OVERLAY REPORT

In the production of *Monsters University* (2013), several scenes and character moments were the result of improvisation. Unlike most animated films where actors record their lines in isolation, Pixar specifically utilized a collaborative recording process for this film to encourage spontaneous comedy. ### **1. Mike and Sulley's Joint Recording Sessions** The most significant source of improvisation in the film came from **Billy Crystal (Mike)** and **John Goodman (Sulley)**. At Crystal’s insistence, the two recorded their lines in the same room together—a rarity in animation. This allowed them to "act" rather than just "read," leading to numerous unscripted moments: * **The "Howabouts":** Crystal and Goodman utilized a technique they called "howabouts." After recording the scripted version of a scene, they would ask the director, "How about this?" and riff on the dialogue. Crystal has stated that these "howabouts" happened constantly throughout the production. * **The Bus Scene:** The frantic energy of Mike Wazowski on the bus at the start of the film, where he is calling out to other monsters (like Gladys and Phil) and sharing overly personal details about them, was largely fueled by Crystal’s improvisational "frantic energy." * **Physical Comedy Cues:** Because the animators filmed the actors while they recorded, many of the physical interactions between Mike and Sulley—such as Mike’s specific hand gestures or Sulley’s reactions to Mike’s "scary feet" routines—were based on the actors' real-time physical improvisation in the booth. ### **2. Charlie Day and the Character of "Art"** Director Dan Scanlon has revealed that the character of **Art** was essentially "born out of laziness" in the writing room because they didn't initially know what his purpose was. This left a void for **Charlie Day** to fill with improvisation: * **"I Can't Go Back to Jail!":** One of the most famous lines in the movie occurs when the Oozma Kappa fraternity is running from the campus security/librarian and Art screams, *"I can't go back to jail!"* This line, and the implication of Art's mysterious criminal past, was developed through Charlie Day trying "funny and weird" takes during recording. * **Weird Tangents:** Scanlon noted that Day would often try lines that were so strange they weren't in the script, such as Art's random comments about his "new age philosophy" major or his dream journal. ### **3. Helen Mirren and Dean Hardscrabble** While Dean Hardscrabble is a stern character, her specific "voice" was found through a riffing process: * **First Hour Riffing:** Director Dan Scanlon and **Helen Mirren** spent the entire first hour of her first recording session "riffing" on different accents, affectations, and demeanors. Though the final performance is very controlled, the specific coldness and "clicking" sounds of the character were discovered through this experimental, unscripted session. ### **4. The "Drama Class" (Deleted Improv Scene)** There was a specific scene actually titled **"Drama Class"** that was entirely centered on the *concept* of improv. In this deleted sequence, Mike and Sulley are forced to participate in an improv exercise where Mike plays a "flower" and Sulley plays a "bunny." While this was scripted as an "improv class" within the story, the actors were encouraged to lean into the awkwardness of the prompt to make the rivalry feel more authentic. ### **Summary Table of Improvised Elements** | Actor | Character | Improvised Detail | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | **Billy Crystal & John Goodman** | Mike & Sulley | General banter and "howabouts" throughout the film; specific "frantic" dialogue. | | **Charlie Day** | Art | The line "I can't go back to jail!" and various non-sequiturs. | | **Helen Mirren** | Dean Hardscrabble | The character's specific accent and "clicking" vocal affectations. | | **Bill Hader** | The Slug | Some of the "late for class" vocalizations and panicked reactions. |