The Minions Finally Get the Movie They Deserved
It took ten years, but the Minions have finally starred in a film as funny as they are. Minions & Monsters, which conquered theaters when it opened July 1 and arrives on Peacock October 28, is the riotous new chapter in the biggest global animated franchise in history, and it is an absolute delight. The premise, as Illumination tells it, is “the rambunctious, ridiculous and totally true story” of how the Minions became Hollywood movie stars, lost everything, accidentally unleashed real monsters on the world, and then banded together to save the planet from the mayhem they created. It plays exactly as gleefully as that sounds.
Director Pierre Coffin, who has directed three Despicable Me films plus the first Minions movie and has voiced the little yellow chaos agents since their 2010 debut, co-wrote the script with Brian Lynch (Minions, The Secret Life of Pets) and produces alongside Illumination founder Chris Meledandri and Bill Ryan. The voice cast is a dream lineup: Coffin himself as the Minions, plus Allison Janney, Christoph Waltz, Jesse Eisenberg, Jeff Bridges, Zoey Deutch, Trey Parker, Bobby Moynihan, and Phil LaMarr. Ninety minutes. Not a wasted one.
What Makes This One Special
Every Minions film has the slapstick. What Minions & Monsters adds is a bigger, stranger canvas, and genuine affection for its own chaos. The film premiered at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival before its July theatrical run, and the festival crowd got it immediately: this is Illumination at its most confident, expanding the universe with all-new characters while keeping the core recipe, fast comedy, expressive animation, pure meme-worthy energy, intact. The monster-movie conceit is inspired. The Minions attempt to make their own monster movie. The monsters turn out to be real. What follows is exactly the collision you want.
The craft deserves a word. Illumination’s animation has always been clean and punchy, but here the scale is bigger and more cinematic, new character designs, richer environments, a Hollywood-backlot playground that lets the animators show off. And the voice work is superb. Janney and Waltz are doing some of the best comedy of their careers in voice booths, Eisenberg and Bridges are game for anything, and Coffin’s Minion gibberish remains one of the great vocal performances in animation, even if half the audience could not pick him out of a lineup. The film’s global success is no accident. The franchise has now earned more than $5.6 billion worldwide. People love these little guys. This is why.
The theatrical numbers told their own story. Minions & Monsters opened July 1 and gave Illumination another summer hit, extending a winning streak that now stretches back more than a decade. Families showed up in force, and the film’s strong hold in its second and third weekends suggested the rare animated release that plays like an event and legs like a classic. Coffin has always said the Minions are funniest when they are in over their heads, and a monster movie is the deepest water they have ever found. Judging by the audience response, they swam.
The Verdict
Minions & Monsters is the rare sequel that understands exactly what its audience wants and then delivers it with more heart than expected. Kids will roar. Adults will laugh harder than they planned. The monster angle gives the film real stakes and real surprises, and the ending, the Minions banding together to fix the mess they made, lands with a warmth the trailers only hinted at. If you missed it in theaters, October 28 is your date: it begins streaming exclusively on Peacock, with bonus features and the usual Illumination extras for subscribers.
In a year of heavy hitters, this is the family film that earns its joy honestly. Bring the kids. Bring the grandparents. Bring anyone who needs ninety minutes of pure, uncomplicated happiness. And when the credits roll, you will understand why the Minions conquered Hollywood, in the movie and, more importantly, out of it. For more family-friendly picks this season, this guide to October fun in NYC is full of ideas, and this look at why New York City is the museum capital of the world makes a perfect weekend plan to pair with movie night.
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