Release OrderRecommended
0 / 5 watchedHow everything came out. The prequel plays as a flashback after the original.
- 1 Monsters Inc 92-minute original. Start here in release order.
- 2 Monsters University Prequel set in the college years, years before the 2001 film.
- 3 Party Central Short of about six minutes, set in the college years.
- 4 Monsters at Work Season 1 10 episodes. Picks up the day after the 2001 film.
- 5 Monsters at Work Season 2 10 episodes. Disney Channel run April to May 2024.
Chronological Order
0 / 5 watchedThe in-story timeline. University and its party short come before Mike and Sulley join the factory.
- 1 Monsters University College years come first on the timeline.
- 2 Party Central College party short, directly after University.
- 3 Monsters Inc The laugh-power switch that the series continues.
- 4 Monsters at Work Season 1 10 episodes. Picks up the day after the 2001 film.
- 5 Monsters at Work Season 2 10 episodes. Disney Channel run April to May 2024.
About Monsters Inc
Pixar's Monsters Inc started in 2001 with Mike and Sulley learning that laughter powers Monstropolis better than screams. Monsters University from 2013 rewinds to their college rivalry, and the story continues on Disney+ with Monsters at Work.
Release order starts with the 2001 film and treats the college years as a flashback. Story order starts with University and Party Central, then plays the original film as the middle chapter. Both paths end with the two seasons of Monsters at Work.
Good to know
Party Central premiered at D23 in August 2013 and Disney+ lists it as a 2014 short; it runs about six minutes and sits with the college years. Monsters at Work season 1 ran on Disney+ from July to September 2021 and season 2 aired on Disney Channel from April to May 2024 before reaching Disney+ on May 5, 2024. The 2002 DVD extra Mike's New Car is an optional gag, not a story chapter. A third film entered early development reporting in March 2026 via the Wall Street Journal, with no plot, director or date, so it stays out of the list.
