Jeff Bridges, Allison Janney and Jesse Eisenberg will voice characters in ‘Minions & Monsters’.
It’s the latest ‘Despicable Me’ spin-off featuring the chattering creatures.
The movie will arrive on July 1.
There’s no keeping those Minions down. The chattering characters from the ‘Despicable Me’ franchise who have had a few of their own spin-off movies are back later this year for another new entry, ‘Minions & Monsters’.
A prequel to 2010’s ‘Despicable Me’ and sequel to 2022’s ‘Minions: The Rise of Gru,’ the newest adventure is set in the world of 1920s Hollywood as the yellow underlings work to find the lead of their monster movie.
Described as “rambunctious, ridiculous and totally true,” the story follows how the Minions conquered the entertainment industry and became movie stars… only to lose everything and unleash monsters onto the world before they banded together to save the planet from their mayhem.
When will ‘Monsters & Minions’ be in theaters?
Universal has confirmed a July 1 release date for the new animated outing.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with director Chris Renaud about his work on Despicable Me 4’, the success of the movie and the overall franchise, why we love the Minions, how Gru has changed since the first film, his rivalry with Maxime Le Mal, what Will Ferrell brought to the role, working with Steve Carell and what being part of this franchise has meant to Renaud personally.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interview.
‘Despicable Me 4’ opens in theaters on July 3, 2024. Photo: Universal Pictures.
Moviefone: To begin with, ‘Despicable Me 4’ is now available on digital but is still doing very well theatrically at the box office. Are you surprised by the success of the movie and the popularity of the franchise?
Chris Renaud: Yes and no. In that, I mean, look, as we’re making these films, we preview them. We test them with audiences, and I was at a premiere in New York and a premiere in Paris, and even though those are probably stacked in your favor, you can feel the energy. You can feel the response and the love that the audience really has for these characters. I think that obviously coming off ‘Minions: Rise of Gru’, the love of the audience is clear. I think the job for us as filmmakers is not to let them down. I think that after sitting with several audiences through the course of making the movie, and you can never predict what’s going to happen financially at the box office, but I felt that we were delivering on the promise and hopefully that that would translate to people going to the theater and seeing the movie.
‘Despicable Me 4’ opens in theaters on July 3, 2024. Photo: Universal Pictures.
MF: Can you explain the pop culture phenomenon that is the Minions? Why do we love them so much?
CR: It’s truly lightning in a bottle. I think it’s one of those things that all the elements came together to create this comedic personality with a universal quality. By that I mean from the design, which is super simple, a five-year-old could draw it, no problem. The simple color scheme, yellow and blue, besides the Ukrainian flag now means Minions. The language, which is every language and (no language at the same time), and very much influenced by things like R2-D2 and the Jawas where you kind of got what they were saying but you didn’t understand it literally. Their animated performance, their incompetence, their childlike quality which gives them this appeal that is hard to match. So, I really truly think it’s one of those things where every element of it came together in a way that is just special. That’s about all I can say. The things that I loved as a kid, Batman comics and ‘Star Wars’, the Minions are sort of maybe not quite at that level, but they’re in the culture in a way that is far and few between with other characters, and that’s amazing to have been a part of that.
‘Despicable Me 4’ opens in theaters on July 3, 2024. Photo: Universal Pictures.
MF: Can you talk about how Gru has changed since the first film?
CR: We think about that. We’re like, we need Gru to be Gru, which is maybe more villainous, but the truth is when we try it, what we end up finding is it feels false. The reason why, and I think one of the reasons that besides the Minions that people like this group of characters is that Gru has changed, and he’s changed the way probably most people change once they have kids and have a family. It does change you and change how you think. So, it’s very extreme for Gru, where he was a villain and then now, he’s essentially a good guy and a softy. He’s still, obviously in this movie, he enjoys seeing his snobby neighbor get bested by one of the Minions. So, he still Gru, but he’s a different guy. I think that the arc of his life is something that a lot of people, particularly the adults in the audience can relate to.
‘Despicable Me 4’ opens in theaters on July 3, 2024. Photo: Universal Pictures.
MF: Can you talk about Gru and Le Mal’s history together and their rivalry?
CR: Maxime Le Mal really starts with Will Ferrell’s performance, which is terrific. Seeing Maxime and Gru in the high school reunion, they went to a villain high school called Lycée Pas Bon. Seeing that rivalry at the beginning of the film I think is just so much fun, particularly with those comedic actors, but also giving us an opportunity to again, see a different aspect of Gru’s life. We haven’t really seen any clips from his high school. What I love too, without getting into the details is that the source of their rivalry is such a small detail and such a small transgression. I think that’s so true, and I think that’s one of the great things about these characters and what makes them so relatable is that little kind of, as I said, transgression from high school is the kind of thing that we carry with us the rest of our life. I love that, that it is not some big world-shattering stakes that they have against each other. It’s just a tiny insult that ends up creating this rivalry that runs through the film.
‘Despicable Me 4’ opens in theaters on July 3, 2024. Photo: Universal Pictures.
MF: What was it like working with Will Ferrell?
CR: So, the character in the script that we delivered to Will was Maxime Le Mal. So, he came in with a French accent, which was great. What we did do, as I sort of gave him the opportunity, I said, “Look, do you have any other ideas that we could try?” Because it was the first session. Will is like, “Listen, I got this great Swedish accent I’ve always wanted to try.” We would’ve changed the name no problem. It was early days. We did try a couple of things, but really the French accent that he came in with was what you hear and that is the character.
‘Despicable Me 4’ opens in theaters on July 3, 2024. Photo: Universal Pictures.
MF: Can you talk about Steve Carell’s impact on this franchise?
CR: I think it’s hard to understate how important Steve’s performance is to the character. Again, and we were just talking about accents. One of the things that when we started our first recording session for him way back in probably 2008, we were talking about Peter Sellers and ‘Inspector Clouseau‘ and this idea of an accent. We tried a couple of things like a Latin influence, a couple of different thoughts, a Spanish influence. But we quickly landed on what you hear, which is this kind of weird fusion of Eastern European. The scale to it that Steve was able to bring, and we obviously have the best comedic actor out there, but it all radiates out of what Steve has done with Gru. When he comes in and records, obviously at this point, we know what he is doing. It’s not like we’re figuring it out. We all have a good handle on Gru, but he’s very thoughtful in the process. He thinks about the lines. He is like, “Why would Gru say that?” He’s very considerate of the character and I’m sure he has a great affection for the character because he’s probably one of the most iconic, well-known animated characters of all time at this point. That’s no small credit to the performance that Steve has helped create. I say help because of the animators who do the visual and the character design, but Steve is really where it starts.
‘Despicable Me 4’ opens in theaters on July 3, 2024. Photo: Universal Pictures.
MF: Finally, can you talk about what it has meant to you personally to be part of this beloved franchise?
CR: in a lot of ways that’s even hard to describe. It’s had such a huge impact on me, not just working with these characters and being a part of these successful films, but living in Paris, France where the film picture is produced. So as an American living abroad, I’ve spent essentially my adult life there. We moved back in 2008, it’s almost 16 years now I’ve lived in France. So, it’s every aspect of my life and our life as a family have been impacted by working on these films. I think that Illumination as a company stands where it stands because of the first ‘Despicable Me’, it was a rock-solid idea in the original pitch. Then the stuff that we were able to add to it, Pierre Coffin, myself, the writers, Chris Meledandri, and the team at Illumination. It really was one of these things that was built brick by brick in the first film. I think that first film is what carries the day and why we’re talking about a ‘Despicable Me 4’ now. It was something that from a design point of view and animation point of view, when it came out, everyone was like, “What is this?” I think that now it’s obviously become part of the culture, but I think that our ability to create something a bit different in the marketplace at the time still resonates. It’s why we’re still making these movies.
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What is the plot of ‘Despicable Me 4’?
Gru (Steve Carell) and Lucy (Kristen Wiig) and their girls—Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), Edith (Dana Gaier) and Agnes (Madison Polan)—welcome a new member to the Gru family, Gru Jr. (Tara Strong), who is intent on tormenting his dad. Gru also faces a new nemesis in Maxime Le Mal (Will Ferrell) and his femme fatale girlfriend Valentina, (Sofia Vergara) forcing the family to go on the run.
‘Despicable Me 4’ opens in theaters on July 3, 2024. Photo: Universal Pictures.
Opening in theaters on July 3rd, ‘Despicable Me 4’s is Illumination Entertainment (and distributor Universal) unleashing the latest salvo of their behemoth franchise.
The success of ‘Despicable’ movies is almost comically predictable at this point, and while the latest offering does very little that’s really new, it seems certain to appeal to the family target audience.
‘Despicable Me 4’ opens in theaters on July 3, 2024. Photo: Universal Pictures.
Though it would be wrong to say that the franchise really matures, the new offering does at least represent the usual evolution of the story, as it finds Steve Carell’s Gru well and truly settled into family life. Yet his villainous past once more comes back to haunt him when a rival threatens his domestic bliss and the Gru clan is forced to retreat to a safe house.
Plus, any movie featuring Gru is contractually obliged to include the Minions, and here there is a new spin on that concept, albeit a slightly tired satire of a genre that has long since been spoofed beyond reason.
Script and Direction
‘Despicable Me 4’ opens in theaters on July 3, 2024. Photo: Universal Pictures.
Written by ‘Despicable’ veteran Ken Daurio and in a slightly surprising turn, Mike White (though ‘The White Lotus’ boss is also credited with last year’s ‘Migration’, also from Illumination), so he’s clearly found a side gig groove with the animation company.
Don’t go expecting any ‘Lotus’-level depth here (not that you would from a knockabout cartoon effort), and the movie is refreshingly free of hackneyed attempts to teach family bonding lessons, mostly because they’ve all been covered before by the ‘Despicable’ movies. The gags come thick and fast, but the main issue with the screenplay and the movie on which they are based is that it all feels like separate elements that eventually try to gel for the big finish, but never feel like they’re all in the same plotline.
Gru, for example, not only has to deal with an old nemesis coming back, but a new potential threat, and the screenplay doesn’t really juggle them as effectively as they might, with several feeling underserved.
‘Despicable Me 4’ opens in theaters on July 3, 2024. Photo: Universal Pictures.
Kudos, though, to the team for two referential jokes that feel like they were layered in specifically for the parents bringing their kids to this one –– particularly a ‘Terminator 2’ moment that really works.
Chris Renaud (another ‘Despicable’ veteran) and Patrick Delage (who has worked his way up from the animation department into more of an overall leadership role here) oversaw direction. And rather than trying to change what was working about the look and feel of the movies, they kept to the basic template –– lots of Minion moments (even if, like the split plotlines, they feel like separate skits that are crowbarred into the story until they serve a point at the end. And even then, they feel like a throwaway afterthought.
If you’re taking kids who are really only there for the squat, chattering, yellow pill-shaped nuisances, you might be better off just re-watching old shorts and moments online.
Performances
‘Despicable Me 4’ opens in theaters on July 3, 2024. Photo: Universal Pictures.
The voice cast is predictably entertaining –– many of them have been at this franchise long enough to bed into their roles. Where things fall down somewhat is a by-the-numbers script that doesn’t really give them much that’s fresh.
Steve Carell as Gru
‘Despicable Me 4’ opens in theaters on July 3, 2024. Photo: Universal Pictures.
Carell knows how to knock out a Gru line in his sleep these days, but he throws himself into the role with typical relish. He’s a little isolated from the rest of the family for large stretches of the story, but he bounces well off of Joey King, who plays Poppy, a teenager with criminal aspirations of her own.
Will Ferrell as Maxime Le Mal
‘Despicable Me 4’ opens in theaters on July 3, 2024. Photo: Universal Pictures.
Will Ferrell here plays Gru’s old schoolmate and nemesis, but though Ferrell tries out a cod-French accent to try and get something new, he’s rarely all that memorable. An obsession with cockroaches seemingly opens the door to Minion-style madness, but his insect army is established and then quickly forgotten. In the ranks of gadget-obsessed villainy that have cropped up in the movies, Le Mal doesn’t really pop.
And that goes double for his girlfriend, Valentina (Sofia Vergara). It seems clear that either there is more of her role on the cutting room floor, or Vergara spent roughly 10 minutes in the recording booth as Valentina is a largely pointless character.
Stephen Colbert, Kristen Wiig and More
‘Despicable Me 4’ opens in theaters on July 3, 2024. Photo: Universal Pictures.
Stephen Colbert, Carell’s old ‘Daily Show’ colleague is always good value matched against him (here as snooty, preppy new neighbor Perry Prescott.
Kristen Wiig, meanwhile, gets some meatier material as Lucy Wilde, Gru’s wife, including her attempts to become part of the new community where they’re forced to move.
And finally, there’s Gru Jr. the family’s new addition (who mostly just makes gurgling and other infant sounds). He’s a fun diversion, a child who simply doesn’t like his father (until…. Well, that would be spoiling things, but you can guess).
The Minions do their thing as usual, and their superhero spoof is diverting if not really effective at this point when we don’t really need another example of poking fun at the genre.
Final Thoughts
‘Despicable Me 4’ opens in theaters on July 3, 2024. Photo: Universal Pictures.
Gru and co. are such reliable money spinners for Illumination at this point that they could probably just put out 90 minutes of Minions babbling and slapping each other, and family audiences would crack open their wallets to see it.
You might find yourself wishing for something truly revolutionary, but it’s unlikely to disappoint the diehard kiddie fans.
‘Despicable Me 4’ receives 7 out of 10 stars.
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What’s the story of ‘Despicable Me 4’?
Gru (Steve Carrell) and Lucy (Kristen Wiig) and their girls —Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), Edith (Dana Gaier) and Agnes (Madison Polan) — welcome a new member to the Gru family, Gru Jr., who is intent on tormenting his dad.
At the same time, Gru faces a new nemesis in Maxime Le Mal (Will Ferrell) and his femme fatale girlfriend Valentina (Sofia Vergara), and the family is forced to go on the run.
Aside from the language stew chattering of the Minions, perhaps the biggest sound to be heard from the new sequel/prequel/pre-sequel ‘Minions: The Rise of Gru’ is that of box-checking.
This 1970s-set story aims to fill in some of the gaps of Gru (Steve Carell) and the Minions’ early days together, so of course there are references to familiar ‘Despicable Me’ touchstones.
Intriguingly, though, figuring that everyone knows who Gru and the Minions are already, this latest Illumination offering opens not with either of them, but in an establishing sequence that introduces the big villains here. The Vicious Six, a gathering of flamboyant baddies led (initially – his betrayal in this initial scene fuels part of the plot) by Wild Knuckles (Alan Arkin), a white-haired former biker type who is on the hunt for a mysterious McGuffin known as the Zodiac Stone. He’s angling to use its mystical power to turn his team into the most powerful group in the world.
But, following an ‘Indiana Jones’-style quest that ends successfully, his gang steals the stone and leaves him for dead, replaced by new leader Belle Bottom (Taraji P. Henson), a Cleopatra Jones-style Blaxploitation spoof, all afro hair and slick gear. The rest are an assortment of weirdos, including lobster claw-endowed Jean-Clawed (Jean-Claude Van Damme), a strongman called Stronghold (Danny Trejo), a psychotic nun named Nun-Chuck (Lucy Lawless) and Swedish roller-skating baddie named Svengeance (Dolph Lundgren). Only Belle really gets much to do on the vocal front – the others are largely one-joke affairs with celebrity voices attached.
With a vacant spot on the Six up for grabs, young Gru is invited to apply (they think he’s a small man, not a kid) but is laughed out of their underground lair when they learn the truth. The ever-resourceful youngster, though, steals the Zodiac Stone, kicking off a plot that will rope in the Anti-Villain League, an acupuncturist who is also a kung-fu master (Michelle Yeoh) and a lot of crazed action with the Minions themselves.
Aiming to split its time between Gru’s young days and more Minion action (because, after all, they’ve already had their origin story), this latest piece of ‘Despicable’ filmmaking finds itself torn in two directions, even with a relatively simple story.
Director Kyle Balda, working alongside Brad Ableson and Jonathan del Val, must wrangle a script by Matthew Fogel (who shares a story credit with ‘Minions’ writer Brian Lynch) that wants to squeeze in as much madcap misbehavior as possible, juggling the new threat and some old faces all at the same time.
Where the strains show is in finding ways to incorporate classic ‘Despicable Me’ characters organically. Gru’s mother, of course (voiced once again by Julie Andrews in one scene) is here embracing the yoga lifestyle with her new “Guru”), while Dr. Nefario (Russell Brand), Gru’s future gadget man, is introduced working at Criminal Records, the cover store that hides the Vicious Six’s base. Naturally, he’s tinkering with gadgets in his spare time and gives Gru the first weapon that the young genius didn’t invent in his own room.
Suffering a little from prequel-itis at times (we know how the story continues, so there’s little actual peril, which is less of a concern for an animated outing aimed at the younger market), there are explanations for how Gru’s first lair was constructed, and the school life that drove him to become an isolated, scheming sort who ends up redeemed down the line.
Carell, his voice pitched up to sound younger, is on good form as ever as Gru, even if we’re very used to the schtick by now.
The Minions, led as ever by Kevin, Stuart, and Bob (Pierre Coffin), are joined by Otto, an endlessly chattering example of their species who has somehow remained offscreen during other adventures. With braces strapped across his teeth, he’s excitable, easily distracted and not a favorite among the Minion population, though of course he’s given a chance to redeem himself.
Balda and his team have the most fun coming up with the usual silly situations for the Minions to find themselves in, including taking over a flight to San Francisco (which has been released as an extended trailer for the film and goes about as well as you’d expect). Otto’s explanation for how he was waylaid while bringing the Zodiac Stone back to the lair is also entertaining.
Mindful that this will end up on heavy rotation in households with Minion-loving kids, the filmmakers have at least made a vague stab at layering in references to other movies (the ‘Indiana Jones’ opening as mentioned, plus a screening of ‘Jaws‘ and a nod to ‘Close Encounters’ among them). One plot point involving a pet rock with googly eyes could almost be interpreted as a nod to ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’, though given that this was completed last year and delayed because of the pandemic, it’s just a coincidence.
‘The Rise of Gru’ is frantic and funny in fits and starts and is also the most visually polished movie in the franchise so far, maintaining the gangly humans/squat Minions aesthetic while adding in some impressively realized backdrops including San Francisco’s Chinatown and the lush, mountainous landscapes at the start.
‘Minions’ movies are rarely about much more than keeping the audience engaged, so don’t go looking for the sorts of deeply considered themes that ‘Turning Red’ or its ilk roll out within the animated adventure. If you’ve seen any of the two ‘Despicable Me’ movies or the first ‘Minions’, the idea of found family and accepting people for who they are run through here as they always have, but it’s nothing new.
The Rise of Gru’ is frantic and funny in fits and starts and is also the most visually polished movie in the franchise so far, maintaining the gangly humans/squat Minions aesthetic while adding in some impressively realized backdrops including San Francisco’s Chinatown and the rocky landscapes at the start. One for the youthful core crowd, then, but diverting enough even if you don’t sleep with a stuffed Minion at night.
‘Minions: The Rise of Gru’ receives 3 out of 5 stars.
If you’re Universal, and you have Steve Carell as the main voice in your big new animated family movie ‘Minions: The Rise of Gru’, how are you going to exploit that?
Well, if you also have beloved sitcom ‘The Office’ as one of your big titles on streaming service Peacock – a show that just so happened to be one of Carell’s big breaks – you look to employ a little corporate synergy. Literally, in this case.
It also helps if it’s actually fun, which this video is, recreating the ‘Office’ credits while swapping out Carell’s Michael Scott for his Gru character and putting the various main Minions in place of the ‘Office’ characters played by the likes of John Krasinski, Rainn Wilson and Jenna Fischer.
‘The Office’, of course, was adapted from the UK show created by Ricky Gervais, and brought to the US by Greg Daniels. It’s the story of the employees of Dunder Mifflin, a paper sales company where Michael Scott is the branch manager.
He’s the sort of boss who thinks he’s more fun than he really is, a good-natured sort with a terrible taste in jokes and references, who is perennially upbeat. Around him are a staff of different types – the rule-following martinet weirdo (Wilson’s Dwight Schrute), the talented but unfulfilled everyman (Krasinski’s Jim Halpert) and the sweet, thoughtful receptionist (Fischer’s Pam Beesly).
Courtesy of ‘The Office’ YouTube channel.
Then there’s the supporting cast with their own quirks, including Angela Kinsey’s Angela Martin, an uptight, cat-loving accountant, Brian Baumgartner’s slobby fellow finance team member Kevin, Mindy Kaling as enthusiastic customer service representative and Creed Bratton’s Creed, a supremely strange man with a mysterious background.
While there were initial concerns about being able to replicate the success of the British series, and critics complained when the first episode largely replicated the UK version, ‘The Office’ grew into a huge success, running for nine seasons and expanding its fanbase thanks to time on Netflix and now, Peacock.
As for ‘Rise of Gru’, the latest extension of the ‘Despicable Me’ movie universe acts as a sequel to the 2015 ‘Minions’ spin-off movie and a prequel to the original ‘Despicable Me’.
Carell is back to voice the strangely-accented Gru, here portrayed in the 1970s as a child with big supervillain ambitions. But when he’s invited to interview for an open slot on his favourite villain team The Vicious Six, he’s mocked by the gang for being a kid. Yet after Gru steals the special Zodiac Stone that the Six intend to use to become more powerful, the chase is on.
It’ll end up involving an acupuncturist who teaches kung-fu, a wronged former leader of the villain gang and a chatty new Minion called Otto who is, if it’s possible, even more of a nuisance than the likes of Kevin, Stuart and Bob.
‘Minions: The Rise of Gru’ is in theaters from tomorrow.
Courtesy of ‘The Office’ YouTube channel.
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Steve Carell might be a “name” and his character’s name might be in the title, but Illumination and Universal know that the chattering Minions are the real draw for audiences, who love the little yellow troublemakers.
So, the new trailer for ‘Minions: The Rise of Gru’ naturally goes big on the pill-shaped nuisances here, for some reason at the controls (and working the aisle) of a plane. Naturally, things do not go well in a way that would probably make Tom Cruise’s Maverick cringe. Or possibly, applaud. It’s only once we’ve gotten through a whole sequence of infight madness that the trailer cuts back to Carell’s Gru and his adventures.
Picking up a few years after ‘Minions’ (which you may recall ended with the creatures meeting Gru in his younger days) this new movie is set in the heart of the 1970s, amid a flurry of feathered hair and flared jeans. Gru is growing up in the suburbs. And he’s the biggest fan of supervillain supergroup the Vicious 6, with a plan to become evil enough to join them.
Luckily, he gets some mayhem-making backup from his loyal followers, the Minions. Together, Kevin, Stuart, Bob, and Otto — a new Minion sporting braces and a desperate need to please — deploy their skills as they and Gru build their first lair, experiment with weapons and pull off their first missions.
When the Vicious 6 oust their leader, legendary fighter Wild Knuckles (Alan Arkin), Gru interviews to become their newest member. It doesn’t go well (no shock there), and only gets worse after Gru outsmarts them and suddenly finds himself the mortal enemy of the apex of evil.
On the run, Gru will turn to an unlikely source for guidance, Wild Knuckles himself, and discover that even bad guys need a little help from their friends.
In addition to them, the cast also includes Michelle Yeoh (as a character called Master Chow, a kung fu practicing acupuncturist) and RZA, and the returning likes of Julie Andrews (playing Gru’s mother, Marlena), Russell Brand in the part of Dr. Nefario and Pierre Coffin, who as usual voices the Minions.
Kyle Balda, whose previous directorial career includes the first ‘Minions’, ‘Despicable Me 3’ and various short films featuring the characters, is back at the helm here, with ‘Simpsons’ veteran Dan Ableson and ‘The Secret Life of Pets 2’ Jonathan del Val as co-directors.
The ‘Despicable Me’ franchise (which expands to five movies with this latest entry), has earned more than $3.7 billion at the worldwide box office so far, and seems likely to keep rolling for a few years yet.
Originally scheduled for release in July 2021, ‘The Rise of Gru’ was shifted by Illumination and Universal to avoid the continued closure of cinemas due to the pandemic. Following a premiere at the Annecy animation festival in France this week, the movie will hit theaters in the States on July 1st.
‘Minions: The Rise of Gru’ will be released on July 1st. Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures.
If you felt that 2015’s ‘Minions’ didn’t go far enough in uncovering the backstory of the squat, chattering troublemakers from the ‘Despicable Me’ movies, new sequel ‘Minions: The Rise of Gru’ is here to fix that.
Picking up a few years after ‘Minions’ (which you may recall ended with the creatures meeting wannabe supervillain Gru, voiced, as ever, by Steve Carell), this new movie is set in the heart of the 1970s, amid a flurry of feathered hair and flared jeans. Gru is growing up in the suburbs. And he’s the biggest fan of supervillain supergroup the Vicious 6, with a plan to become evil enough to join them.
Luckily, he gets some mayhem-making backup from his loyal followers, the Minions. Together, Kevin, Stuart, Bob, and Otto — a new Minion sporting braces and a desperate need to please — deploy their skills as they and Gru build their first lair, experiment with their first weapons and pull off their first missions.
When the Vicious 6 oust their leader, legendary fighter Wild Knuckles (Alan Arkin), Gru interviews to become their newest member. It doesn’t go well (no shock there), and only gets worse after Gru outsmarts them and suddenly finds himself the mortal enemy of the apex of evil.
On the run, Gru will turn to an unlikely source for guidance, Wild Knuckles himself, and discover that even bad guys need a little help from their friends.
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This latest look at the movie offers fresh footage of Gru’s various attempts to be a supervillain, his encounters with the Vicious 6 and, from the later segments, hints of some magical powers at work, especially given the transformed Minions at the end.
In addition to them, the cast also includes Michelle Yeoh (as a character called Master Chow, a kung fu practicing acupuncturist) and RZA, and the returning likes of Julie Andrews (playing Gru’s mother, Marlena), Russell Brand in the part of Dr. Nefario and Pierre Coffin, who as usual voices Kevin, Stuart, Bob, and other minions with their trademark babbling.
The ‘Despicable Me’ franchise (which expands to five movies with this latest entry), has earned more than $3.7 billion at the worldwide box office so far, and seems likely to keep rolling for a few years yet.
Originally scheduled for release in July 2021, ‘The Rise of Gru’ was shifted by Illumination and Universal to avoid the continued closure of cinemas due to the pandemic. Following a premiere at the Annecy animation festival in France on June 13, the movie will hit theaters in the States on July 1. Banana!
‘Minions: The Rise of Gru’ will be released on July 1st. Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures.
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Illumination is small but mighty. The animation studio, which was started in 2008 by Chris Meledandri, the former head of 20th Century Fox Animation and Blue Sky Studios, makes animated features that routinely over-perform (“Minions” made more than $1 billion worldwide). What makes this even more impressive is how cheaply Illumination produces their movies; they cost a fraction of what similar movies at Disney or Pixar do. Their latest film, “The Secret Life of Pets 2,” opens this weekend (we didn’t get to screen it before publishing this post), which is set to continue their string of box office smashes. And in honor of this accomplishment, we’re ranking all of their previous films.
9. ‘Hop’ (2011)
Universal
“Hop” is many things: loud, annoying, and only partially animated. It stars Russell Brand as the son of the Easter Bunny, who wants to follow his dreams of being a professional drummer, leaving all of his holiday-related duties by the wayside. Snooze. What makes this even more bizarre is that Illumination didn’t even provide the animation, with the visual effects work instead provided by the now defunct Rhythm & Hues. This discrepancy is even weirder considering that the Easter chicks were a clear attempt to replicate that minions magic. Illumination’s first attempt at a holiday classic was more like an exaggerated face plant.
8. ‘Minions’ (2015)
Universal
No.
7. ‘Despicable Me 2’ (2013)
Universal
“Despicable Me” was a mostly delightful surprise, so it was quickly turned into a franchise and much of that initial magic (along with the surprise) disappeared just as quickly. Beset by production woes, including the last-minute exit of Al Pacino, who had already voiced most of his lines as the villain but left due to unforeseen “creative differences.” (Benjamin Bratt, who replaced him, had to sync up his recordings to the animation that had already been done for Pacino’s line-readings), “Despicable Me 2 ” comes off as limp and uninspired.
6. ‘Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch’ (2019)
Universal
Illumination returned to the world of Theodor Geisel for this mystifying retread of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (simplified as just “The Grinch”). There are a number of head-scratching decisions that went into “The Grinch,” most notably hiring Benedict Cumberbatch but having him do a stiff American accent instead of his velvety British purr. (Also by saddling him with a motivational backstory that mostly involves him being hungry.) Other baffling choices include having Pharrell deliver awkward narration and having wiseacre rapper Tyler the Creator cover the iconic theme song. It might not be as painfully bad as the live action Jim Carrey version (the extremely Danny Elfman-y score by Danny Elfman helps) but it’s close.
5. ‘Despicable Me 3’ (2017)
Universal
While not a total reinvention of the wheel, this is a serviceable sequel that benefits from its weird obsession with 1980s pop culture and a genuinely deranged performance by “South Park” mastermind Trey Parker as a former whiz kid turned super-villain. But other than that, it’s same old, same old in the “Despicable Me” product factory, with a bunch of minions running around and some semi-inspired set pieces. “Despicable Me 3” gets points for trying to up the scale in a meaningful, sophisticated way but doesn’t quite understand that bigger isn’t necessarily better.
4. ‘The Lorax’ (2012)
Universal
One of the more underrated Illumination entries (and one of the least successful), the company’s very first Dr. Seuss adaptation is one of their best. Adding a fair amount of dimensionality (as well as up-to-the-minute environmental commentary), “The Lorax” features a bunch of winning performances (most notably Danny DeVito as The Lorax) and some faithful, Seussian design work, and packages it in a way that doesn’t feel cloying or confrontational. Instead, it’s a peaceful fable about the dangers of mistreating the earth, packaged and produced for maximum enjoyment.
3. ‘The Secret Life of Pets’ (2016)
Universal
The first “Secret Life of Pets” is a cute, funny, charming movie that becomes somewhat lessened when you realize that the plot (cooked up by a bunch of Illumination regulars) so closely resembles the first “Toy Story” that Pixar should have sued. Somewhat tarnished by its lead vocal performance (by a since-replaced Louis CK), the movie is certainly energetic and somehow overcomes its own stylistic limitations (Illumination productions occasionally look as cheap as they are). Major points should be added for Kevin Hart’s portrayal of a tiny white rabbit.
2. ‘Despicable Me’ (2010)
Universal
This is it. The movie that started it all. (Illumination didn’t even own the animation studio yet.) A mixture of Charles Addams-style black humor and gags straight out of a 007 film, “Despicable Me” introduced the world to vaguely Eastern European bad guy Gru (Steve Carell) and, much to society’s detriment, his gaggle of yellow, androgynous underlings the minions. Sadly, the imagination and heart that made the original film such an unexpected treat would wear thin in subsequent installments, but with the right creative team it could potentially be restored. Just, please, enough with the minions.
1. ‘Sing’ (2016)
Universal
Unequivocally the greatest Illumination accomplishment, this low-key classic features a bunch of anthropomorphic animals as they audition for a big time talent show. (The fact that they are animals has almost no bearing on the story but the animators occasionally have fun with the conceit.) Illumination productions often default to juvenile gags (like the Grinch always wearing tight white underwear) or saccharine sentimentality (something that even threatened the original “Despicable Me”), but “Sing” is carefully modulated, offering humor that never feels too childish and genuine, relatable emotions (Reese Witherspoon is an overworked pig mom, Taron Egerton is a gorilla with daddy issues, etc). Part of what makes “Sing” such a blast is that it comes from a singular point-of-view, writer-director Garth Jennings, one half of the brilliant music video directing team Hammer & Tongs, who understands both how to handle the characters and the accompanying visual flourishes. For once, knowing that an Illumination sequel (again handled by Jennings) is on the way is something to be met with excitement, not dread.
The “Minions” have found a title for the sequel to their 2015 animated hit movie.
The upcoming film is now titled “Minions: The Rise of Gru.” It’s slated to open in theaters July 3, 2020.
The first “Minions” movie was a spinoff of the “Despicable Me” franchise. It told the origin story of the adorable yellow creatures that exist only to serve history’s most awful villains.
The sequel’s title suggests the movie could be an origin story for Gru, the villain voiced by Steve Carell who centers of the “Despicable Me” franchise. In “Minions,” Gru is seen as a young boy who steals Queen Elizabeth II’s crown and inspires the creatures to follow him as their new master. Perhaps the sequel will track Gru into his terrible teens.
The entire “Despicable Me” franchise, including “Minions” is the highest-grossing animated film franchise ever at more than $3.7 billion globally.
Move over, Shrek, there’s a new king of the animation box office: The “Despicable Me” franchise — which also includes the “Minions” movie — has officially dethroned the green ogre to become the highest-grossing series of animated films of all time.
“Despicable” claimed its crown thanks to the impressive recent haul of the threequel “Despicable Me 3,” which bowed back in June and has so far raked in a whopping $880 million worldwide. Adding that impressive number to the series’s total earnings so far leaves the franchise’s four flicks — 2010’s “Despicable Me,” 2013’s “Despicable Me 2,” 2015 spinoff “Minions,” and “Despicable Me 3” — with a jaw-dropping cumulative sum of $3.528 billion in ticket sales, just edging out the “Shrek” series’s total of $3.51 billion.
That success is thanks largely in part to the insane popularity of the Minions, both the movie and the characters themselves. The ubiquitous little yellow guys, who first popped up as the sidekicks to Steve Carell‘s Gru in “Despicable Me,” spawned their own spinoff series (“Minions 2” is due out in 2020), and can be found plastered on pretty much every consumer product you can think of (clothes, toys, videos, school supplies, even Nutella). Deadline reports that “Minions” is now “the second-highest-grossing animated film of all time and the most profitable movie in Universal’s history.”
“Despicable Me 3” is still earning solid numbers at the worldwide box office, and this total will likely rise. While a fourth “DM” flick doesn’t have an official green light just yet, it seems like a safe bet that the series will go on, especially if Universal can keep converting cute yellow creatures into box office gold.
Move over, Shrek, there’s a new king of the animation box office: The “