This Retro Black-and White 'Monsters Inc.' Really Looks Like 1940s Pixar

Pixar is considered a pioneer in the world of animation but the studio jumped back in time for a newly released, black-and-white version of Monsters Inc. And, unsurprisingly, it’s totally awesome.

The four-minute clip tells an abbreviated version of Mike and Sulley trying to get a little girl they nickname Boo back into the human world after she accidentally ends up in Monstropolis done in the animation style of old-timey classics like Disney’s own Steamboat Willie. The dialogue is shown in text on the screen and there’s even a throwback piano score over the entire thing that will make you feel like you hopped into a time machine to a movie theater back in the roaring ’20s.

This is not the first time Pixar has released an altered version of one of the films from their classic catalog. Previously, the animation studio has produced a 16-bit version of Wall-E, Up done in the popular Japanese style of animation, and a musical retelling of Cars (though, sadly, “Life Is a Highway” is not featured). They’re all incredibly fun to watch and prove that no matter the style, Pixar remains the top dog in animation.

Honestly, I am hoping Pixar continues to make this a regular thing and does stylistic remakes of all of their classics. Maybe Ratatouille reimagined as a French New Wave arthouse film or an Adam West-era Batman version of The Incredibles. Who knows? Maybe this remixed style could even make Cars 2 and The Good Dinosaur watchable. The possibilities feel endless.