Mike's New Car is a 2002 Pixar animated short, starring the two main characters from Monsters, Inc., Mike Wazowski and James P. Sullivan. Directed by Pete Docter and Roger Gould, it is the first Pixar short to use dialogue and the first to take characters and situations from a previously established work.
It received an Academy Award nomination (Best Animated Short Film in 2002) and was included in the 2002 VHS and DVD releases of Monsters, Inc.
Plot
Mike is obsessed with his new six-wheel drive car, and insists on showing it off to his pal Sulley. Unfortunately for Mike, everything that can go wrong does go wrong. Sulley plays with the ultra-adjustable seats until an annoyed Mike asks him to stop. Mike starts the engine and the seatbelt reminder tone sounds. He finds his seatbelt stuck and accidentally locks himself out of the car while trying to unstick it.
Sulley, trying to be helpful but confused by the massive amount of buttons on the dashboard, pops the hood open. When he closes it, he ends up trapping Mike in the engine compartment. Mike manages to escape, re-enters the car, and is exasperated by the continuous seatbelt reminder tone. Sulley reaches for another button on the dash, as when Mike managed to put his seat-belt on, he turned the windshield wipers on by accident. Mike shouts, "Don't touch anything!" and pushes a button that launches the entire car into chaotic malfunction, such as conga music playing loudly. A monster takes notice of the commotion, then walks away in fear.
Mike finally ends the chaos by pulling the key out of the ignition, and Sulley adds insult to injury when, in an attempt to realign the rearview mirror, he accidentally breaks it off. Mike, then snaps and orders Sulley out of the car, and speeds away, wrecking the car completely. Sulley mutters, "Huh, that's weird, the airbag didn't go off." Right on cue, the airbag inflates, and its force sends Mike flying back up the street. Sulley catches Mike, who mourns for his old car before agreeing to walk to work while the credits roll.
Voice cast
Home media
Mike's New Car was released on September 17, 2002, attached as bonus feature on the Monsters, Inc. DVD and VHS release. The DVD release features commentary by "Docter and Gould", who turn out to be the directors' young children. The short was also released on November 10, 2009, on the Monsters, Inc. Blu-ray.
Soundtrack
The score to Mike's New Car was composed by Randy Newman.
| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1m1 | Main Title |
| Meeet the Car | |
| Salsa Dance | |
| Wrecked Car | |
| 1m5 | Wanna Walk? |
Trivia
- There is a visible button that reads: "Do not touch." This is presumably the one Sulley used to pop open the hood.
- The short was originally planned to be a scene in Monsters, Inc., the film it was based on, presumably the original version of the scene where Mike surprises Sulley with Boo's door being almost rebuilt due to Mike unveiling the car in a similar manner to the above mentioned scene. The Pixar crew decided to cut the scene out, release the scene on the VHS and DVD of the film as "Mike's New Car" and replace it with the scene where Mike surprises Sulley with Boo's door rebuilt instead of the car.
- Mike's car appears as a vehicle in LEGO The Incredibles. It is unlocked when a player collects all 10 minikits in the level "Elastigirl on the Case".
- This is Pixar's first direct-to-video short film and the first of a series of short that are based on the film it was released on home video with.
- This is also the first Pixar short film to have the 1995-2007 Walt Disney Pictures logo until Your Friend the Rat.
- this is also the first Pixar short to be co-produced by Walt Disney Pictures, followed by Jack Jack Attacks, and Mater and the Ghostlight onwards.
- The car makes an appearance in the Monsters at Work episode "The Cover Up".
Gallery
