later in the timeline of the franchise. The movie does a great deal of worldbuilding for the Monsters, Inc. universe, showing how scarers are educated as well as revealing areas of the curriculum for those who aren't built for the industry's most glamorous role.

The movie itself doesn't completely bridge the divide between when it's set and the events of the original Monsters, Inc. movie. Instead, Monsters University ends with Mike and Sulley working in the mail room of the first film's main location. Their rise to the Scare Floor is only implied by a set of newspaper clippings and announcements, but it makes it very clear that their failure at the monster college isn't the end of their dreams.

Monsters University Short "Party Central" Takes Place During The Events Of The Movie

This Pixar short shows the fun Mike and Sulley had at college

Pixar are renowned for their animated shorts as well as their feature-length collaborations with Disney. As such, Pixar often adds to the world of its movies by augmenting them with brief dalliances that align with the main canon. Party Central focuses on a college party that Mike and Sulley attempt to make more successful than the campus' main gathering. It's difficult to tell exactly when Party Central is set, but it's definitely within the events of Monsters University.

The short likely takes place in the second half of Monsters University since Mike and Sulley are on good terms. Party Central makes heavy use of the door gimmick that made the original movie so popular. There is also far more dialogue from human characters than is typical of a Monsters, Inc. story. The short runtime doesn't allow for much of a narrative, but the gags that do feature are still in keeping with the rest of the franchise.

The First Monsters, Inc. Movie Was Released In 2001 (& Takes Place After The Events Of The 2013 Prequel)

The first Monsters, Inc. movie arguably remains the franchise's most important installment

2001's Monsters, Inc. was the start of the franchise

As such, it's the cornerstone of much of the world's lore that has since been expanded upon in later entries into the Monsters, Inc. universe. The movie introduces the much-loved concept of the doors being used as a portal into the human realm. Although Monsters University is set before Monsters, Inc., the prequel doesn't address the doors as heavily because Monsters, Inc. is still intended to be watched first.

During a chronological run-through of the Monsters, Inc. franchise, this movie would come somewhere in the middle due to falling somewhere in the heart of the established timeline. Alternatively, it can also be watched following Monsters University and Party Central. However, both feature-length Monsters, Inc. movies function well as standalone films and can be watched in isolation from each other if desired.

The "Mike's New Car" Animated Short Takes Place Close To The Events Of The First Movie

The car in the short is different from Mike's vehicle from the first Monsters, Inc. movie

Mike's New Car was the earliest attempt to flesh out the world of Monsters, Inc. beyond the movies. New lore is very hard to come by in the brief story and the short acts more like a slapstick comedy routine than anything else. As it lacks many hallmarks to accurately place it on the Monsters, Inc. timeline, it makes it difficult to zero in on an exact setting. The presence of Pixar's cutest character, Boo, would have helped, but the adorable human character is nowhere to be seen.

So, just as Party Central can only be narrowed down to some point during Monsters University, Mike's New Car has similar issues regarding its relationship to the first Monsters, Inc. movie. As such, at first glance, the chaotic short could take place before the events of Monsters, Inc., afterward, or even during. However, the yellow vehicle in Mike's New Car is different from the car shown near the start of the main movie. Therefore, the most likely explanation is that Mike's New Car takes place after 2001's Monsters, Inc.

The Monsters At Work TV Show Is A Sequel To The First Monsters, Inc. Movie

The Monsters, Inc. story continued in a TV show rather than a third movie

Monsters at Work debuted in 2021, 20 years after the original movie. As the first TV show in the Monsters, Inc. franchise, it essentially serves as a sequel to the 2001 film. However, the events shown in Monsters at Work don't take place after the final scene of Monsters, Inc. As such, the timeline gets a little messy at this point if a chronological playthrough of the franchise is to be attempted.

The first Monsters, Inc. film ends with a flashforward to a world where monsters collect power from childrens' laughter rather than screaming following the arrest of the movie's villain, Mr. Waternoose. Monsters at Work actually picks up immediately after Waternoose is taken into custody and follows the company's bumpy transition from a scare factory into a laugh factory.

Mike and Sulley are secondary characters in Monsters at Work as they take over the day-to-day running of the company. As such, the TV show focuses on a new ensemble led by Tylor Tuskmon. As a recent scare major graduate of Monsters University, Tylor is left disillusioned as he realizes he won't be able to put his training to use. So far, Monsters at Work marks the latest point in the Monsters, Inc. timeline - other than the flashforward from the original movie.