Pierre Coffin

Despicable Me 3 Review

Very Good

Actually the fourth film in the series (don't forget the prequel Minions), this animated super-villain comedy continues the wildly hyperactive antics of Gru and his yellow sidekicks, blending hilarious references with crazed action to keep the audience laughing. It's so jam-packed with gags that the movie leaves the audience feeling a little bewildered along the way, since we never get a chance to lock into either the story or characters before we're off for another manic set-piece. But it's a lot of fun.

We catch up with Gru (Steve Carell) and his wife Lucy (Kristen Wiig) as they've just been outfoxed by arch-nemesis Bratt (Trey Parker), a former 1980s child TV star gone very, very bad. Sacked by the Anti-Villain League, Gru and Lucy are unsure how they're going to support their three adopted daughters (Miranda Cosgrove, Dana Gaier and Nev Scharrel). Then they discover that Gru has a twin brother he never knew about. So they head to a remote island nation, where they meet Dru (also Carell), who lives in splendour on his epic pig farm. But Dru dreams of being a villain like their late father, so he convinces Gru to offer him some training. And, pretending that it's a heist, Gru takes Dru along on a mission to capture Bratt.

Every scene is a riot of jokes, mainly poking fun at 1980s movies, music, TV shows and fashion. Bratt is hilariously annoying, with his awful moustache and mullet, and a lair that recreates the set from Olivia Newton John's Physical video. But these witty touches fly at the screen so quickly that they only just register before there are another five gags upon us. The frantic pacing is enjoyable even if it's rather exhausting, mainly because the characters are so endearing. Carell and Wiig once again bring their impeccable timing to their roles, mixing comedy with some surprisingly sweet emotion in their parallel storylines: Gru as he learns to be a brother and Lucy as she yearns to be seen as a mom to the girls, two of whom have little subplots of their own.

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Despicable Me 3 Trailer

Gru, the Minions and his wonderful girls will return to the cinema this June when the third instalment of the movie is released. Though his personal life is at a peak, Gru's professional life is going through some issues. When he lets the devious troublemaker Balthazar Bratt get away with the theft of a precious jewel, Gru comes under fire from his bosses and ends up getting fired. Now at a low point, Gru turn to his wife, Lucy, and the girls for support but they're unable to solve Gru's problems.

When the former bady finds out that he has a twin brother, the pair are reunited and it appears his brother Dru has everything Gru hasn't. He has wealth, luscious blonde locks, pigs, a huge island home and a devious villain layer underneath his mansion which Dru uses to lure Gru back into a life of crime - unbeknownst to Lucy and the girls.

As Gru starts to remember his bad boy youth, the temptation to become the best supervillain once again becomes too much for Gru to refuse. Will Gru be able to once again prove to his brother that he's capable of topping the ranks in the supervillain world and outwitting his latest nemesis, former child star Balthazar Bratt - and if he does, will he risk losing his real family who've stuck by him in the past?

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Despicable Me 3 Trailer

It's been some time since Gru embarked on a villainous plot to take over the world; now that his adopted daughters Margo, Edith and Agnes are growing up and he's married to Anti-Villain League agent Lucy Wilde, he's more about being a family man than being a baddie. Of course, that also means that not a lot of money is coming in and so he needs to find financial help soon. Agnes does her best to raise funds with a garage sale and waves goodbye to her beloved unicorn, but ultimately it's the arrival of Gru's wealthier and blonder long-lost brother Dru who provides a light at the end of the tunnel. With his money, they manage to formulate a plan together to take down a criminal diamond thief named Balthazar Bratt - who happens to not be hard to find given that he's a flamboyant former 80s movie star. Meanwhile, the Minions are growing angry that their master no longer wants to pursue evil deeds.

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Despicable Me 3 Trailer

Gru (Steve Carell) has renounced his nefarious ways for good now that he's happily married to Anti-Villain League agent Lucy Wilde (Kristen Wiig), but he's still very active when it comes to taking down the other criminals of the age. One such criminal is the disco-dancing, shoulder-pad loving Balthazar Bratt (Trey Parker); a diamond thief who is also a former child star still obsessed with his famous film role from the 80s. But that's not the only adversary Gru must face on his next adventure. His long lost twin Dru returns and tensions are high between these siblings. The Minions are back, obviously - not that Gru needs minions when evil misdeeds aren't the order of the day - and Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), Edith (Dana Gaier) and Agnes (Nev Scharrel) are a little older and wiser but just as adorable.

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McDonald’s: Minions Happy Meal Toys Are Not Swearing At Children

By Elinor Cosgrave in Movies / TV / Theatre on 11 July 2015

Jon Hamm Michael Keaton Pierre Coffin Steve Coogan Sandra Bullock Allison Janney

McDonald’s have no intention of recalling their Minions Happy Meal toys despite claims the toys sound as if they are using obscene language.

McDonald’s is adamant those Minions Happy Meal toys aren’t really swearing at children. Controversy arose this week when parents shared videos of their children’s Happy Meal toys seemingly saying ‘what the f**k. Some of the videos, uploaded on YouTube, have been watched millions of times. However, McDonald’s has no intention of recalling the toys despite widespread distaste and a number of complaints.

Minions The Minions movie is out in cinemas now.

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'Minions' Offers Freedom To Jon Hamm And Allison Janney

By Rich Cline in Movies / TV / Theatre on 10 July 2015

Jon Hamm Allison Janney Pierre Coffin Sandra Bullock Michael Keaton

So it seems actors like not having to worry about their image while recording for an animated movie.

For the Despicable Me prequel Minions, filmmaker Pierre Coffin had no trouble finding A-list actors to voice characters because so many are fans of the earlier films. And most are looking for the freedom offered by starring in an animated movie.

Minions Voicing characters is much simpler than performing onscreen

Jon Hamm voices the groovy inventor Herb, married to super-villain Scarlet Overkill (who's voiced by Sandra Bullock). He loved creating an all-new character. "You're not constrained by what you look like or what haircut you're stuck with from whatever thing you just finished filming," he says. "Part of it for me was getting the artist's rendering of the character. I was like, 'Oh wow, that guy looks so cool. I wonder what he sounds like.' And then messing around with voices in your head like a crazy person, or like a child basically. You know, things I do normally in my day-to-day life, like I talk to my dog, I talk to myself. It's really fun and it's completely creative. And when you're working with people who are also incredibly collaborative too, they're just like, 'Go!' So you get to go."

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Minions Review

Very Good

Utterly charming, this silly prequel rewrites the origin story of the minions and sends them on a series of adventures that are gently anarchic and refreshingly low-key for an animated blockbuster. The film has an unusually gentle tone, with some real visual artistry to it rather than the cookie-cutter story structure and imagery in most summer movies. And while it's not riotously funny, children will be mesmerised and adults will be smiling.

It opens at the dawn of time, as minions evolve into yellow pill-shaped sidekicks who serve their evil masters throughout history. When they find themselves without a leader, they try to build a society in an arctic cave, but something just isn't right. So Kevin, Stuart and Bob (voiced in Esperanto-style gibberish by director Pierre Coffin) head off to 1968 New York to find a villain to work for. There they hear about ruthless baddie Scarlet Overkill (Sandra Bullock), so they head to Villain-Con in Orlando to meet her. She's impressed by their loyalty and takes them to London to work with her inventor husband Herb (Jon Hamm) on a nefarious plan to steal the British crown from the Queen (Jennifer Saunders). But nothing goes quite as planned.

Since it's set in the 1960s, the filmmakers give the film a groovy vibe, with sun-drenched animation and hilariously colourful details in every scene. Adults are more likely to catch references to things like the Monkees, Hair or Bewitched, but kids will enjoy the general silliness, including lots of chances to sing along with the minions as they babble through classic tunes. Thankfully, directors Coffin and Kyle Balda resist temptation to use the standard animation formula, opting instead for a meandering pace, a less pushy moral message and action scenes that emerge from the plot, settings and characters. And the starry voice cast refreshingly disappears into the characters.

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Minions Trailer

Since the dawn of time, the Minions have been desperately looking for a master. From dinosaurs, to cave men, to Dracula, to Napoleon, the Minions have sought out the biggest and best of masters from around the world. The trouble is, their optimism and perseverance - while commendable - is nothing compared to their utter ineptitude. The Minions have a terrible problem with either killing their boss, or letting their bosses die in some way. But with the 1960s in full swing and the Minions currently unemployed, they travel to a villain convention to find a new master, and uncover a conspiracy to steal the crown from the Queen of England.

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Minions - International Trailer

It's a wonder why the prehistoric tribe of Minions have managed to survive so long with limited access to their staple diet of bananas and very little in the way of intelligence. But they make it their life's work to follow and serve the most despicable of villains in return for their care - though, as time goes on, it seems there are fewer and fewer baddies left in the world, ever decreasing down to the Minion's own ineptitudes. From dinosaurs to vampires, Minions have always been loyal to the evil they serve, but after each tragic and accidental death, they are forced to move on. Stuck in a tight spot with no master to serve, they find themselves bored and depressed; that is until head Minions Kevin, Stuart and Bob decide it's time to set out on an adventure. Through blizzards and mountains, never-ending fields and deadly oceans they travel until they reach New York in 1968. They hitchhike to Orlando's annual Villain-Con and it's there they find their new mistress, Scarlet Overkill, and their only hope of saving Minion-kind.

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The Minions Return In Their Own Spin-Off [Trailer + Pictures]

By Stephen Caswell in Movies / TV / Theatre on 04 November 2014

Sandra Bullock Pierre Coffin

With the dramatic success of the 'Despicable Me' franchise, Universal Pictures has made the wait for 2017's 'Despicable Me 3' more bearable with a spin-off featuring everyone's favourite villain lackeys...

Since the continents were all combined as Pangaea, the Minions have existed and lived to serve a despicable master - or so says the trailer of 2015's 'Minions'. The spin-off from the highly popular 'Despicable Me' franchise focuses on the most iconic supporting characters of modern animation in a film of their own.

The Minions first emerge from the sea
According the film, the Minions have existed for longer than mankind

'Minions' brings Pierre Coffin back once again as the voice of the Minions themselves - specifically Kevin, Bob and Stuart; the protagonists of 'Minions'. Moreover, Coffin serves as the film's director, as he did with the first two and the 2010 short film, 'Minion Madness'.

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Pierre Coffin - Premiere of Universal Pictures' 'Despicable Me 2' at the Gibson Amphitheatre - Universal City, California, United States - Saturday 22nd June 2013