WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Monsters at Work Episodes 1 & 2, now streaming on Disney+.
Disney +'s Monsters at Work expands the world of Pixar's Monsters, Inc. by displaying the lives of not just Monsters, but the team that keeps the company's facilities up and running as well. Episode 2 of the series is entitled "Meet Mift," and it focuses on the company's newest hire, Tylor Tuskman, as he is initiated into the Monsters, Incorporated Facilities Team.
Tylor isn't exactly thrilled about joining MIFT, as he initially came to Monsters, Incorporated to be a scarer. Unfortunately for him, the company has switched over to laugh power and his scariness isn't really needed anymore. As such, Tylor reluctantly takes up a job with the facilities team at the end of the first episode while he takes lessons from Mike Wazowski on how to make kids laugh.
"Meet Mift" begins with Tylor walking into the normally bustling MIFT office and finding no one there. He then heads to a back room, where the team is waiting to begin his initiation ceremony. After unsuccessfully trying to tighten a lug-nut, Tylor is unwillingly placed on a treadmill in front of "The Door of Eternal Membership," which has a number of glowing red inflatables around it that the crew refer to as "The Flames of No Return".
This moment is reminiscent of a similar scene in Pixar's 2003 film, Finding Nemo. In that movie, Nemo is forced to cross through the "Ring of Fire" (a fish tank volcano that releases bubbles) in order to be welcomed into the Tank Gang. The setting and lighting of the scene are similar, being lit in a predominantly reddish color scheme as the others chant for the initiate to cross through. However, despite the visual and tonal similarities, Nemo and Tylor have completely different feelings about their respective initiations.
While Nemo is frightened but determined to pass through the Ring of Fire and be welcomed into the Tank Gang, Tylor tries his hardest to resist his initiation. He makes it clear several times throughout the first two episodes that he sees MIFT as a temporary position until he manages to become a jokester and balks whenever the others make statements about it being a lifelong commitment. Tylor even attempts to run in the opposite direction to escape the approaching Door of Eternal Membership, only for the other monsters to turn up the treadmill's speed.
Both Tylor and Nemo end up making it through their respective ceremonies with underwhelming results, though. While Nemo finds out the Ring of Fire is nothing but a bunch of bubbles, Tylor is sent through the door just as the power goes out throughout the company, plunging the room into darkness. In the end, the initiation ceremony in Episode 2 of Monsters at Work is a clever spin on Finding Nemo's Ring of Fire that helps to demonstrate the differences in the projects' main characters -- Nemo is willing to overcome his fears to pass the test, while Tylor has a bad attitude and ultimately wants nothing to do with his teammates.
Starring the voices of Ben Feldman, Mindy Kaling, Henry Winkler, Lucas Neff, Alanna Ubach, John Goodman and Billy Crystal, the first two episodes of Monsters at Work premiered July 7 on Disney+, with subsequent episodes debuting each Wednesday.