From scares to jokes, how does Monsters at Work fuel Disney +?

Monsters at Work is the first Pixar show to be featured on Disney Plus this Summer, from the world Of Monsters Inc and Monsters University, join fan favourites Mike and Sulley as they attempt to turn laughter into power.

Join Tylor Tuskman, voiced by Ben Feldman, as he navigates his way through the workplace, when his dream to become a scarer changes to jokes, what will he do?

The show starts off with two episodes, slowly bringing you back into the world of monsters and changing up the rules a little bit. The show appears to be set the day after the original movie’s events and primarily focuses on how to integrate laughter as a new power source as opposed to scares.

The first two episodes don’t intrigue me as other Disney plus shows have, there isn’t a big step up to showcase the new characters, they just appear and give brief character introductions, like their names, then carry on as if we know everything about them. The new main character, Tylor, does have potential to become a good character, however, he doesn’t have those qualities that make me want to like him, he’s more of a “Yeah, he’s okay” kind of guy.

The animation is okay for the format it's trying to be, most animated T.V shows don’t usually have a very high budget and that can sometimes affect the animation. Yet, it’s Pixar, meaning the animation, even if not as detailed as their featured movies, is still leagues ahead of other CGI shows out there. It’s the same style as the normal Monsters Inc brand and therefore fits in perfectly.

To say the show is based around trying to make people laugh, it does a poor job of conveying this through its jokes. There were only so many moments where I laughed out loud, most jokes being that of awkward pauses or poor slapstick attempts, which is odd to me because Pixar usually have some good jokes within their entertainment; perhaps it will get better in later episodes, who knows?

What I do think this show will thrive on is its character interactions, already Mike and Sulley prove to be the most interesting characters, but when not on screen the members of Mift don’t hold up quite as good. Their only redeeming quality is the way they interact with each other; you can tell there is a bond between those characters and it’s wonderful to see.

When watching the show, it made me realise how much I would just prefer to see a show that’s primarily Mike and Sulley, as stated before I think they steal the show and are far more interesting than the other characters we’re introduced to. I want to see them struggle to run the monster factory, see them take charge and motivate others. I understand the idea of wanting to break away from those characters and allow others into the spotlight, but by including them into the show you have to understand that people will crave the old more than the new.

I also have to mention the theme song, I’m not one usually for acapella versions of existing songs but I have to admit it was nice to hear the classic theme sung like that. It felt different enough that it’s separate from the movies but close enough to know it’s still the same brand you love.

I think this show has potential to be good, great even. I hope the comedy improves and the characters get some form of development to make them more likable. I hope for similar stuff to Mike’s comedy corner which was the only time I laughed for more than a second at a time.

Monsters At Work gets two scares out of five.

You can find Monsters at Work on Disney Plus every Wednesday; the first two episodes are available to watch right now.