The beloved, bright yellow underlings in overalls are back this July, with their supervillain antics in full swing. Only this time, their adventure is set in the world of 1920’s Hollywood and these cuddly critters are putting their own spin on the monster movie genre and showing a previously unknown knack for screenwriting.
During the Super Bowl, Universal Pictures released the first trailer for “Minions 3,” which has been dubbed “Minions & Monsters.” It’s the seventh overall installment in the “Despicable Me” franchise. Produced by the animation studio Illumination, the upcoming comedy film is the sequel to “Minions: The Rise of Gru” (2022).
Instead of being Gru’s assistants, this time the Minions go on an odyssey to find frightening creatures to appear as baddies in their monster movie. They partner with a cute green creature and then go head-to-head with sea beasts, a giant pink bunny with a bad attitude and a mumm, whose linen wrapping they mistakenly rip off his bones.
“Minions & Monsters” will be produced by Illumination founder and CEO Chris Meledandri and Bill Ryan, executive producer of “The Super Mario Bros. Movie.” The film is written by Brian Lynch (“Minions” and “The Secret Life of Pets” films) and will be directed by Academy Award nominee Pierre Coffin. Coffin was also a director of the first three “Despicable Me” films, the first “Minions” movie and has provided the voice for the Minions since their first appearance in 2010.
The “Minions” franchise focuses on the antics of the fun-sized yellow creatures as they search for an evil mastermind boss to serve, eventually encountering their “Despicable Me” leader Gru (voiced by Steve Carell) at the end of the first “Minions” movie.
“Minions & Monsters” follows the blockbuster success of “Despicable Me 4,” which opened to $230 million worldwide in 2024. Over 15 years after “Despicable Me” debuted, the franchise has generated over $5 billion at the global box office, making it the highest-grossing animated film franchise worldwide.
All premiering around the Fourth of July, 2022’s “Minions: The Rise of Gru,” brought in $125 million over the holiday period, while “Despicable Me 3” (2017) debuted with $99 million and 2013’s “Despicable Me 2” with $83.5 million over the same time frame.
“Minions & Monsters” hits theaters July 1.
Watch the trailer below.