Mike's New Car (2002 Video) User Reviews

Short and simple...but not exactly Oscar worthy

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 8 February 2008]

Mike and Sully, the two heroes from Pixar/Disney's MONSTERS INC. are back in this short film about Mike's new car. At first, Mike is very, very proud of it, but over time, more and more and more goes wrong--and in the process poor Mike and Sully are bashed to pieces by their overly-gadgeted car.

I saw this film recently in the new DVD of Pixar animated shorts and while it was very pleasant and funny, I was rather shocked to find out it was nominated for the Oscar for Best Animated Short Subject--which it lost to the better short film THE CHUBBCHUBBS! Now this isn't knocking MIKE'S NEW CAR--it's well executed and fun. However, it just isn't special enough to be considered much other than perhaps a DVD extra.

See CHUBBCHUBBS!

Sometimes Simple Is Better

[ccthemovieman-1 · 8/10 · 27 June 2007]

This is a quick comment about new cars and all the buttons on them. The "message" being sometimes it was a lot better with a basic simple machines of the past.

"Mike" (Billy Crystal) has a new car he wants to show off to "Sully" so he invites him to take a ride. They never get to the ride because "Sully" (John Goodman) either hits a wrong button or does something to stall things, driving Mike nuts. Poor Mike takes a beating. The cartoon also is a comment on the sometimes-annoying noise the car will make if your seat belts aren't secured.

This animated short came with The "Monsters, Inc." DVD and is a fun four minutes. Mike and Sully, of course, were the stars of the feature film.

P.S. The car is very cool.

Funny animated short

[rbverhoef · 8/10 · 11 February 2003]

As a little extra on 'Monsters, Inc' Disney and Pixar bring us 'Mike's New Car', a terrific animated short film that was nominated for an Oscar. If you liked 'Monsters, Inc.' I see no reason why you should not like this little film. One of the two main characters of 'Monsters, Inc.', Mike (voice by Billy Crystal), has bought a new car. The other main character, Sulley (John Goodman), joins him for a drive. Sort of.

This film is quite funny, especially the ending is hilarious. As with all Disney/Pixar films the animation is perfect. Especially Sulley seems almost like a real creature the way his hair and facial expressions are animated. If you like other films from Disney and Pixar Animation Studios you should not miss this one.

Manic and funny but mostly for kids

[bob the moo · 1 September 2003]

With the money from his new found fame and success, Mike buys a brand new powerful car to replace his old one. With state of the art gadgets and controls, Mike is eager to show it off to Sully. However this car is a little more complex than his last model.

When I borrowed the Monsters Inc DVD off some friends I was impressed by the sheer number of extras on it, whether the tv spots or the weird Japanese games or the outtakes etc. Of all the things additional to the movie, this short is the second best extra (the best being the musical `Put That Thing Back Where it Came From Or So Help Me').

Although it relies much more on physical humour than the film does I must admit to still being tickled by it. It appealed to the toddler audience a lot more simply because there were no real `over the head' jokes aimed at adults and not at the kids – plus it involved one character being hurt!

Overall I enjoyed this short and, when I watch Monsters Inc with any young relatives, I always make sure that the musical and this short are part of the viewing agenda.

It is funny on its own but started a disappointing trend

[CubsandCulture · 7/10 · 28 December 2020]

This is a funny short and if you like Monster's Inc. it is worth checking out. It feel much more like a deleted scene from the film than anything else. It has no life outside of its connection to the larger work. And it's the second feature that makes me downgrade it so much. This is the first short film made by Pixar connected to feature film made after the film. None of these works are particularly engaging and while Pixar has continued to make original shorts I wish they merely experimented in the short form. There's no great need for a short film with these characters.

Evidently new cars are BAD!

[Anonymous_Maxine · 7/10 · 7 March 2005]

This is a clever short film that strikes me as something of a deleted scene from Monsters, Inc, into which this short film would have fit quite nicely, especially clocking in at a whopping three and a half minutes! It's an interesting illustration of the dangers of upgrading to these high tech new cars available today, especially if you are just a regular guy like Mike. He buys this fancy new car with six wheels and can't contain himself at how cool it is, and then he and Sulley get beaten up by it because they have no idea how to use it. It's probably something similar to what would happen to me if I managed to get my hands on a brand new car. When cars are driving themselves I'll still be excited to have power steering.

It's pretty funny to see Mike and Sulley struggle to figure out the new car, especially when Sulley gets all fascinated by the power seats, quickly annoying Mike, who seconds earlier couldn't wait to show him all the new gadgets in his fancy new car. I have come to expect more than this from Pixar, though, especially in their short films, which generally contain enough charm and amusement in just a few minutes to fill a full-length movie. This is a cute film, but it is not up to the level of other great films from them, like Geri's Game or For the Birds. Still a pretty cute film, though, and it's not like you can really complain about a three and a half minute short anyway, right?

Mike's New Car

[jboothmillard · 7/10 · 11 April 2007]

If you have got the Monsters, Inc. DVD then you would be able to watch this special short film for after the main feature. Basically Mike (Billy Crystal) has bought a new "monster" car as a treat, and he decides to show it to Sulley (John Goodman), and take him for a spin. It is Sulley stepping into the car that Mike sees all the problems with adjusting, getting started, and obviously driving. All the gadgets of the car are complicated, and it ends with the car being ruined, and Mike realising that his old car was much easier. The computer effects are quality, the gags involving the car's gadgets are cool, and it ultimately a good film that follows the main feature. Very good!

Short but Hilarious!!

[erikdeb · 8/10 · 30 August 2002]

I have seen Monster's Inc, thinking that no computer animated movie will ever reach the levels of Shrek. Well I was surely wrong!! This short feature about Mike's new car is simply hilarious. Just watch Mike's and Sully's facial expressions.. 8 out of 10

One of my least favourite Pixar shorts but cleverly executed

[Stompgal_87 · 7/10 · 8 October 2013]

I probably saw this short for the first time 11 years ago when I watched this on the 'Monsters, Inc' DVD and it is brightly coloured like the feature it relates to but it isn't as funny.

The premise, which involves Mike not getting the hang of the car's controls and trying to dissuade Sulley from messing with them, is basic. There are a couple of funny moments, especially Mike phoning Sulley from inside the bonnet and the ending when the airbag inflates off-screen just after Sulley says it didn't go off. The musical score is pleasantly jazzy and the music in the first half sounded like a stripped-down version of the memorable opening music from 'Monsters, Inc,' while the cut-out like versions of Sulley and Mike shown in the beginning and ending titles are cute. Further to the end credits, I like how the dialogue continues with Mike missing his 'old car' and everything about it when Sulley offers to walk him to Monsters, Inc, which links to them walking instead of driving there in the actual film.

Overall this is one of my least favourite feature-related shorts but it has wonderful jazz music, the odd funny moment and clever ideas nonetheless. 7/10.

Entertaining and funny

[Spanner-2 · 9/10 · 17 March 2003]

This one, from the boys over at Pixar, is a continuation of the "Monster's Inc" storyline with Mike (voice of Billy Crystal) showing Sulley (voice of John Goodman) his new car. Hillariety erupts. The animation is typical pixar, the voice talent is game. This is a funny, creative effort that flies by fairly quickly. An enjoyable little film. GRADE: A-

A nice short film, but not one of my favourites from Pixar

[TheLittleSongbird · 7/10 · 22 February 2012]

I saw Mike's New Car not just because it was Pixar but I just love Monster's Inc, finding it very funny and with lots of heart. Mike's New Car is not as good as Monster's Inc, and I do prefer other Pixar shorts like Geri's Game, Presto, One Man Band, Knick Knack and Jack-Jack Attack. The short is short, perhaps too short, so while funny it sometimes lacked the heart of some of Pixar's other work, and I wasn't crazy about the intro, lovely understated jazz music but the miniature versions of Mike and Sulley look odd. The story is simple but at the same time forgettable and perhaps over-reliant on the physical humour. This said, the physical humour is great, very funny especially the ending, and there is some dialogue, and it is witty with the best being the "PUSH THE BUTTON!" exchange . Mike and Sulley are likable characters with an easy-going chemistry, and they are voiced wonderfully by Billy Crystal and John Goodman. The music is jazzy but with a soothing quality, but the best asset is the beautiful animation, like with Monsters Inc I am still impressed at the lengths given to make Sulley look as furry and as real as possible. All in all, nice but I've seen better from Pixar. 7/10 Bethany Cox

A good example proving that reading the Owner's Manual first is often a good idea!

[llltdesq · 8/10 · 6 February 2003]

This is a wonderful little bonus to Monsters, Inc. included by Pixar on VHS and DVD release. This is almost as funny as For The Birds and as rich in detail. While I like cel animation slightly more than CGI (odd, because I have zero artistic ability and can't draw a straight line even with a ruler), Pixar's work enthralls me. Pixar succeeds because they understand that a story is necessary, or even the greatest animation (or whatever) crashes in a heap at the foot of the stairs and can't get back up. This point appears to elude entirely too many people of late, including the folks at Disney (Pixar, it should be noted, is not part of Disney, but is a separate company that has a distribution deal with The Mouse.) and it's not that hard to make sure you have a story first, though all too often it must seem that way in the film industry. I hope Pixar continues to do shorts, whether for R & D purposes or just because they want to do them, as they do a great job. Well worth watching. Recommended.

Not the best special ever, but sure is funny

[kill-the-boxtrolls · 6/10 · 20 November 2010]

This short TV special is about Mike's new car. How he recycles his old car and buys a new one. His friend Sully ends up putting him in tragic and then all of a sudden, he wants his old one back.

Now, the reason why this special was a thousand times worse than the movie is because of the stupidity Mike and Sully have gotten now. Although, this special is for little kids who are finding humor and Mike and Sully are still hilarious, but doesn't surpass the humor in the original theatrical movie.

The plot is pretty predictable and the show's too short. It's only about two minutes long of Mike and Sully's disaster about the new car. Then all of a sudden, Mike decides he wants his old car back.

Look, I'm not saying that this special is terrible or anything, it was still somewhat good and slightly funny, but I prefer the theatrical movie over the special.

Shockingly unoriginal

[sashank_kini-1 · 4/10 · 30 August 2011]

Mike's New Car is perhaps the worst short to be featured before Monsters Inc, a touching and original movie with a unique plot. Mike, the one-eyed side-kick to the big-hearted and fuzzy Sullivan gets a new 6 wheeled car that follows the principle 'Everything that can go wrong does go wrong'. So, everything from the seat to the engine, the windscreen, the mirror give a problem and Mike loses it.

Now the thing with a Pixar short is that it has to aim for the jugular in its first attempt. If it does not manage to pull the audience in the first attempt, it fails to a certain extent since most of the audience goes for a Pixar film not to analyze the film in terms of a film critic. The instant reaction to this short from me was 'Oh, this is predictable!'. Katedra, another contender at the Oscars failed to impress me on the first go but turned out to be fascinating on my second viewing. But it was a cryptic film made to be interpreted only after repeated viewings. Am I going to watch Mike's New Car again for interpretations? No, because I know that if I watch it again, I will be even more disappointed. The humor in the film does not work, as its tired. The music reminds me of a 60s sitcom where a lady in a simple dress waves her hand and meets neighbors- too goody-goody! The only humorous part was Sullivan adjusting the front mirror. The animation is competent though, but its Pixar and so that criteria is always fulfilled. But the short is forgettable and unworthy of being placed with the other contenders.

My rating: 4/10

A rather forgettable short

[Gordon-11 · 14 December 2008]

This short animation is about the new car Mike bought. He is proud of it until things go awfully wrong.

"Mike's New Car" is aimed at very young children. To be honest, I do not quite see the attraction of this short. The plot is a simple one, featuring merry mishaps of Mike and Scully while working with the technologically advanced car. It is not particularly hilarious or warm. If this was nominated for an Oscar, then the other shorts must have been very bad, or there were no other shorts.

I find "Mike's New Car" rather forgettable. I have never been a fan of "Monsters Inc", so it may have affected my judgment of this animation.

Brand New, My Friend

[mihai_alexandru_chindris · 7/10 · 15 April 2018]

Mike and Sully are one of my favourites characters from the Pixar universe. They're so wavering. And it's funny to watch them. In this case, they're entertaining us with Mike's new car and it's absolutely hilarious. I would love to see a movie staring only these characters.

Quality short film

[nucksfan4life · 7/10 · 23 September 2002]

"Mike's New Car" is a quality short film from Pixar. The main reason I enjoyed it so much was because of Mike's facial expressions. He seems to be way more aggressive and hostile than he ever was in the feature film. Those faces are priceless, and I will probably watch this short film over and over again just to see the faces.

Mike's New Car settles for visual humour that only just conveys their monstrous personalities.

[TheMovieDiorama · 6/10 · 31 July 2018]

Pixar's short animations tend to be either original meaningful films or continuations of existing intellectual property. A slight diversion from 'Monster's Inc', Mike's New Car is simply our favourite one-eyed fledgling purchasing a new car and figuring out how to utilise the vehicle, with "great" assistance from Sully. We've all done it. Bought a new car, sat in it thinking "damn, look at all these buttons". Yeah, multiply that by 72 and that's how many gadgets this car has. It's always humorous to see these two characters interact with each other, and the way they approach the foreign contraption that is a six-wheeled car. As always, their natural chemistry and juxtaposing personalities make for a few smiles. It is however absent of chuckles, and that's due to how placid the visual comedy is. Having adapted to the feature film, we now know what these characters are like around each other and how they react to certain situations. Mike easily becoming frustrated whilst Sully becomes clueless. It's nothing outrageous, and the overacting will appeal to younger audiences as Mike flails around like a pinball, however it is entertaining nonetheless. Crystal voices Mike to perfection whilst Goodman unfortunately does not have too much to say. His dialogue consists of murmurs and sounds of pondering, highlighting Sully's perplexed bewilderment. Its brisk, light and a very easy three minute short. It won't make a loud roar within Pixar's filmography, but will satisfy fans and younger audiences.

Brilliant example of new generation cartoon

[tacoekkel · 10/10 · 28 December 2002]

I just can't watch this one enough: the attention to detail is just so overwhelming. Voice, characters, image, music, texture, etc. are blended together in an absolutely awesome way. It also shows how well-thought-out the characteristic personal traits of the stars of the movie are. Timing is perfect and the effect of CGI is put to really good use here - to have fun and just that. Applause! Perfect!

Hilarious...thats the word

[DWSLASSLS · 10/10 · 25 January 2005]

When I saw the DVD of Monsters inc came out, I thought this would be some cruddy part of it...but when I saw it for the first time, I was absolutely dying laughing, as there was every sight gag in the books. Everyone who is a normal person and likes to laugh, this is a must see, because even though it is about 3-5 minutes long, it is absolutely hilarious, hence the title of this. I laugh a LOT, and I only remember I have only laughed as hard as after I saw this maybe only 5 or 6 times. Anyway, if you like Daffy Duck humor, then this is the right thing for you...heck with it...if you like any humor WATCH THIS! I don't have anything else to say....but it is definitely funny...yea thats it...

Favorite Short Movie

[jarellano2222 · 10/10 · 18 March 2013]

My favorite short movie! It's so funny and matches from characters and situations from the feature film. I do not get tired or bored of that short film. I hope they make another short film for Monsters University. I like how they put funny things in Mike's New Car. It released the year after Monsters, Inc., so it was not in the theaters. I would definitely recommend this short film to anyone who hasn't watched it. It would seem crazy that some people haven't seen it, but not everyone sees a movie regardless of popularity. It's the best short film I have ever seen! It's definitely not something to try because of the accidents that really could happen. They need to make more short films like this one!

Repetitive at 3 minutes only

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 7 May 2015]

I have to say I quite like both Monsters, Inc. movie and this short film came out a year after the first. Basically it is nothing more than a handful slapstick jokes packed into slightly over 3 minutes. The animation is good as always with Pixar and I liked especially how the car had a bit of an evil face which fit nicely the way Mike struggled with it. However, none of these jokes really had the joy or fun that came with the full feature films starring this unusual duo of friends. A third of this short film is only about Sulley adjusting his seat which seems to make Mike very angry for some reason. There is also not a real message in this film, something that usually comes with Pixar. Or maybe the message is that you should go with what has become valuable to you in the past instead of going for something new and shiny? I don't know.

This short film is written and directed by Pixar big name Pete Docter and he got help from Roger Gould and a couple writers who also worked on the first Monsters movie. They managed an Oscar nomination in the animated short film category which makes me shake my head. At least they did not win, although the winner that year is not much better, if at all. "Mike's New Car" is one of Pixar's worst. Not recommended.

A cute film.

[cmyklefty · 16 October 2002]

I enjoying watching Monsters, Inc. with Sulley and Mike, then seeing them in this short film. It is nice bonus to Monsters, Inc. that Pixar put Mike's New Car with buying or renting on VHS or DVD at your video store. Mike is funny when he and Sulley react to the new car. I like more films with the characters. I will not be surprised if the Mike and Sulley make a special appearance in Finding Nemo at the end of the film in the goofs.

Mike's New Car

[jhunt709 · 8/10 · 7 June 2010]

Reuniting the comedy duo (and reprising the voice talents) of Sulley and Mike from the feature film 'Monster's Inc.' makes this gag-driven short worth watching for any fan of these two characters and their relationship.

The premise is a clever continuation from the movie, where Mike was not allowed to drive to work due to the current energy crisis in Monstropolis. In the short, the deprived monster gets a chance to show off his new 'six-wheel drive' to his partner. This subtle attention to detail and character is a display of how intimate Pixar Animation Studios are with their work. Unfortunately for Mike, the display doesn't run smoothly, creating a hilarious predicament in the middle of the street.

'Mike's New Car' might feature a little too much slapstick for some viewers, but many should appreciate it for what it is.

8/10

It's funny and a must see for all Monsters Inc Fans.

[emasterslake · 8/10 · 16 April 2006]

This short is about Mike getting a good deal in trading his old car for a better one.

He shows it to Sully and wants to give it a test drive around the neighborhood.

Only operating the vehicle isn't as easy as it appears to be.

This short has plenty of gags in it.

I won't spoil anything but it is really funny to watch.

They still have Billy Crystal as Mike Watsoski and John Goodman as Sully.

You able to see this on the Monsters Inc. DVD.