#NAME ALL MINIONS MOVIE#

They're just trying to do their best, and when it goes wrong, they try again. In a strange way, the minions become relatable. The minions always mean well in their actions (except towards one another) which heightens the humor when it inevitably goes wrong. They're not making pop culture references, and they're not trying to be cool in any way, they're just cute goofy little things accidentally causing mischief. With no need for coherent dialogue, their comedy relies primarily on physical slapstick, which is appealing to not only audiences of all ages when done well but also across all languages. Minions crystallizes why these minuscule yellow creatures are such a sensation. The film was an unprecedented box office hit, grossing over a billion dollars and becoming one of the highest-grossing movies of all time. Their journey of failures leads them to the 1960s where three minions in particular (Kevin, Stuart, and Bob) attempt one last chance at finding a villain only to become heroes in the end. This inevitably leads to their master's downfall, from the dinosaurs to Dracula, and even Napoleon Bonaparte. The film establishes the pre-historic origins of the titular heroes and shows their journey throughout history as they try to find an evil master to serve. The summer of 2015 marked the release of the first spin-off movie, fittingly and simply titled Minions. The minions were such a known quantity that the credits even tease what is to come.Ī star (or stars in this case) can only be kept on the sidelines for so long. Their gags are also expanded with two musical numbers from the minions, and if it was already fun for them to use their made-up language, it's even better when they sing 'I Swear' and 'YMCA' to cap off the film. Thus, the minions are brought more into the focus of the film itself. In the movie, the minions are captured and transformed to cause even more evil, and part of Gru's mission becomes saving them from the greater villain. Despicable Me 2 elevates the minions from side characters to being active parts of the plot.

#NAME ALL MINIONS MOVIE#

The sequel outgrossed the first movie and made nearly a billion dollars, eventually going on to be the only franchise entry nominated for any Oscars with one nomination for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song for Pharrell's 'Happy.' It also bares the unique honor of being the first film Quentin Tarantino showed his son.īy no coincidence, the more successful movie had a larger role for the minions. Over the course of the movie, Gru falls for the agent that recruited him, Lucy ( Kristen Wiig), and by the end, she is part of the family. Despicable Me 2 continues the story of Gru and his adoptive daughters, but rather than being evil, he is recruited by an agency to fight a different villain. Naturally, the success of Despicable Me led to a sequel in 2013. They're no longer just minions, but little characters with personalities that can be identified, even if they do blend together visually. I used the first names of staff members like Kevin Curran, Stewart Burns, Bob Bendetson, and about ten others.' While this may seem inconsequential, giving the Minions names makes them more individualistic, which offers audiences something more to latch on to. I chose from the blandest white guys I know: Simpsons writers. In order to contrast their weirdness, I gave them bland white-guy names. Throughout the script, Gru would always refer to them collectively as “boys,” but I thought it would be funny to address them each by name, since, to me, they were alike as a pile of little yellow Advils. Working as an uncredited punch-up writer, Reiss recalls, 'My most lasting contribution was to Despicable Me’s Minions: I gave the little bastards names. In his book, Springfield Confidential, one of the original The Simpsons writers Mike Reiss revealed he contributed some work to the first Despicable Me film. A key decision was made in this first movie that sets a tone for the ongoing franchise.

Name all minions