Monsters at Work creator Bobs Gannaway reveals why Boo is not in the show. Disney's Monsters, Inc. premiered in 2001 and chronicled the tale of James P. "Sulley" Sullivan (John Goodman), a gigantic furry blue monster, and Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal), Sulley's green one-eyed partner, as they worked at the titular powerplant, generating energy from the ingathered screams of children. Typically, the monsters despise kids, but when a young girl named Boo trespasses the energy factory, Mike and Sulley take it upon themselves to rescue her and return her safely to the human world. Monsters, Inc. proved to be a bonafide success among critics and viewers, grossing a worldwide total of $577 million against a budget of $155 million. The movie's success inspired Disney to produce a prequel, Monsters University, which came out in 2013. And recently the film also spawned the spin-off TV show, Monsters at Work, which is slated to launch on Disney+, July 7, 2021.
Set six months after the events of the original movie, Monsters at Work finds Sulley and Mike take up more executive roles at their company, which has transitioned to harvesting power from children's laughter instead of their screams. The focus, though, is now on a new monster, Tylor Tuskmon - a recent Scare Major graduate from Monsters University - who has joined the Facilities Team as a mechanic in hopes of working under his idols, Sulley and Mike. Viewers are generally excited to see how this new creature would fit into the franchise, but some are also a bit disappointed, as it has recently been revealed that the cutesy Boo won't make an appearance in the forthcoming show.
Gannaway opened up about Boo's absence from the series during a conversation with Digital Spy. He said that the camaraderie between Boo and Sulley is extremely treasured, that is why he wants to leave it up to fans' imagination to perceive how the relationship fostered. Gannaway added it wasn't like that he and Pete Docter, who directed the original movie and now serves as the showrunner for the spin-off, did not want Boo to return. Rather the character's connection with Sulley was so valuable to fans, they decided to leave it alone and focus on a new chapter. Read what Gannaway said below.
"We both agreed the relationship between Boo and Sulley is so precious and so wonderful that we want to leave it to the world to have their own interpretation of how that relationship continued. That was very important to Pete and also us. So it's not that we don't love Boo and don't want to see her again, but that relationship is so precious. We want to leave it. Let the world have that."
Although Boo isn't coming back for the new show, Monsters at Work still boasts an expansive roster of returning characters from the franchise. This includes Yeti, Celia and Roz who are being voiced by original stars John Ratzenberger, Jennifer Tilly, and Bob Peterson. The goofy custodians Smitty and Needleman will also reappear, although, this time around, it's Stephen Stanton who is lending his voice for the characters instead of the late Dan Gerson. There are also several Monsters at Work newcomers, such as Val Little (Mindy Kaling), Fritz (Henry Winkler), and Cutter (Alanna Ubach). In fact, Gannaway himself appears as a new character. He voices Otis, a receptionist at Monsters, Incorporated. Recently it was also announced that comedian Gabriel Iglesias is onboard for Monsters at Work as Gary Gibbs, Mike's archnemesis.
Gannaway and Docter's justification for why Boo is missing from Monsters at Work is pretty logical and persuasive. The adorable little girl had her storyline completely fleshed out in the 2001 movie, so it would have been tricky to incorporate her into a new story anyway. Monsters, Inc. had a significant plotline that dealt with the interaction of Monstropolis with the human world. But Monsters at Work doesn't seem to revisit the concept, as it is more involved in the dynamics among the monsters only. It's also true that audiences really adored the chemistry between Boo and Sulley, and since they have closure about how their relationship unfolded, it's not necessary for the new show to depict that connection again. If the show gets renewed for more seasons and the opportunity to mix with humans eventually comes up, then it may be a good idea to look at what Boo has been up to. Otherwise, the character is probably best left alone.
Source: Digitial Spy