While cartoon fads have come and gone, the Minions remain a part of pop culture. Maybe it’s the loyalty or the cute overalls, but these wide-eyed followers of baddies everywhere are here to stay. So, it should come as no surprise that the studio behind Kevin, Bob, Stuart, and the rest of the gang are telling their stories one film at a time. “Minions: The Rise of Gru” connects the dots even further for fans.
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The Minions themselves were a selling point when the first “Despicable Me” premiered; after the film became a summer hit, many began to ask about the funny yellow creatures. Unlike some franchises which insist on mysterious backstories, writer Brian Lynch answered the biggest questions in only a few minutes of their first standalone film. In case you are wondering, they’ve been here since the creation of life itself and somehow kept evolving to the characters we see today.
While adult Gru-voiced by Steve Carrell-is front and center of the “Despicable Me” trilogy, his character only briefly makes an appearance in “Minions.” This time, the film explores how a young Gru deals with new henchmen and how they adjust to having a very different leader in their lives. Of course, the most famous of the crew are back but there also promises to be an emphasis on a few new Minions.
‘The Rise of Gru’ features the vocal talents of Taraji P. Henson, Russell Brand, Julie Andrews, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Lucy Lawless, Dolph Lundgren, and Michelle Yeoh.
This may be a film that can be enjoyed without knowing the franchise, yet some of the trailer’s biggest jokes are callbacks. Its comedic reminders revisit material from the first “Minions” as well as the entire “Despicable Me” film series; that aspect alone is as smart and carefully calculated as any franchise out today. If anything it proves the reason why these yellow creations have lasted so long-evolution.
Discover a new chapter in Minions history when “Minions: The Rise of Gru” premieres July 2.
