Despicable Me (franchise)

Despicable Me
Created by Sergio Pablos[1]
Owner Illumination Entertainment
Films and television
Film(s)
Short film(s)
Games
Video game(s)
Audio
Soundtrack(s)
Miscellaneous
Theme parks

Despicable Me is an animated comedy film franchise produced by Illumination Entertainment and distributed by Universal Pictures. It consists of four feature films (including a spin-off), ten short films and additional merchandise. It centers on Gru, a super-villain (who later becomes a dad and superhero); his yellow-colored Minions; his three orphan girls, Margo, Edith and Agnes; and his wife, Lucy Wilde. It began with the 2010 film Despicable Me, and its 2013 and 2017 sequels Despicable Me 2 and Despicable Me 3. A prequel featuring Gru's Minions, titled Minions, was released in 2015. The franchise also includes a simulator ride attraction, Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem, at Universal Studios Florida and Universal Studios Hollywood. It is the highest-grossing animated film franchise in box office history, and the 13th highest-grossing film franchise of all time.

Films

Despicable Me (2010)

Despicable Me, the first film in the series, and the first film from Illumination Entertainment, was released on July 9, 2010. It was directed by Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud, based on an original story by Sergio Pablos. The film stars Steve Carell as the voice of Gru, Miranda Cosgrove as Margo, Dana Gaier as Edith, Elsie Fisher as Agnes, Jason Segel as Vector, Russell Brand as Dr. Nefario and Julie Andrews as Marlena, Gru's mother. It tells the story of Gru, a super-villain who adopts three girls, Margo, Edith and Agnes, from an orphanage to try and steal a shrink ray from Vector (otherwise known as Victor), his rival, to shrink and steal the Earth's moon. Despicable Me received positive reviews, and grossed over $543 million worldwide, against a budget of $69 million, launching a new franchise.

Despicable Me 2 (2013)

A sequel, Despicable Me 2, released on July 3, 2013, was once again directed by Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud, and written by Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio. Steve Carell, Russell Brand, Miranda Cosgrove, Dana Gaier,[2] and Elsie Fisher[2] reprise their roles as Gru, Doctor Nefario, Margo, Edith and Agnes respectively.[3] Kristen Wiig, who voiced Miss Hattie in the first film, voices Lucy Wilde, an agent of the Anti-Villain League who recruits Gru to take down a new villain. New cast members include Benjamin Bratt as Eduardo;[4] Bratt replaced the previously cast Al Pacino.[5] Steve Coogan voices Silas Ramsbottom, lead director of the Anti-Villain League (AVL).[3] The sequel was met with mostly positive reviews and grossed more than its predecessor with over $970 million worldwide.[6][7]

Despicable Me 3 (2017)

A third film, Despicable Me 3, was released in 2017. The film was directed by Pierre Coffin and Kyle Balda, and co-directed by Eric Guillon.[8] Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio, the writers of the first two films, returned to write the screenplay for the third film.[9] Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Miranda Cosgrove, Dana Gaier, and Steve Coogan reprised their roles as Gru, Lucy Wilde, Margo, Edith, and Silas Ramsbottom respectively (with Julie Andrews reprising her role as Marlena Gru, and Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud as the Minions from the first two films). Carell also voiced Gru's long-lost twin brother Dru.[10][11] New cast members included Trey Parker as the voice of Balthazar Bratt, and Nev Scharrel as the new voice of Agnes.[12][13]

Minions series

Logo of the first Minions film

Minions (2015)

A prequel to Despicable Me, featuring the Minions, was released on July 10, 2015.[14] Written by Brian Lynch, it was directed by Pierre Coffin and Kyle Balda, and produced by Chris Meledandri and Janet Healey.[15] Sandra Bullock voiced Scarlet Overkill, the villain of the film[16] and Jon Hamm voiced her husband and inventor, Herb Overkill.[17]

Minions 2 (2020)

A sequel to Minions was officially announced on January 25, 2017, with a scheduled release date of July 3, 2020.[18] It will be directed by Kyle Balda, with co-direction by Legends of Chamberlain Heights co-creator, Brad Ableson, and written by Brian Lynch.[19]

Short films

Three short films based on the Despicable Me films, Home Makeover, Orientation Day and Banana were released in 2010, on the film's DVD and Blu-ray.[20] Despicable Me 2 DVD and Blu-ray release in 2013 included another three short films: Puppy, Panic in the Mailroom, and Training Wheels.[21] A series of Minions short films screened in 2015 with Minions.[22] Another short film, titled Mower Minions, was released in 2016, with The Secret Life of Pets, being the first short Minions film released theatrically.[23]

Home Makeover (2010)

After the events of Despicable Me, two Minions help Margo, Edith and Agnes renovate Gru's house, so the inspector does not take the girls back to Miss Hattie's Home for Girls.

Orientation Day (2010)

Three new Minions go for bomb-carrying duty, which was harder than they thought when they suddenly have an argument with two others carrying a giant bomb.

Banana (2010)

Three minions fight over a banana. In the process, they wreak havoc in the Minions' workplace.

Puppy (2013)

Dave the Minion watches neighbors walking their dogs on the street, which leads him to search for a pet puppy of his own. Despite several attempts failing, he comes across a stray UFO that takes the role of a puppy for him.

Panic in the Mailroom (2013)

Two Minions (Ken and Mike) are working in a package room to send parcels through different parts of the lab, while Ken is busy playing a handheld video game. When a package containing expired PX-41 (the serum that El Macho used to transform the Minions and himself in Despicable Me 2) gets jammed in the pneumatic delivery system, it transforms Mike into an evil Minion- but he keeps shifting back and forth, much to Ken's amusement. At the end, Mike spits out the PX-41 and it lands on some cats, turning them evil.

Training Wheels (2013)

Agnes is unsatisfied with her toy bike after collapsing off it while attempting to catch up to an ice cream truck with Margo, Edith and their friends. Three Minions then volunteer to modify the bike and help Agnes improve her skills.

Binky Nelson Unpacified (2015)

After a successful robbery at a museum, the Nelsons tell their youngest son Binky (who lost his pacifier in the theft) that now he is a big boy and has to leave his pacifier. Binky at night sneaks into the museum and finds his pacifier. Just as he takes it the guard comes and finds all the museum artifacts missing and finds Binky and tells him to return all the property but instead he causes a statue to fall over the guard and takes his pacifier. In the end the Nelson parents return to see Binky at night in his room and find him sleeping calmly. As they leave the room Binky takes out the pacifier and the guard's hat and wears it.

Competition (2015)

Under the same street the Minions hitchhiked in Minions, two Minions challenge themselves to numerous attacks, ending up on the lab's conveyor belt in the process.

Cro Minion (2015)

Two Minions look after a cave baby while a caveman goes to find a bull to eat for lunch. But it's harder than the Minions think.

Mower Minions (2016)

Mower Minions was released theatrically on July 8, 2016, with The Secret Life of Pets.[23] In this short, five Minions mow a lawn at the local old people's home to try and earn allowances to buy a blender they have seen on a TV commercial. However, all their work results were chaotic, and four of them were in terrible states after the chaos, such as one Minion having their head stuck in a bee hive, another Minion blackened and naked after an explosion, another being shaped like a balloon in the hazmat, and another Minion ends up nauseous with their face turning green. Despite this they get 2000 pennies and are able to purchase the blender. However they then see a commercial of an improved version of the blender and then go to earn more money to buy that one.

Video games

Despicable Me: The Game

Despicable Me: The Game is an adventure/action game released with the first film, on PlayStation 2, Wii, and PlayStation Portable systems.[24] During the game, the player controls Gru as he fights off enemies. Despicable Me: The Game – Minion Mayhem, on the other hand, is released on Nintendo DS systems only.[24] Instead of controlling Gru himself, the player controls his Minions.

Despicable Me: Minion Rush

An action video game (developed by Gameloft), titled Despicable Me: Minion Rush, also played as a Minion who must defeat Vector, El Macho and two villains made for the game, was released with the second film, on iPhone, iPad, Windows Phone, Windows 8, Android and Blackberry 10 devices.[25][26][27] As of October 2016, the game had been downloaded more than 750 million times.[28]

Minions Paradise

A free-to-play mobile game developed by Electronic Arts (otherwise known as EA), titled Minions Paradise, was released in summer 2015.[29] Playing as Phil, players will help Minions design and build their own utopia set in a tropical environment.[29]

Books

Novels written by Annie Auerbach are based on the films.[30][31][32]

Theme park attractions

Despicable Me Minion Mayhem is a simulator ride that opened on July 2, 2012 at Universal Studios Florida and on April 10, 2014 at Universal Studios Hollywood, starring Steve Carell as Gru, Miranda Cosgrove as Margo, Dana Gaier as Edith, Elsie Fisher as Agnes, and Pierre Coffin as the Minions. A similar attraction (featuring a Japanese voice cast) opened on April 21, 2017 at Universal Studios Japan.

Characters

Main characters

Villains

Chronology

  1. Minions (2015)
  2. Minions 2 (2020)
  3. Orientation Day (2010)
  4. Banana (2010)
  5. Despicable Me (2010)
  6. Home Makeover (2010)
  7. Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem (2012)
  8. Puppy (2013)
  9. Training Wheels (2013)
  10. Despicable Me 2 (2013)
  11. Panic in the Mailroom (2013)
  12. Mower Minions (2016)
  13. Despicable Me 3 (2017)

Cast and crew

Principal cast

Despicable Me characters
Characters Main films Attraction Spin-off films
Despicable Me Despicable Me 2 Despicable Me 3 Minion Mayhem Minions Minions 2
Felonious Gru Steve Carell
Margo Miranda Cosgrove
Edith Dana Gaier
Agnes Elsie Fisher Nev Scharrel Elsie Fisher
Dr. Nefario Russell Brand Silent Cameo Silent Role Silent Cameo
Minions Pierre Coffin, Chris Renaud, Jemaine Clement Pierre Coffin, Chris Renaud Pierre Coffin
Victor "Vector" Perkins Jason Segel
Mr. Perkins Will Arnett Silent Cameo
Marlena Julie Andrews Silent Role Julie Andrews Silent Cameo
Miss Hattie Kristen Wiig
Lucy Wilde Kristen Wiig
Eduardo Perez
El Macho
Benjamin Bratt Silent Cameo
Silas Ramsbottom Steve Coogan
Antonio Pérez Moisés Arias
Balthazar Bratt Trey Parker
Dru Steve Carell
Fritz Steve Coogan
Clive Andy Nyman
Valerie Da Vinci Jenny Slate
Scarlet Overkill Sandra Bullock
Herb Overkill Jon Hamm
Queen Elizabeth II Jennifer Saunders
Walter Nelson Michael Keaton
Madge Nelson Allison Janney

Principal crew

Role Main films Spin-offs
Despicable Me
(2010)
Despicable Me 2
(2013)
Despicable Me 3
(2017)
Minions
(2015)
Minions 2
(2020)
Director(s) Pierre Coffin
Chris Renaud
Pierre Coffin
Kyle Balda
Eric Guillion (Co-director)
Pierre Coffin
Kyle Balda
Kyle Balda
Brad Ableson (Co-director)[19]
Producer(s) Chris Meledandri
John Cohen
Janet Healy
Chris Meledandri
Janet Healy
Writer(s) Screenplay:
Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio
Story:
Sergio Pablos
Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio Brian Lynch
Composer Heitor Pereira
Original Songs and Themes by:
Pharrell Williams
Heitor Pereira TBA
Editor(s) Pamela Ziegenhagen-Shefland
Gregory Perler
Gregory Perler Claire Dodgson TBA

Film reception

Box office performance

The film series has grossed a total of $3.560 billion, with an average of over $890 million per film,[45] making the Despicable Me franchise the highest-grossing animated film franchise, and the 13th highest-grossing film franchise of all time.

Film Release date Box office revenue Box office ranking Budget Ref(s)
North America Other territories Worldwide All time
North America
All time
worldwide
Despicable Me July 9, 2010 $251,513,985 $291,600,000 $543,113,985 #105 #156 $69 million [46]
Despicable Me 2 July 3, 2013 $368,061,265 $602,700,620 $970,761,885 #36 #32 $76 million [7]
Despicable Me 3 June 30, 2017 $243,967,350 $643,041,672 $887,009,022 #115 #46 $80 million [47]
Despicable Me films $863,542,600 $1,537,342,292 $2,400,884,892 $225 million
Minions July 10, 2015 $336,045,770 $823,352,627 $1,159,398,397 #47 #13 $74 million [48]
Total $1,199,588,370 $2,360,694,919 $3,560,283,289 #18 #13 $299 million [45][49]

Critical and public response

Film Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic CinemaScore
Despicable Me 81% (192 reviews)[50] 72 (35 reviews)[51] A[52]
Despicable Me 2 73% (173 reviews)[6] 62 (39 reviews)[53] A[52]
Minions 56% (198 reviews)[54] 56 (35 reviews)[55] A[56]
Despicable Me 3 61% (151 reviews)[57] 49 (36 reviews)[58] A–[52]
Average 67% 61 A

References

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