Welcome to Disney's Magic of Storytelling podcast, brought to you by Wake Med Children's, because inside every child is a story waiting to be told.
Our storyteller is ABC 11 news anchor Joel Brown.
I'll be reading Disney Pixar Monsters Christmas in Monstropolis.
Mike Wazowski was Monsters, Inc.'
's top laugh collector, but one day he had other things on his mind besides work.
Mike walked through the busy streets of Monstropolis.
Come on, he called to his best friend Sully.
We can't be late for the Christmas committee meeting.
I'm in charge of getting the whole city ready.
Mike had big plans.
He pictured Monstropolis glowing from top to bottom.
And to cap it off, he planned to set up a huge Christmas tree in the center of the city.
We'll have a special tree lighting ceremony on Christmas Eve.
He told his team, with a camera crew there, to broadcast the event live.
Sully nervously looked over Mike's plans.
This is going to take a lot of laugh power, Mikey, he said.
I'm not sure.
But Mike was determined.
People will be talking about the great job the Christmas committee did for years, he exclaimed.
Before long, teams of monsters had spread across the city hanging lights and putting up decorations.
Maybe we can skip some of these lights, Sully said, you know, to save energy.
Skip lights, Mike asked.
No, we need more lights, Smitty.
Needleman, he shouted to two nearby monsters, double the lights in the city dump.
Soon Christmas Eve arrived all around Monstropolis.
Lights shone so brightly that passersby had to squint and shield their eyes.
In the city center, hundreds of monsters gathered to witness the tree lighting.
TV crews set up cameras to capture the event.
See Sully Mike said, the power is just fine and you were worried.
Suddenly, all the Christmas lights went out.
Mike looked around in alarm.
It wasn't just his decorations that had turned off.
The power had gone off across the whole city.
What's going on, Wazowski?
One monster yelled angrily.
Yeah, another monster cried.
We want answers.
And lights, someone else bellowed.
The crowd began to murmur angrily.
Don't worry, folks, Mike shouted above the growing noise.
Just a little hiccup.
We'll have all this fixed in a jiffy.
Sully turned to Mike.
The factory is closed for the holidays, he whispered.
Everyone's on vacation.
How exactly are we going to generate enough power?
We're going to need to get some substitute laugh collectors, Mike said.
He scanned the crowd for familiar faces.
Okay, let's see.
Who looks funny?
His gaze settled on Smitty and Needleman.
Hey, you two, he called.
Over here.
Sully and Mike quickly ushered their new laugh collectors to Monsters, Inc.
It was up to the four of them to turn the city's power back on.
At the factory, Sully stopped short.
He gazed at the hundreds of doors hanging from the conveyor belt.
Without power, Sully would need to pull them into place himself.
We've got our work cut out for us, he said, doing some quick calculations.
We'll probably need six cans to power up the city and have enough left over for the tree lighting.
And we've got about an hour to pull it off.
Smitty and Needleman looked nervous.
What can we do, Mr. Wazowski?
Needleman asked, his voice shaking.
We don't know any jokes, don't worry.
Mike said i got a million of them.
He quickly scribbled down some jokes and handed them to the monsters.
And remember it's all in the delivery set.
Mike ran through door after door.
What's a monster's favorite christmas carol?
He asked a girl jingle yells.
What do monsters elves learn in school?
He yelled the alphabet.
Which monster plays holiday tricks?
Prankenstein.
That's two cans Sully called out as Mike stepped back onto the laugh floor.
That's all, Mike slumped to the ground.
I'm ruined, he groaned.
If we don't get enough power, I'll be the laughing stock of Monstropolis.
Sully tried to cheer Mike up, but he knew they had a long way to go.
Mike raced in and out of the rooms.
With half an hour left, they had filled only four cans.
In their room, Smitty and Needleman were getting nowhere.
What's red and white and green, Needleman nervously asked one boy.
Smitty answered in a flat voice, Santa's swimming through seaweed.
The two looked up hopefully.
The boy had fallen asleep.
You stink, Smitty said as he and Needleman went through another door.
I stink, Needleman's voice rose, waking the girl whose room they had entered.
Needleman gave Smitty a little push.
You're the one who smells.
Smitty tried to push Needleman back, but Needleman stepped out of the way and Smitty stumbled to the floor with a thud.
The girl howled with laughter.
I don't know what you just did in there, but it's working.
Sully said when the two stepped back onto the laugh floor, you just filled half a can.
The new laugh collectors headed through another door.
Mike and Sully heard thumps, crashes, and laughter.
Curious, they stopped and poked their heads in.
I'm gonna roll, Needleman cried, jumping up and down.
In a flash, Mike tossed a rotten banana to Smitty.
Or maybe you're on a banana peel, Smitty said, gulping down a banana and throwing the peel.
Needleman stepped on it and Slid across the room.
The boy laughed so hard he filled an entire can.
One more to go, Sully said, and we've only got five minutes left.
Good thing I saved the best for last, Mike said, hurrying through the nearest door.
What's red and hairy?
Has eight legs and guides Santa's sleigh, he asked a group of cousins.
Rudolph the red-nosed spider.
The room shook with laughter.
Six cans, Sully called.
Let's hope it's enough.
Tree lighting, here we come.
The four monsters raced through the streets.
The lights had come back on in the city.
But what about the Christmas tree?
Had they collected enough laughs to light that too?
By the time they reached the city center, monsters stood shoulder to shoulder waiting for the lighting.
Mike crossed his fingers.
He knew all eyes were on him.
Taking a deep breath, he flipped the switch.
But nothing happened.
Uh, Mike, Smitty said, holding up the cord to the tree lights.
It wasn't plugged in.
Needleman quickly pushed the plug into the nearby socket.
The lights flicked on.
Everyone gasped in wonder.
You did it, Mike, Sully said.
Mike shook his head.
You mean we did it.
And he pulled Smitty and Needleman up to face the cheering crowd.
Merry Christmas, Monstropolis, they all shouted.
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