Mike's New Car

Mike's New Car is a short film released in 2002. It serves as the first Monsters, Inc. short film and the fifth installment of the overall series.

Plot
Mike insists on showing off his new yellow six-wheel drive car to Sulley. Once Sulley gets in the car, he begins to play with the adjustable seats. Annoyed, Mike starts the car, only for the seat belt alarm to sound. Mike attempts to buckle his seat belt, only to find that it is stuck, and Mike ends up locking himself out of the car while trying to free it.

Sulley tries his best to help, but does not have knowledge of the various buttons on the dashboard inside of the car, and accidentally pops the hood open. Closing it results in Mike trapped underneath the hood, in the engine compartment. While Mike escapes and gets back into the car, he is still annoyed by the seat belt alarm. When Mike finally manages to buckle his seat belt, Sulley accidentally turns the windshield wipers, but Mike quickly puts a stop to it, and warns Sulley to not touch anything. Frustratingly trying to put his seat belt on, Mike accidentally turns the radio on and tries to find the button to turn it off. However, while Mike frantically tries to find the button, he ends up turning the windshield wipers on, opening and closing the hood, and messing with the seats, resulting the entire car into chaotic malfunction, including plays the conga music very loudly. Once Mike pulls the key out of the ignition, he forces Sulley out of the car, and Mike attempts to drive to work once more. However, he loses control and crashes, causing the airbag to deploy, sending Mike flying backwards into Sulley's hand. Exhausted, Mike begins to miss his old car, and agrees to walk to work with Sulley.

Characters

 * Mike Wazowski
 * James P. Sullivan
 * Jerry (cameo)

Cast

 * Billy Crystal as Mike Wazowski
 * John Goodman as James P. Sullivan

Release
Mike's New Car was released as a bonus feature on the Monsters, Inc. DVD and VHS on September 17, 2002. It was also shown before the theatrical release of a non-Pixar film, Treasure Planet, on November 27, 2002.

Reception
Mike's New Car has received critical acclaim, and currently has scores of 73% on Rotten Tomatoes, 7.2/10 on IMDb, and 4/5 stars on Amazon. The short was also nominated for an Academy Award in 2002 for Best Animated Short Film.

Trivia

 * Mike's New Car is the first Pixar short to feature vocal performances, as well as the first to utilize characters and universes from previous works.
 * The commentary on this short is done by the directors' sons.
 * The short was originally meant to be a scene in Monsters, Inc., but was cut, and it is commonly speculated that it was replaced with the final scene of the movie, in which Mike surprises Sulley with Boo's door.