IamA Mary Gibbs! Voice of Boo from Monsters, Inc. AMA!

Would you play an older Boo if you were asked by Pixar?

Yeah, I would love to return as Boo in the future and knowing Pixar in another ten years there might be another sequel! who knows!

And another random question. What are you going to school for?

originally for integrative physiology but chemistry kicked my ass so I'm going to try out psychology :) I'm still not sure what I want to do

Well youre a freshman so theres some time to figure it out. Good luck with it :)

yeah I've got some time so I'm not too worried :)

What has been the best pun someone has used on you using the character name "boo"?

Can't think of any puns but people are pretty dirty, asking if anyone has made me call them Mike Wazowski in bed... the answer, if you're curious, is no ahaha

How did you manage to become a voice actress for Boo?

My dad was a story board artist for the film and the director asked if anyone had a little girl they could sketch and use for scratch dialogue. Boo was originally going to be older but they wanted to explore different age possibilities. Normally they have adults do kids voices but since it was my dads work and I was comfortable around everyone they ended up using my voice for the actual movie.

Have you ever had the chance to tell a child who just watched the movie that it's you?

Also, who was your favorite actor to work with while recording.

Yeah, telling little kids is the best part but sometimes they are just confused ahaha thinking I was actually the animated character and not just the voice! But I didn't work directly with any actors unfortunately

Besides your iconic role as Boo, have you done any other voice acting?

at the age of seven I got the part as the niece in Santa Claus 2 but they found out legally a seven year old can't work as many hours as a nine year old so they had to find someone older.

What was it like working with Pixar?

(P.s: Do you remember how Boo's song goes while she is on the Potty?)

stady comes along one and hershen song dwadle lemon kind

They told me to sing and I started singing "wheels on the bus" but they couldn't use any actual songs for copy write issues so they had me babble and sing random words for a few hours and took out the parts they liked the best!

Do you get weirded out when you see little kids dressed as Boo for halloween?

Not weirded out by the costumes but you have no idea how many times parents have told me their kid looks exactly like Boo

Favorite memory from Monsters Inc. ?

Just being able to play at my dads work all day for a year was the best part :)

Did you ever get scared by John Goodman during voice recordings?

I never interacted with John Goodman or Billy Crystal during the recordings, as we each did our parts separately... I did meet both of them at the premier but I dont remember ever been scared of him, then again I was only five

How many times have you been asked to say "Mike Waszowski"?

wayyyyyyy more times than I can count. Theres probably not even a real number made up for how many times I've been asked that.

How did they get you to record the part in Monsters Inc? Sit you down in a booth, or follow you about with a microphone whilst you did "kid" things?

They would follow me around the recording studio, use puppets to talk to me, and have my mom tickle me or take money/candy away from me to make me laugh and cry ahaha all real emotions.

Hi there! Is your dad still employed with Pixar and do you still get to visit/hang out on their campus?

He worked there for eighteen years and I've spent a lot of time there! He just moved to Dreamworks though

Is being the voice a boo a point of pride or condemnation when it comes to dealing with your classmates. Or do you try to avoid the topic at all costs?

It definitely is a blessing and a curse. Sometimes I don't know who is actually interested in getting to know me as a person or getting to know "Boo." But I do take pride in it but when meeting people I usually don't bring it up... but they either already know or someone else I'm with with blurt it out.

The voice actress who played Darla in Finding Nemo apparently requested stickers for her role, did you receive any merchandise or anything special for voicing Boo?

More Boo dolls/toys/Dvds than one could count... I signed them and gave most of them away as gifts growing up.

How many times have you actually watched the film? Is it weird to do so?

Especially when the movie first came out EVERYONE wanted to watch it with me. Ive probably seen it a couple hundred times. Now that I'm older its a little weird knowing thats my voice for sure! It really hit me when I rode the monsters inc ride at California Adventures and my voice was all over the ride. Then again it doesn't really seem like me when I watch it. It's hard to explain the mixed emotions I get when watching the film now..

I'm an illustrator, so I jumped when I saw your dad is a storyboard artist! One question, did your voice in any way impact Boo's final image? Or were the visuals already established before recording?

Yeah! she was originally going to be around twelve years old for one thing.. so my voice changed her age entirely. She also had pigtails because I would show up every day with pigtails and that's how the artists would sketch me

So, originally they had a proper script for Boo? If she was 12, presumably she would have been able to form intelligible sentences. And tell them her name.

That would have changed the film entirely.

exactly... they realized a three year old would have a much more loving storyline

Having seen Monsters Inc about a hundred times in the last few months (grandson loves it) I am curious if your voice acting at least made you enough money to pay for college? Did you get to spend your earnings?

yes, I will not be in debt after college, thank god! Not too much extra but covered a lot of college :)

What instruments do you play? Have you written any music of your own?

I play guitar and a little bit of piano and yes, writing songs is one of my passions

Since I was 11 years old, I grew up quoting your baby mumblings and gibberish. And now, my 2 year old daughter is doing the same! How does it feel to be such a big part of so many people's lives and memories?

Thanks for being so adorable!

It is pretty crazy knowing my voice is being heard around the world and its awesome how big of an impact that movie made. It definitely was a huge part of so many peoples childhoods and I feel honored to be apart of it<3

Seeing as you played a character called Boo, what are some of your favorite scary movies?

I am not a fan of scary movies! Ironically, I get scared way to easily

Were you aware when creating your username that it anagrams to "Big Boobs?"

im aware and have been told that a lot but ive used that user name forever Boo and Gibbs (my last name) stop having a dirty mind

Did pixar tell you if your character is actually the witch in Brave? There's a theory that Boo went looking for Mike and Sully after they left her and she invented time travel to plant easter eggs all throughout the pixar movies. Do you know anything about this?

that theory is bullshit. sorry

I think it's booshit

ahaha exactly

Boo just cursed. RIP childhood

ahahah yeah.. 18 year olds know cuss words :)

as far as I know at least

Did Monster's Inc change your life in any significant way? Did Sully and his motives teach you something about yourself you never knew before? Looking back on the movie of course.

Just being Boo changed my life but I don't really know any different so it's normal for me. Looking back, has sully taught me anything? Not to be afraid of what everyone else is afraid of :)

Hi Mary, welcome to reddit. Me and my daughter watched Monsters inc yesterday. She will be thrilled when I tell her, that I talked to Boo. Could you send a few greetings to my tiny three year old Elisabeth?

And something that I'm very interested in, what is your favorite breakfast, do you have anything special for birthdays?

Elisabeth- I hoped you enjoyed the movie and grow up always believing in the impossible! Follow your dreams and always keep your head up <3

I don't eat meat but love breakfast foods like omelets and pancakes xD

Monsters Inc. was my childhood! What's your favorite cereal?

hmmm special K with strawberries.. I'm a pretty health conscious person.

Why did you lose the dreads??

I'm naturally blonde and wanted to go back to my natural hair color after dying my hair for five years.. I know I have a pixie cut in those pictures but I ended up shaving my head to get back to completely natural.. maybe the dreads will return one day when my hair is long enough

How many times has Coventry City won the FA cup?

42

Do you enjoy the Monsters Inc Laugh Floor at Disney World? (I do, it's awesome.)

I haven't been to Disney World in sooo long! I live closer to Disney Land but I'll check it our next time I go for sure :)

I was really looking forward to seeing a sign of you in the new movie. It's kinda cool that you're in college now, and they made a college version.

How old were you when you were voice acting for Monsters Inc.? And did you know what was going on, or at least recognize your voice when you saw it? And how does it feel watching the movie now?

Yeah unfortunately it was a prequel though so no signs of Boo :/ Pixar has been pumping out sequels lately so maybe they will ask me to return in the future! I was only two and a half to three and a half during the actual recording and five when the movie came out. I knew I was in the movie and knew that was my voice but when I was little I had no idea how big of an impact the movie was going to make. Watching it now is a little weird.. I have mixed emotions watching it now

Omg Boo is probably one of my favorite characters from one of my favorite Pixar movies!

Do people actually recognize you or ask you to quote Boo ever? I can imagine it's quite a bit different since your voice has changed quite a bit since then. My absolute favorite touching moment in any movie is that very last "kitty!" And I can't wait to introduce my 11 month old son to the world of Disney/Pixar :-)

No stranger recognizes me but everyone at my school knows because word travels fast so a lot of people know about it and will come up and talk to me

Another question for you;

Did you do every piece of sound for Boo, or were there times where they just couldn't get you to say/do what they wanted you to do?

I did everything for Boo.

Even that little cute sneeze near the start? This to be precise :P

I don't remember any sneeze? but yeah every sound they used for Boo was made my me

Ms.Gibbs, is there any validity to the story of how they recorded your voice parts in monsters Inc. by following you around all day in the studio? If not, how did they get you to say what you did? Also thank you for doing this AMA

They did indeed follow me around.. they also used puppets to talk to me.. they would say things like "what would you say if your kitty ran away.." things like that to get me to say what they wanted me to say and how they wanted it. the laughs were made by my mom tickling me and tossing me in the air and cries came from them taking candy and money away from me ahaha

Monsters inc was always my favorite! Anyway, who's your favorite character from Monsters inc (other than Boo)? :)

Growing up my favorite character was always Randal! I'm an empath and always felt bad for the characters everyone else didn't like xD

was that your voice that says, "EEWWW" when hiding with sulley in the stall?

I've listened to the movie hundreds and hundreds of times for years in the mini van dvd player stereo system over the years with two kids spaced evenly apart. It is always jarring to hear Boo's voice sound suddenly so much older in that scene. (is that you or another voice actor?) or perhaps a pick-up done at a much later date?) please, I have it know!

My voice was the only voice used for Boo.. maybe that was recorded towards the end when I was a little older

Did you have a script or was the whole dialogue improvised?

there was a rough script but most was improvised like the random singing and babbling

I have a friend that has a fire poi crew with a bunch of hoopers! It's pretty fun to watch, looks like you have some silks, too, which are always neat!

Why did you decide to stop voice acting?

Yes, its very mesmerizing :) I never decided to stop but my mom kind of pulled me out of the business, trying to avoid me growing up to become another Britney Spears or Linsey Lohan!

Let's say Pixar did make a actual sequel with Boo, what do you think it might be about?

maybe Boo doesn't wanna play with Kitty anymore because she's too busy with her boyfriend xD ahaha I dont know, Pixar will come up with a better story than I can, I'm sure

While recording, did you understand the significance of what you were doing? Also, what was it like recording at that age, did you enjoy it?

Since I was in my natural environment at my dads work and they pretty much just followed me around with a microphone recording my natural sounds, I was not aware of the significance. If they wanted me to say kitty in a sad way, instead of saying "say it like your sad" like they would instruct normal actors.. they would say things like "what you you say if your kitty ran away" in order to get the correct emotions out of me. I don't remember too much because I was so young but yes, I enjoyed it very much

Have to ask: is it true that Boo grows up to become a time-traveling witch / wood sculptor who guided Merida on her journey?

Noooo

Do you have any vivid memories of billy crystal or John goodman voice acting?

All I remember of them is Billy Crystal walking me down the red carpet at the premier! Hopefully I'll be able to meet them again now that I'm older though

What were the most memorable moments of shooting your role?

I remember them using a sesame street puppet to communicate with me and I remember rolling around on the walls of the recording studio because they were spongey.. haha

My daughter and i love Monsters Inc! Did you work directly with Billy Crystal and John Goodman? Any good stories?

Edit: never mind, just read that you didn't. Did you meet them though?

I got to meet them at the premier and Billy Crystal walked me down the red carpet! I was informed Billy Crystal asked about me when he was recording for Mike Wazowski in Monsters University though so maybe I will get to meet him soon now that I'm all grown up

I actually watched Monsters Inc recently and decided to look up who you where and what you where doing out of curiosity. My question would be, do you remember anything about being on set?

I was 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 during the actual recording so I have very little memories of actual being in the studio other than the fact it was my dads work so I was always used to being there anyways.

How's college?

College is awesome! I'm loving every minute of it :)

I'm confused. I saw a TIL A while ago that said they followed a little kid around with a Mic to get the sound effects for Boo. Is that false?

i was that little kid, so no, its true

Did you make it rain when you got your first big voice actor check?

ahaha its paying for a lot of college, so thats good

Monsters, Inc was one of my favourite movies as a kid, so thanks for the memories! Good luck with college and life in general! Oh, I need a question now. What is your favourite Pixar movie besides Monsters, Inc?

hmmm I really liked Wall-E :) Up was good too.. i dont know, they're all good ahha

How loud can you scream (in dB)?

I think I used up all my screams for the movie, but if I really wanted I can scream pretty loud, like most other peoples screams xD

Do you have any photos of your dreads?

yeah! I have a blog I just started and I'll be posting all my hair phases later today! boogrewup.tumblr.com

Was there any significant money involved and if so, has it helped your life? Do you get royalties still?

I wont be in debt after college and thats the only thing that matters!

Has a guy ever asked you to talk like Boo while having intercourse?

ಠ_ಠ

xD

Luckily I don't date creepy, weird, Boo obsessed people.. so no :) I've had may friends joke about it though