Despicable Me and Minions Movies - Nostalgia Critic

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They're some of the highest grossing movies of all time...but why? Nostalgia Critic looks over this bizarrely iconic franchise. Let's take a look at the Despicable Me and Minions movies!

Despicable Me is a computer-animated media franchise centering on Gru, a reformed super-villain (who later becomes a father, husband, and secret agent), and his yellow-colored Minions. It is produced by Illumination and distributed by its parent company Universal Pictures.

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[Omar-wqdz]

2010 was, for the most part, a solid year for animated movies, as you had Despicable Me, Toy Story 3, How To Train Your Dragon, and Tangled

[georgeeastwood]

Who can remember the ending of the 1st movie? When Gru originally only adopted Margo, Edith, & Agnes to get the shrink ray, but then he became genuinely attached to them. I adored the ending when Gru reads them a bedtime story he wrote himself, inspired by a book about kittens. In his story, he is a unicorn, & he incorporated them as the kittens who melted his heart. Then he unexpectedly went to kiss them all good night, then Margo (the one with glasses) actually hugged Gru & said “I love you”. 🥲 the music in the background really does help.

[kuzcosmksaA]

I think the funniest thing about the film series is Trey Parker admitting that he was in the third film for the money and his daughter

[koneheadcolahead]

A cool fact: The actors are filmed the entire time they read their parts. Their facial and hand expressions are used on screen. Steve Carell's wife had fun pointing out the expressions in Gru that reminded her of Steve.

[Wandergirl]

I like the way you phrased it: these movies are cinematic candy. Candy might not have any nutritional substance, but sometimes you just need a bit of candy to make you feel good when life gets rough, and that's okay.

[koneheadcolahead]

Fun Fact about Despicable Me 3: Trey Parker stated that his daughter was a key factor in his decision to take the role of Balthazar Bratt. He said that she was almost two at the time and he thought it would be cool for her to "actually watch something I've done."

[realfitzmarker]

Despicable Me 4 needs to be set a few years (around between 4-7 years) after the third film, with the kids growing up and focusing on Gru going through Empty Nest Syndrome.

I also hope in the upcoming film, we get a evolved minion as the antagonist, who's independent, self-motivated and speaking human languages. It also creates a parallel between him and Gru.

[koneheadcolahead]

A cool fact about Scarlet: One of Scarlet's paint collections is Andy Warhol's "Campbell's Soup Cans". There are 32 of these paintings. Each of them features a different flavor. The one Scarlet has in her collection is the Tomato Soup, which debuted in 1897 by the Campbell Soup Company. The company is still making this soup. Warhol first exhibited these 32 paintings in 1962. Given the movie its set in 1968, it fits into the movie's timeline. These 32 paintings are now a part of New York City's Museum of Modern Art's permanent collection.

[steel]

My dad doesn't really laugh, or smile, much, but every single one of these movies crack him up so much and he can't stop laughing so I like watching them just because of how happy they make him

[koneheadcolahead]

Fun fact about Rise of Gru: When the Minions are about to sleep with Gru because of the thunder, you can hear three Indonesian words. They are "Nasi Goreng" which means "Fried Rice", "Kecap Manis" which means "Sweet Soy Sauce" and "Terima Kasih" which translates to "Thank You". Pierre Coffin, who voices the minions, has an Indonesian mother.

[justyouraveragejoe]

I tried to watch these films recently. Something that impressed me is how tight the script for the first film is. I'm serious, if you analyze it beat by beat, there is very little content introduced that doesn't come back later or serve the greater plot. It's insane how far the quality dipped in the later films in the franchise.

[spencercarroll]

It’s crazy to think that Despicable Me is now old enough to be nostalgic for some people. I was 6 years old when the first one came out in 2010, as well as 9 when the sequel came out in 2013, and now I’m 19 years old. Man, time sure does fly!

[Omar-wqdz]

That first Despicable Me is still so funny and sweet. I saw it in theaters when it first came out, and still enjoy watching it whenever I see it on tv

[koneheadcolahead]

Fun Fact about the first one: The bedtime story "Sleepy Kittens" was made into a tie-in board book that can be purchased, although it does not include the pull out brush that was featured in this movie.

[riftshredder]

It's funny because in a bonus animated clip in the Blu-Ray of the original Despicable Me, it was revealed that the minions were the result of an accidental experiment done by Gru, yet the Minions movie made it to where they were always here so I guess those bonus shorts are no longer canon

[LaggingLeland]

Ever since Doug started talking about whole movie franchises in one episode, I thought the Despicable Me franchise needed one, it has such a dip in quality that's interesting.

[MrWaspMan]

The first _Despicable Me_ is definitely the best film in Illumination's library. (Aside from _The Super Mario Bros. Movie, _ that is.) With plenty of genuine heart to balance out the humor. The second film didn't have as much heart, but was still pretty good. The first _Minions_ was funny for the first five minutes, then just became cringe whenever Scarlet Overkill wasn't on screen, _Despicable Me 3_ was okay, but nowhere near as good as the first two, and _Rise of Gru_ is definitely better than the first _Minions, _ and honestly a guilty pleasure of mine. Overall, this franchise did a great job at putting Illumination on the map, but definitely contributed to its infamous reputation later on. And I have no clue where _Despicable Me 4_ currently in development could possibly go from here.

[kenguyii]

*Agnes: “IT’S SO FLUFFY!! I’M GONNA DIE!!”*

One of my favorite cute moments from Despicable Me!

[moonprincesst.s.h.ever]

I love the way that Buster walked to the door like he was thinking "Okay, that's enough of that. Open the door so I can get to the food before Chaplain can." 😹

[koneheadcolahead]

A fact about hair: The song "Hair" is sung in Minionese by Stuart to mesmerize the guards with his hypno hat. This was the title song of the musical by the same name and was written by Galt MacDermot. The musical, which was a celebration of the hippie culture, debuted in 1968