"Adorable Returns" is the seventh episode in the first season of Monsters at Work. It aired on August 11, 2021 on Disney+ and aired on January 28, 2023 on Disney Channel.
Synopsis[]
Tylor mistakenly allows the banished “Adorable Snowman” to return to Monsters, Inc. Fearing he’ll also be banished, Tylor struggles to get him back before he’s discovered. Meanwhile, Val decides to investigate the mystery of why the snowman was banished in the first place.
Plot[]
With a heat wave passing through Monstropolis and power desperately needed, Celia calls for all Jokester students to come to the Laugh Floor immediately. Tylor happily jumps at the chance to join his fellow Jokesters to the Laugh Floor as Mike informs them that whomever gets rated number one will be made an official Jokester. As the power begins to jam the doors, Tylor rushes off to help Val fix the racks so as to allow them to enter. However, in his haste, he gets caught in one of the door frames and carried through the Monsters, Inc. facility.
As Val races off to rescue Tylor, Tylor finds himself in front of the banishment door and falls into the Himalayas. He is found by the Abominable Snowman, who prefers to be called Adorable. He takes him in and nurses him back to health, though Tylor is immediately put off by his overly friendly demeanor. Val arrives and meets Adorable and finds him charming, as opposed to the other monsters who have all heard varying stories as to why he was banished to begin with. Tylor rushes Val back to Monstropolis, only for Adorable to follow them back.
Adorable begins to walk around Monsters, Inc. with Tylor trying to hide or protect him from the other monsters. As Duncan and Cutter try to set a trap for him, Val goes to Roze to search for why Adorable was banished to begin with. Eventually, Tylor breaks down why he has been in such a rush that day which Adorable apparently understands. They finally coerce him to return to banishment, or at least get more snow cones for Mike and Sulley, as he tells Tylor that he was a good friend. Tylor finally returns to the Laugh Floor, where Val tells him that Adorable was banished because he discovered letters from Waternoose that revealed his evil plans. Tylor tries to do his work, but cannot bring himself to go through with it.
Tylor brings the banishment door down as he, Val and Adorable arrive with snow cones for everyone. Mike and Sulley are happy to see him and upon learning the true reason behind his banishment, un-banish him and have him resume work at the company as the official snow cone maker. Due to Tylor not having done any joking, Carla Benitez is revealed to have acquired the position of official Jokester due to her water flower. Tylor knows that a second chance will come along as he tells Val, "When life throws you a snowball, you make snow cones."
Mike's Comedy Class[]
Mike attempts to teach the concept of a rimshot, but his assistant Kaitlyn keeps playing it randomly. When he explains that a boxing glove is supposed to come out and hit him, which it does, Kaitlyn does not play it until the scene blacks out.
Cast[]
- Billy Crystal as Mike Wazowski
- John Goodman as James P. Sullivan
- Ben Feldman as Tylor Tuskmon
- Mindy Kaling as Val Little
- Henry Winkler as Fritz
- Lucas Neff as Duncan P. Anderson
- Alanna Ubach as Cutter, Carla Benitez, Rosie
- John Ratzenberger as Adorable, Bernard Tuskmon
- Bonnie Hunt as Ms. Flint
- Jennifer Tilly as Celia Mae
- Bob Peterson as Roze
- Stephen Stanton as Needleman and Smitty
- Christopher Swindle as Fungus, Don, Charlie
- Bobs Gannaway as Otis, Roto, Bobs
- Hiromi Dames as Lisa
- Dee Bradley Baker, Michaela Dietz as Additional monsters
Trivia[]
- Instead of the typical theme playing during the credits, an ice cream van rendition is performed.
- Tylor is hanging upside down in the cave trying to reach the rubber chicken, which references how Luke Skywalker was reaching out for his lightsaber with the Force while hanging upside down inside the Wampa's cave in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.
- Fittingly, John Ratzenberger played the character Major Derlin in the same film.
- It is revealed that Otis become Monsters, Inc. new receptionist as the previous one got promoted to Laugh Floor's supervisor.
- Adorable comments that Bernard's voice sounds familiar, a nod to the fact that they share the same voice actor.
- Bernard Tuskmon makes his first appearance in this episode. He was supposed to appear in "Welcome to Monsters, Incorporated", at Tylor's graduation, but his scene was removed.
- Cutter is revealed to have been married at least three times.
- One of Adorable's lines when he first meets Tylor is "Why can't they call me the Adorable Snowman?" This is a direct reference to the same line from the movie.
- The coffee screamer monster from the previous episode is revealed to be named Kaitlyn. Ironically, she has no lines in this episode, even though her voice actress Michaela Dietz is credited as Additional Monsters.
- Kaitlyn is shown to be capable of playing the drums. Michaela Dietz' character Amethyst, from Steven Universe, also played the drums.
- Rival company FearCo. is mentioned for the first time. One of the earliest treatments for Monsters, Inc. mentioned the company frequently.
- One month has passed since the events of the movie.
- Both of Adorable Snowman's cameos are acknowledged, including how he knew Mike and Sulley from the mailroom from the end of Monsters University.
- Banana Bread makes a brief reappearance.
Gallery[]
