On August 18th comes the origin story of how the world’s greatest super villain first met his iconic Minions and with them faced.
The most unstoppable criminal force ever: Minions 2: How Gru Goes Bad . fifth film in the saga, both prequel and sequel, as well as a bridge between the now series of Minions and that of Despicable Me.
In this special we are going to retrace the path of the Illumination saga , which led us to this highly anticipated, new film.
The first Minions , spin-off of the Despicable Me saga , ended with an appearance of Gru, the protagonist of the mother saga, as a kid. This sequel – directed by the director of the first chapter, Kyle Balda , along with Brad Ableson – will focus on the transformation of Gru into the supervillain we know and the birth of the collaboration between Gru and the Minions.
Minions that, over the years, we have learned to know and love for their funny adventures, which combine the simplest comedy (and therefore effective and suitable for audiences of all ages) with refinement in historical and pop references.
The saga, currently, is composed as follows:
- Despicable Me (2010)
The “very bad” Gru plans to steal the moon, which has been at the center of his desires since childhood. Always frustrated by his mother’s indifferent attitude, he seeks an opportunity for redemption in this adventure, which transforms him into the most famous villain ever. Aided by an army of funny yellow beings, the Minions, Gru will have to deal with rival Vector. Three orphans become part of his plan, which he adopts in order to exploit them. The three girls, however, will awaken the purest feelings of him.
- Despicable Me 2 (2013)
Gru has left behind a life of crime to have more time to devote to Margo, Edith and Agnes. But just as he begins to adjust to his new role as a good suburban family man, an elusive organization, the world-wide Anti-Villains League knocks on his door. Now it’s up to Gru and his new partner, Lucy Wilde, to uncover the perpetrator of a spectacular crime to bring him to justice. After all, only the greatest ex-villain in the world can stop the only villain who can take his place …
- Minions (2015)
The story of Minions begins at the dawn of time. Starting from single-celled yellow organisms, Minions evolve through the centuries, perpetually serving the most despicable of masters. Continually unsuccessful in preserving these masters, from T-Rex to Napoleon, the Minions found themselves without someone to serve and fell into a deep depression. But a Minion named Kevin has a plan, and he – along with rebellious teenager Stuart and adorable little Bob – decides to venture out into the world to find a new evil leader to follow, for himself and his brothers.
- Despicable Me 3 (2017)
After being fired from the Anti-Villains League for failing to defeat the latest villain threatening humanity, Gru finds himself in the midst of a serious identity crisis. But when a mysterious individual shows up to inform Gru that he has a twin brother he didn’t know existed and he can’t wait to tread in his twin’s despicable footsteps, the former super-villain immediately rediscovers how handsome he is. … be bad.
- Minions 2 – How Gru becomes very bad
In the 1970s, long before becoming the “master of evil”, Gru (Oscar nominee Steve Carell , voiced by Max Giusti in the Italian version) is just an eleven-and-a-half-year-old boy raised in the suburbs who plots to conquer the world from its basement, to no great effect. When Gru meets the Minions, including Kevin , Stuart , Bob and Otto – a Minion with braces and a desperate need to please – they join forces as a weird family. They build their base of operations, design their weapons and attempt to carry out their first missions.
When the infamous group of supervillains called “the Evil 6” loses their leader – legendary wrestler Willy Krudo (Oscar winner Alan Arkin ) – Gru, their most devoted fan, goes to an interview to become a new member of the group. The Malefic 6 aren’t particularly impressed with the tiny evil wannabe, but then Gru outsmart them (infuriating them!) And suddenly finds himself the deadly enemy of the super villains. With Gru on the run, the Minions try to learn the art of kung fu to save him: our favorite “villain” finally discovers that even the baddest ones, sometimes, need a little help from their friends.
A saga in the making
Over the course of four films, starting with 2010’s Despicable Me, Illumination’s Minions have become international icons of mischief, chaos and joy. Minions 2: How Gru Becomes Despicable is the fifth film in a saga that continues to thrill and delight audiences on every continent and, as a result, has become practically the largest animated franchise in history, with grossing over 3.7 billions of dollars worldwide.
Despicable Me and Minions movies work because behind the sympathy and fun, they have an emotional impact. The most successful element is undoubtedly the characters. The Minions fascinate and delight audiences, and Gru while being a super villain, we still find him friendly enough to cheer for him.
says Chris Meledandri, founder and CEO of Illumination.
Together Gru and Minions – with Kevin, Stuart and Bob at the forefront – have engaged in some of the cinema’s most elaborate criminal plans and exaggerated actions, without losing their appeal or their emotional connection with the audience.
Although from a narrative point of view the films are generally centered on the protagonists who overcome obstacles, it is the way they do it and what happens along the way that surprises and excites. I am particularly proud that our team was able to blend the nostalgic element towards these beloved characters, with the addition of new elements.
says Meledandri.
The two most recent films in the franchise, directed by Kyle Balda and Pierre Coffin, have grossed over $ 1 billion worldwide, and in this latest chapter Balda returns as a solo director. The origin story reveals how Gru first meets the Minions, with whom he forges a lifetime bond.
The first Minions movie provided some insight into who they are, what they want and what their goals are; first of all, to serve a great leader. In Minions 2: How Gru Becomes Despicable we go deeper, returning to the encounter with Gru, their supreme leader, and showing the life of the nearly 12-year-old Gru as a wannabe villain. Let’s see how the Minions support his ideas and his ultimate goal. Gru is a bit wary of Minions at first, so they had to work hard to get him.
says director Kyle Balda.
Among the Minions there is a new character: Otto.
Otto is different from the others because although he is clumsy and full of good intentions (like them), in making mistakes he beats everyone! So, at the beginning he is an outsider compared to the others: he talks a lot and is a little different, so Kevin, Stuart and Bob don’t welcome him into the group immediately. But in the end we discover that for this reason Otto is special: he represents those who feel different from the pack.
says Balda.
No doubt our team developed skills and experience in many core areas of animation, but the focus was on character development – they had to be recognizable, dimensional and often imperfect. Especially here, the Minions express themselves in an ironic way through a universality of terms; they are characters who rely primarily on visual experience as opposed to verbal expression. They are not only adorable, they are attractive for this contradiction between their aspiration to be bad and their essential nature that makes them so good. Basically we are all a bit like that.