Mike Wazowski
Michael "Mike" Wazowski is a fictional character who appears in Disney/Pixar's Monsters Inc. franchise. He is a green one-eyed round monster with two arms, legs, and small horns. In the films, Mike is one of the two protagonists, alongside James P. Sullivan, and is primarily voiced by Billy Crystal in the film series, shorts, and the Disney+ series.[1]
Mike Wazowski
Monsters, Inc. (2001)
- Billy Crystal (films, Monsters at Work, shorts)
- Carlos Alazraqui (video games, rides and commercials)
- Noah Johnston (young; Monsters University)
Michael Wazowski
Unnamed monster
Senior Co-President of Monsters, Incorporated, Chief Executive Vice-Deputy Administrative Director of Comedy Resources Management (Monsters at Work)
- Scare assistant (Monsters, Inc., except for its epilogue)
- Jokester (Monsters at Work onward, including the epilogue of Monsters, Inc.)
Celia Mae
Conception and creation
In early versions of the film, Mike had not yet been added.[2][3] Later on in development when he was added, his early designs consisted of no arms and his size was smaller with a more hostile attitude.[4] Billy Crystal, having regretted turning down the part of Buzz Lightyear years prior, accepted that of Mike. Crystal later stated in an interview that he would not have been right as Buzz and admitted that Mike was rather the perfect role for him instead.[5][6]
In other media
Other films
Mike made a cameo appearance at the end of the credits of Finding Nemo (2003), diving on the seabed.[9]
Video games
As one of the main characters of the Monsters, Inc. franchise, Mike has regular appearances in the video games of the franchise, usually as a playable character.
He also made appearances in other Disney crossover video games, such as the Disney Infinity series (2013-2015), where as with the other playable characters in the game a tie-in figure for him was also released,[10] Kingdom Hearts III (2019), appearing as one of Sora's party members,[11] and Disney Mirrorverse (2022), where he is depicted wearing combat armor.[12]
Reception
Mike's character has been generally well received by critics and audiences. Rolling Stone considers him the 8th best Pixar character, going on to state "It's weird to think of a lumpy green thing as an everyman, but Billy Crystal's voice helps make Mike a monster of the people."[13] Additionally, Victoria Robertson from Screen Rant listed him as the 7th best Pixar character, stating "perhaps it's the little quirks that make him so great, his skittishness, despite the fact that he's a monster, or his comical and romantic qualities that shine throughout the film, but whatever it is, Wazowski made a name for himself."[14]
Legacy
Mike has appeared in a wide variety of various internet memes. One such example is the face-swap meme, where Sulley's face is photoshopped onto Mike, as well as "Mike Wazowski explaining things" where Mike is shown complaining to Sulley and Roz about the games in the rec room, taken from a cutscene in the 2001 Disney Interactive game Monsters Inc. Rec Room Arcade.[15] Mike and Sulley were planned to be featured in the convention hall scenes in Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers, but they were replaced with He-Man and Skeletor.[16]