The short got rated PG, unlike other media related to Monsters, Inc. (2001) and Monsters University (2013), due to some reckless behavior going on. This is also the first Pixar or Disney-related short to be rated PG since Roller Coaster Rabbit (1990).
Was originally set to accompany Disney Pixar's The Good Dinosaur (2015) back when it was set to come out in May of 2014, but after the film's release was changed to 18 months later, when it ended up accompanying Muppets Most Wanted (2014) instead.
This short was initially considered as a bonus feature for the Monsters University (2013) DVD, but the decision was later made to release the short theatrically.