THIS SUMMER, A VILLAIN IS ONLY AS GOOD AS HIS MINIONS! UNIVERSAL PICTURES AND ILLUMINATION PRESENT STEVE CARELL, TARAJI P. HENSON, MICHELLE YEOH, RZA, JEAN-CLAUDE VAN DAMME, LUCY LAWLESS, DOLPH LUNDGREN, DANNY TREJO, RUSSELL BRAND, JULIE ANDREWS AND ALAN ARKIN. MINIONS: THE RISE OF GRU. RATED PG. ONLY IN THEATERS JULY 1ST.
You are invited to enter to win passes to the advance screening of MINIONS: THE RISE OF GRU
WHEN: 7pm on Monday June 27th WHERE: AMC Esquire 7 (6706 Clayton Rd., St. Louis, MO 63117)
WAMG is giving away to 6 lucky readers a a cool prizepack (4 Passes to advanced screening, Minion Themed Promotional Items: Key Chains, Stress Toy, Pens & Tote Bag). No purchase necessary. Seating is not guaranteed.
Enter in the comments to receive the prizepack of MINION Swag your name and email address
This summer, from the biggest global animated franchise in history, comes the origin story of how the world’s greatest supervillain first met his iconic Minions, forged cinema’s most despicable crew and faced off against the most unstoppable criminal force ever assembled in Minions: The Rise of Gru.
Long before he becomes the master of evil, Gru (Oscar® nominee Steve Carell) is just a 12-year-old boy in 1970s suburbia, plotting to take over the world from his basement. It’s not going particularly well. When Gru crosses paths with the Minions, including Kevin, Stuart, Bob, and Otto—a new Minion sporting braces and a desperate need to please—this unexpected family joins forces. Together, they build their first lair, design their first weapons, and strive to execute their first missions.
When the infamous supervillain supergroup, the Vicious 6, oust their leader—legendary martial arts fighter Wild Knuckles (Oscar® winner Alan Arkin)— Gru, their most devoted fanboy, interviews to become their newest member. The Vicious 6 is not impressed by the diminutive, wannabe villain, but then Gru outsmarts (and enrages) them, and he suddenly finds himself the mortal enemy of the apex of evil. With Gru on the run, the Minions attempt to master the art of kung fu to help save him, and Gru discovers that even bad guys need a little help from their friends.
Featuring more spectacular action than any film in Illumination history and packed with the franchise’s signature subversive humor, Minions: #TheRiseofGru stars a thrilling new cast, including, the Vicious 6: Taraji P. Henson as cool and confident leader Belle Bottom, whose chain belt doubles as a lethal disco-ball mace; Jean-Claude Van Damme as the nihilistic Jean Clawed, who’s armed (literally) with a giant robotic claw; Lucy Lawless as Nunchuck, whose traditional nun’s habit hides her deadly nun-chucks; Dolph Lundgren as Swedish roller-skate champion Svengeance, who dispenses his enemies with spin kicks from his spiked skates; and Danny Trejo as Stronghold, whose giant iron hands are both a menace to others and a burden to him.
The film also stars Russell Brand as Young Dr. Nefario, an aspiring mad scientist, Michelle Yeoh as Master Chow, an acupuncturist with mad kung fu skills, and Oscar® winner Julie Andrews as Gru’s maddeningly self-absorbed mom.
Steered by the franchise’s original creators, Minions: The Rise of Gru is produced by visionary Illumination founder and CEO Chris Meledandri and his longtime collaborators Janet Healy and Chris Renaud. The film is directed by returning franchise filmmaker Kyle Balda (Despicable Me 3, Minions), co-directed by Brad Ableson (The Simpsons) and Jonathan del Val (The Secret Life of Pets films), and features the iconic voice of Pierre Coffin as the Minions and a killer ’70s soundtrack courtesy of legendary Grammy-winning music producer Jack Antonoff.
So the CARS crew has barely finished a third lap and now another animated franchise is about to join them (or are they in their forth lap?). In 2010 Universal Studios teamed up with a plucky young computer animation company named Illumination to ride the box office tidal wave begun by the folks at Pixar. Their first smash was DESPICABLE ME, a raucous action comedy about an infamous super-villain mellowed when he becomes the foster-father to a trio of orphaned girls. Audiences embraced the title character of Dru and went bananas (that’s what they resemble, after all) over his horde of henchman, the yellow, yammering (nobody knows what their language is) minions. A sequel, DESPICABLE ME 3, followed of course, in 2013 in which Dru got a wife (and the girls got a mom), a super secret agent for good named Lucy. Then in 2015, came a “spin-off prequel” MINIONS, all about the origins of those adorable tablet-shaped terrors. Now, after two big hits last year (THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS and SING), Illumination and Universal deliver what some of the talent are calling the final chapter of the trilogy, DESPICABLE ME 3 (only theatre ticket sales will tell…).
As the film begins, we’re introduced to a new “super mastermind”, Balthazar Bratt (voice of Trey Parker). He’s a former child actor, star of the massive 80’s TV ratings smash “Evil Bratt”. BB was living on top of the world until puberty hit him like a freight train full of tie-in merchandise (his face exploded with acne and upper-lip hair as his voice broke), and his show was canceled. Hungry for revenge, BB sets his sights on stealing a massive jewel from an ocean liner. Luckily two of the top AVL (Anti-Villain League) agents Dru (Steve Carell) and Lucy (Kristen Wiig) are on the case. During the wild fracas, the jewel is retrieved, but Bratt escapes. Later, at a big AVL meeting, new director Valerie da Vinci (Jenny Slate) fires the couple. Returning home, they try to put on a brave face for the girls, Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), Edith (Dana Gaier) and Agnes (Nev Scharrel). The minions, however, are finally fed up with Dru’s “good guy” ways and leave their lair (one duo remains loyal) on a journey that eventually lands them in the slammer. The next morning an odd ole’ duffer delivers a message: Gru’s twin brother Dru is footing the bill for a reunion trip to Freedonia (?). After a quick visit to his mum (Julie Andrews), who admits that he has a twin, Gru, Lucy, and the girls board a private jet that takes them right to the opulent estate of pig magnate Dru (Carell again). But he’s got a scheme. Seems that BB did succeed in grabbing the big jewel. Dru wants that rock and needs Gru to share his super villain skills. Now, that he’s no longer an AVL agent, will Gru return to his old ways and jump back to the other side of the law?
The two comedy kingpins at the center of this franchise are in fine, funny voice once more. Carell has perfected this odd “where is he from, Eastern Europe?” accent, giving Dru the same, slightly less confident lilt, and knows when to go in for the “kill”, delivering a scathing put-down or a painful “burn”. But he’s also capable of great warmth and tenderness, particularly when dealing with his “gurrls” and connecting with his wife. Wiig is all perky efficiency as the focused lady agent, but fumbles and stumbles as she tries to switch gears into nurturing parent mode. The best new addition is toon voice vet Parker as the sneering Bratt, as obsessed with his perfect 80’s high-top hair style as he is with his plans for world destruction (“Tinseltown” goes down first, of course). Andrews is very funny in her quick cameos and the kids are still endearing, with Cosgrove adept as the “mature beyond her years” voice of reason. Unfortunately the incredibly talented Ms. Slate is given little to do as the one-note, high-heeled shrew that sets the plot’s wheels in motion.
Yes, the plot, well the entire script, is truly the downfall of this installment. Perhaps it was thought that separating Gru from nearly all of the minions (whose “baby-talk” gibberish is starting to wear thin) would simplify the story, but their escapades seems too close to their last solo flick, though a TV talent show rendition of a Gilbert and Sullivan standard injects some much-needed energy to the flick (shame it’s just a couple of minutes). Bratt is a fun bad guy (a vast improvement over El Macho in number 2) with lots of wacky nods to campy fads of the 1980’s, but he leaves the film for almost 30 minutes (like a host at the Oscars). While the double dose of Gru and Dru elicits a few laughs (mostly concerning Dru’s lush, “TV shampoo ad” hair), the other subplots go nowhere (Lucy desperately trying to bond with the kids, Margo’s determined young local suitor, and the unicorn quest led by Agnes). And really, how can you set part of it in Freedonia and not have a couple of winks to that 30’s classic (a statue of Rufus T Firefly in the town square, or at least a “soup of the day” diner gag)? The colors pop, the character design is still engaging (would love an actual “Evil Bratt” figure) and the animation is slick and smooth (the high-tech jump-suits are a blast). It’s a real shame that the pacing is so off, making the film feel much longer than 90 minutes. Perhaps more slapstick and fewer attempts at pathos would have helped. Either way, for DESPICABLE ME 3, the third time’s not the charm. Now shoo, Gru!
Observed every year on May 24, Brother’s Day honors the brothers in our lives. Of course, they’ve been known to put toads on your head or gum in your hair. They may have been too cool for you once, too. Whether we have one or many, our brothers hold a special place in our hearts.
What better way to celebrate the day than with a new trailer for DESPICABLE ME 3.
The Minions, Gru, along with his long-lost twin brother, Dru, are back in this delightfully funny new preview for the upcoming film.
Illumination, who brought audiences Despicable Me and the biggest animated hits of 2013 and 2015, Despicable Me 2 and Minions, continues the adventures of Gru, Lucy, their adorable daughters—Margo, Edith and Agnes—and the Minions in Despicable Me 3. Directed by Pierre Coffin and Kyle Balda, co-directed by Eric Guillon and written by Cinco Paul & Ken Daurio, the animated film is produced by Illumination’s Chris Meledandri and Janet Healy, and executive produced by Chris Renaud.
Joining Steve Carell and Kristen Wiig in DESPICABLE ME 3 is Emmy, Tony and Grammy Award winner Trey Parker, co-creator of Comedy Central’s global phenomenon South Park and the Broadway smash The Book of Mormon.
Parker voices the role of villain Balthazar Bratt, a former child star who’s grown up to become obsessed with the character he played in the ‘80s, and proves to be Gru’s most formidable nemesis to date.
Read what Carell had to say about playing both Gru and Dru HERE.
The film will be released in theaters on June 30, 2017.
Credit: Illumination Entertainment and Universal Pictures
During a presentation showcasing the future projects of Illumination Entertainment at CinemaCon today in Las Vegas, the company’s founder and CEO, Chris Meledandri, announced that MOWERMINIONS – a never-before-seen short film starring the Minions – will debut with Illumination and Universal’s new film, THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS, when it arrives in theaters domestically on July 8, 2016, and also all around the world.
Correlating to the format in which THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS is showing in specific theaters, Mower Minions will be available in both 3D and 2D.
The short film stars the iconic Minions, who first appeared in the blockbuster DESPICABLE ME series and who most recently starred in 2015’s massive hit MINIONS, which grossed more than $1.15 billion at the global box office and became the second-biggest animated title of all time. Continuing the unpredictable adventures of Gru’s curious and subversively sweet band of yellow brothers, Mower Minions represents the first time ever that Illumination has released a short film theatrically.
“It’s been a year since Minions appeared on movie screens, and will be another year until they show up in Despicable Me 3 next summer. Fans are always asking us for more content with the Minions, so the timing felt right for them to star in an all-new short film right before audiences experience Illumination’s newest original film, The Secret Life of Pets,” said Meledandri. “The theatrical release of this short serves as an opportunity for some of the most talented storytellers, visual development artists, colorists and story artists in the Illumination family to flex their creative muscles and create a new piece of content for the big screen.”
Credit: Illumination Entertainment and Universal Pictures
Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game, upcoming Doctor Strange) voices the title role of The Grinch in the newly imagined version of the enduring holiday classic. Directed by Pete Candeland and Yarrow Cheney, and adapted from Dr. Seuss’ book by Michael LeSieur, the animated film will be produced by Illumination’s Chris Meledandri, Janet Healy and Scott Mosier, and executive produced by Audrey Geisel and Chris Renaud.
Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas will be released on November 10, 2017.
.Credit: Illumination Entertainment and Universal Pictures
Emmy, Tony and Grammy Award winner Trey Parker, co-creator of Comedy Central’s global phenomenon South Park and the Broadway smash The Book of Mormon, has joined Despicable Me 3 to voice the role of villain Balthazar Bratt, a former child star who’s grown up to become obsessed with the character he played in the ’80s. He proves to be Gru’s most formidable nemesis to date. The team who brought you Despicable Me and the biggest animated hits of 2013 and 2015, Despicable Me 2 and Minions, returns to continue the adventures of Gru, Lucy, their adorable daughters—Margo, Edith and Agnes—and the Minions. Despicable Me 3, directed by Pierre Coffin and Kyle Balda, co-directed by Eric Guillon, and written by Cinco Paul & Ken Daurio, will be released in theaters on June 30, 2017.
The animated film is produced by Illumination’s Chris Meledandri and Janet Healy, and executive produced by Chris Renaud.
The breakout stars the world fell in love with in Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment’s Despicable Me global film franchise headline their own movie for the first time in Minions, available on Digital HD November 24, 2015, and on Blu-ray™ Combo Pack, DVD and On Demand on December 8, 2015from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.
A much anticipated prequel to the unprecedented worldwide blockbusters Despicable Me and the beloved sequel Despicable Me 2, Minions is an immensely entertaining film for all audiences called “inventive and hilarious” by Julian Roman, Movieweb.com. The Blu-ray Combo Pack and Digital HD also come with three all-new mini-movies and even more Minions everyone will want to watch again and again especially during the busy holiday travel season.
The story of Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment’s Minions begins at the dawn of time. Starting as single-celled yellow organisms, Minions evolve through the ages, perpetually serving the most despicable of masters. Continuously unsuccessful at keeping these masters—from T. rex to Napoleon—the Minions find themselves without someone to serve and fall into a deep depression. But one Minion named Kevin has a plan, and he—alongside teenage rebel Stuart and lovable little Bob—ventures out into the world to find a new evil boss for his brethren to follow. The trio embark upon a thrilling journey that ultimately leads them to their next potential master, Scarlet Overkill (Academy Award®-winner Sandra Bullock), the world’s first-ever female super-villain. They travel from frigid Antarctica to 1960s New York City, ending in ‘mod’ London, where they must face their biggest challenge to date: saving all of Minionkind…from annihilation.
Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side, Gravity) heads up an all-star voice cast including Golden Globe and recent Emmy Award®-winner Jon Hamm (“Mad Men,” Bridesmaids), Academy Award-nominee Michael Keaton (Birdman:(Or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), Toy Story 3), six-time Emmy Award-winner Allison Janney (“The West Wing,” “Masters of Sex,” “Mom”), Academy Award-nominee Steve Coogan (Despicable Me 2, Philomena), BAFTA Award-winner Jennifer Saunders (“Absolutely Fabulous,” Shrek 2), and Academy Award-winner Geoffrey Rush (The King’s Speech, Pirates of the Caribbean series). The inimitable voices of the Minions are again voiced by Academy Award-nominee Pierre Coffin (Despicable Me, Despicable Me 2) who co-directs with Kyle Balda (Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax). Minions is produced by Illumination Entertainment CEO and founder Chris Meledandri and Janet Healy. Brian Lynch wrote the screenplay, and Chris Renaud serves as executive producer of the film.
Minions will be available on Blu-ray™ with DIGITAL HD and UltraViolet™ and DVD
Blu-ray™ unleashes the power of your HDTV and is the best way to watch movies at home, featuring 6X the picture resolution of DVD, exclusive extras and theater-quality surround sound.
DVD offers the flexibility and convenience of playing movies in more places, both at home and away.
DIGITAL HD with UltraViolet™ lets fans watch movies anywhere on their favorite devices. Users can instantly stream or download
BONUS FEATURES EXCLUSIVE TO BLU-RAYTM AND DIGITAL HD:
THREE ALL-NEW MINI-MOVIES:
Cro Minion
Competition
Binky Nelson Unpacified
DELETED SCENE – ME, MYSELF AND STUART
AROUND THE WORLD INTERACTIVE MAP – Explore the world of the Minions with this interactive map featuring a collection of games, trivia, featurettes, storyboards, and more all themed to movie locations.
BEHIND THE GOGGLES – THE ILLUMINATION STORY OF THE MINIONS – Get a “behind the goggles” look at the history and evolution of everyone’s favorite yellow henchmen.
WRITER – See how the Minions evolve throughout the different time periods. Writer, Brian Lynch discusses creating distinctive personalities for the three main Minions, his VillainCon idea, and the Minion family.
BOSS’ OFFICE – Illumination Entertainment CEO and founder and Minions producer, Chris Meledandri discusses the origins of Illumination Entertainment and the genesis of both Despicable Me and the Minions.
ART DEPARTMENT – See how the Minions came to life, from the original art concept of the henchmen to the final creation of the Minions and how to differentiate them between new time periods. Also, see how the idea of Herb and Scarlett Overkill’s characters came to be.
GALLERY – CONCEPT ART (stills)
GALLERY – COLOR SCRIPT (stills)
COMPOSER – Listen to how composer Heitor Pereira creates the sound of the Minions and what it takes to create big music for small characters.
ACTORS STUDIO – Listen to the actors’ experiences being part of the Minions movie, who their favorite Minions are, and why they love them so much.
NOTICE BOARD (stills)
SAFETY VIDEO
ILLUMINATION MACGUFF ANIMATION
ANIMATION – Go behind the scenes and hear about the challenges and excitement behind the Minion characters and bringing them alive through animation in the movie
LIGHTING, LAYOUT AND EFFECTS – A look at the ways in which layout and lighting plays a big role in the emotion and motivation in the movie. Also see the ways in which they try to keep the 60’s vintage look and the challenges they face with very technical shots, where one shot can take weeks.
3D MODELS GALLERY (stills)
DIRECTORS – Directors Pierre Coffin and Kyle Balda discuss the unique challenges of creating distinctive personalities for the Minions
PRODUCERS – Producers Chris Meledandri, Janet Healy and Executive Producer Chris Renaud discuss the three main characters – Kevin, Stuart, and Bob – little family in the movie and the goal of creating a special bond between them and the audience when they leave the theater.
EDITORIAL – Editor Claire Dodgson discusses the distinctive editing style of the Despicable Me franchise and the three-year process it takes to make these movies from the original storyboards to cutting scenes with Minion dialogue.
STORYBOARD ARTIST – Learn how the actions of the words of the script turn into visual drawings and how much work is put in from the rough sketches to the final cut of the movie.
GALLERY – STUART HOT TUB STORYBOARD (stills)
JINGLE BELLS MINION STYLE – This holiday favorite is brought to life in a merry-Minion way. Now you get to sing along to the beloved video that was the most shared piece of content on Facebook in 2014.
THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS THEATRICAL TRAILER
DVD BONUS FEATURES
DELETED SCENE – ME, MYSELF AND STUART
JINGLE BELLS MINION STYLE – This holiday favorite is brought to life in a merry-Minion way. Now you get to sing along to the beloved video that was the most shared piece of content on Facebook in 2014.
When I reviewed MINIONS here ate We Are Movie Geeks back in July, I wrote: “Those goggle-eyed scene-stealers from DESPICABLE ME (and its sequel) get their own showcase in MINIONS, a colorful, fast-paced prequel that kids will have fun with ……There’s a lot of fun to be had with the period music and references to Nixon, the moon landing, and the Swinging London of that time period. I’m not sure small children will laugh when the Minions pop out of a sewer lid on Abbey Road just as the Beatles are making their famous crossing, but I did. Voiced by the film’s directors Pierre Coffin and Kyle Balda jabbering in a helium-fueled garble, the Minions are pure slapstick gold….” (read all of my review HERE)
MINIONS will be released by Universal on DVD, Blu-ray and DVD/3D/Blu-ray Combo Pack on December 8th and We Are Movie Geeks has had a sneak peek:
MINION’s Universal’s 1080p/AVC-encoded video image doesn’t disappoint. Colors are vibrant and impeccably saturated, contrast is dead on, black levels are nice and inky, and detail is straight-from-the-digital-tap flawless. Edges are razor sharp, textures are wonderfully refined, and every ounce of magic the animators inject to the film makes a seamless transition to Blu-ray. MINIONS looks every bit as good as it could.
MINION’s DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround audio track is worthy of great praise. Dialogue is clean, clear and naturally grounded in the mix, and prioritization is as perfect as it gets. MINION’s lossless audio track gets the job done on all fronts.
The MINIONS Blu-ray contains quite a few extras:
A 3-D disc (I don’t have a 3D TV so I can’t judge that), DVD copy of the film, and a voucher for a UV/iTunes digital copy are all included.
Mini-Movies Three hilarious shorts, each running about 4 minutes: 1)CroMinion: Minions are left in charge of a prehistoric baby. 2)Jingle Bells Minions Style: The Minions perform the Christmas favorite in their own unique way. 3)Competition: A couple of minions compete against one another, building to an explosive crescendo.
One Deleted Scene runs 30 seconds Me, Myself and Stuart.
Around the World Interactive Map: Selecting available points on a map reveals various video and still photo features.
Behind the Goggles — The Illumination Story of The Minions – is a series of short featurettes:
Writers runs 4 minutes and features screenwriter Brian Lynch discussing the minions
The Boss’ Office is a 5-minute interview with Illumination Founder and Producer Chris Meledandri
Art Dept. runs 3 minutes and features Character Designer Eric Guillon, Art Director Oliver Adam, and Writer Brian Lynch discussing the designs of these characters.
Recording Studio runs 3 minutes and features composer Heitor Pereira, Producer Janet Healy, Illumination Founder and Producer Chris Meledandri, and Directors Kyle Balda and Pierre Coffin discussing the music .
Jingle Bells Minions Style: The Minions perform the Christmas favorite in their own unique way.
The breakout stars the world fell in love with in Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment’s Despicable Me global film franchise headline their own movie for the first time in MINIONS, available on Digital HD November 24, 2015, and on Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD and On Demand on December 8, 2015 from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.
A much anticipated prequel to the unprecedented worldwide blockbusters Despicable Me and the beloved sequel Despicable Me 2, Minions is an immensely entertaining film for all audiences called “inventive and hilarious” by Julian Roman, Movieweb.com. The Blu-ray Combo Pack and Digital HD also come with three all-new mini-movies and even more Minions everyone will want to watch again and again especially during the busy holiday travel season.
The story of Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment’s Minions begins at the dawn of time. Starting as single-celled yellow organisms, Minions evolve through the ages, perpetually serving the most despicable of masters. Continuously unsuccessful at keeping these masters—from T. rex to Napoleon—the Minions find themselves without someone to serve and fall into a deep depression. But one Minion named Kevin has a plan, and he—alongside teenage rebel Stuart and lovable little Bob—ventures out into the world to find a new evil boss for his brethren to follow. The trio embark upon a thrilling journey that ultimately leads them to their next potential master, Scarlet Overkill (Academy Award-winner Sandra Bullock), the world’s first-ever female super-villain. They travel from frigid Antarctica to 1960s New York City, ending in ‘mod’ London, where they must face their biggest challenge to date: saving all of Minionkind…from annihilation.
Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side, Gravity) heads up an all-star voice cast including Golden Globe and recent Emmy Award-winner Jon Hamm (“Mad Men,” Bridesmaids), Academy Award-nominee Michael Keaton (Birdman:(Or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), Toy Story 3), six-time Emmy Award-winner Allison Janney (“The West Wing,” “Masters of Sex,” “Mom”), Academy Award-nominee Steve Coogan (Despicable Me 2, Philomena), BAFTA Award-winner Jennifer Saunders (“Absolutely Fabulous,” Shrek 2), and Academy Award-winner Geoffrey Rush (The King’s Speech, Pirates of the Caribbean series). The inimitable voices of the Minions are again voiced by Academy Award-nominee Pierre Coffin (Despicable Me, Despicable Me 2) who co-directs with Kyle Balda (Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax). Minions is produced by Illumination Entertainment CEO and founder Chris Meledandri and Janet Healy. Brian Lynch wrote the screenplay, and Chris Renaud serves as executive producer of the film.
Minions will be available on Blu-ray™ with DIGITAL HD and UltraViolet™ and DVD
Blu-ray™ unleashes the power of your HDTV and is the best way to watch movies at home, featuring 6X the picture resolution of DVD, exclusive extras and theater-quality surround sound.
DVD offers the flexibility and convenience of playing movies in more places, both at home and away.
DIGITAL HD with UltraViolet™ lets fans watch movies anywhere on their favorite devices. Users can instantly stream or download
BONUS FEATURES EXCLUSIVE TO BLU-RAYTM AND DIGITAL HD:
THREE ALL-NEW MINI-MOVIES:
Cro Minion
Competition
Binky Nelson Unpacified
DELETED SCENE – ME, MYSELF AND STUART
AROUND THE WORLD INTERACTIVE MAP – Explore the world of the Minions with this interactive map featuring a collection of games, trivia, featurettes, storyboards, and more all themed to movie locations.
BEHIND THE GOGGLES – THE ILLUMINATION STORY OF THE MINIONS – Get a “behind the goggles” look at the history and evolution of everyone’s favorite yellow henchmen.
WRITER – See how the Minions evolve throughout the different time periods. Writer, Brian Lynch discusses creating distinctive personalities for the three main Minions, his VillainCon idea, and the Minion family.
BOSS’ OFFICE – Illumination Entertainment CEO and founder and Minions producer, Chris Meledandri discusses the origins of Illumination Entertainment and the genesis of both Despicable Me and the Minions.
ART DEPARTMENT – See how the Minions came to life, from the original art concept of the henchmen to the final creation of the Minions and how to differentiate them between new time periods. Also, see how the idea of Herb and Scarlett Overkill’s characters came to be.
GALLERY – CONCEPT ART (stills)
GALLERY – COLOR SCRIPT (stills)
COMPOSER – Listen to how composer Heitor Pereira creates the sound of the Minions and what it takes to create big music for small characters.
ACTORS STUDIO – Listen to the actors’ experiences being part of the Minions movie, who their favorite Minions are, and why they love them so much.
NOTICE BOARD (stills)
SAFETY VIDEO
ILLUMINATION MACGUFF ANIMATION
ANIMATION – Go behind the scenes and hear about the challenges and excitement behind the Minion characters and bringing them alive through animation in the movie
LIGHTING, LAYOUT AND EFFECTS – A look at the ways in which layout and lighting plays a big role in the emotion and motivation in the movie. Also see the ways in which they try to keep the 60’s vintage look and the challenges they face with very technical shots, where one shot can take weeks.
3D MODELS GALLERY (stills)
DIRECTORS – Directors Pierre Coffin and Kyle Balda discuss the unique challenges of creating distinctive personalities for the Minions
PRODUCERS – Producers Chris Meledandri, Janet Healy and Executive Producer Chris Renaud discuss the three main characters – Kevin, Stuart, and Bob – little family in the movie and the goal of creating a special bond between them and the audience when they leave the theater.
EDITORIAL – Editor Claire Dodgson discusses the distinctive editing style of the Despicable Me franchise and the three-year process it takes to make these movies from the original storyboards to cutting scenes with Minion dialogue.
STORYBOARD ARTIST – Learn how the actions of the words of the script turn into visual drawings and how much work is put in from the rough sketches to the final cut of the movie.
GALLERY – STUART HOT TUB STORYBOARD (stills)
JINGLE BELLS MINION STYLE – This holiday favorite is brought to life in a merry-Minion way. Now you get to sing along to the beloved video that was the most shared piece of content on Facebook in 2014.
THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS THEATRICAL TRAILER
DVD BONUS FEATURES
DELETED SCENE – ME, MYSELF AND STUART
JINGLE BELLS MINION STYLE – This holiday favorite is brought to life in a merry-Minion way. Now you get to sing along to the beloved video that was the most shared piece of content on Facebook in 2014.
Since the dawn of time, Minions have served (and accidentally eliminated) history’s most despicable villains. After their latest explosive mistake leaves them without an evil leader, the Minions fall into a deep depression. With the tribe on the brink of collapse, three unlikely heroes–Kevin, Stuart, and Bob—embark on a journey to find a new big boss. When their quest leads them to their next potential master, Scarlet Overkill (Academy Award® winner Sandra Bullock), our three heroes must face their biggest challenge yet: saving all of Minionkind…from annihilation!
FILMMAKERS: Cast:Sandra Bullock, Jon Hamm, Allison Janney, Steve Coogan, Jennifer Saunders, Geoffrey Rush, Pierre Coffin
Directed By:Pierre Coffin, Kyle Balda
Written By:Brian Lynch
Produced By:Chris Meledandri, Janet Healy
Executive Produced By:Chris Renaud
Edited By:Claire Dodgson
Music By:Heitor Pereira
TECHNICAL INFORMATION –BLU-RAY 3D™: Street Date:December 8, 2015
Copyright: 2015 Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
Selection Number: 61168386 (U.S.), 61168352 (CDN)
Layers: BD-50
Aspect Ratio: Widescreen 1.85:1
Rating: PG
Languages/Subtitles: English, Spanish, and French
Sound: Atmos Dolby True HD/DVS Dolby Digital 2.0 DVS (English), Dolby Digital 5.1 (Spanish and French)
Run Time: 1 Hour 31 Minutes
TECHNICAL INFORMATION BLU-RAY™: Street Date:December 8, 2015
Copyright: 2015 Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
Selection Number: 61126654 (U.S.), 61168350 (CDN)
Layers: BD-50
Aspect Ratio: Widescreen 1.85:1
Rating: PG
Languages/Subtitles: English, Spanish, and French
Sound: Atmos Dolby True HD/DVS Dolby Digital 2.0 DVS (English), Dolby Digital 5.1 (Spanish and French)
Run Time: 1 Hour 31 Minutes
To experience Dolby Atmos at home, Dolby Atmos enabled AV receivers and additional speakers are required; however, Dolby Atmos soundtracks are fully backward compatible with traditional audio configurations and legacy home entertainment equipment.
TECHNICAL INFORMATION DVD Street Date:December 8, 2015
Copyright: 2015 Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
Selection Number: 61126664 (U.S.), 61168351 (CDN)
Layers: Dual
Aspect Ratio: Anamorphic Widescreen 1:85:1
Rating: PG
Languages/Subtitles: English, Spanish, and French
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1/DVS Dolby Digital 2.0 (English), Dolby Digital 5.1 (Spanish and French)
How does a composer create musical voices for a population of yellow creatures who speak their own language? If you’re Grammy Award-winning musician/composer/songwriter Heitor Pereira, it’s one groovy journey.
Playing in theaters now, MINIONS begins at the dawn of time. Starting as single-celled yellow organisms, Minions evolve through the ages, perpetually serving the most despicable of masters. Continuously unsuccessful at keeping these masters—from T. rex to Napoleon—the Minions find themselves without someone to serve and fall into a deep depression.
But one Minion named Kevin has a plan, and he – alongside teenage rebel Stuart and lovable little Bob – ventures out into the world to find a new evil boss for his brethren to follow.
The trio embarks upon a thrilling journey that ultimately leads them to their next potential master, Scarlet Overkill (Academy Award winner Sandra Bullock), the world’s first-ever female super-villain. They travel from frigid Antarctica to 1960s New York City, ending in mod London, where they must face their biggest challenge to date: saving all of Minionkind…from annihilation.
When it came time to creating the signature sounds and score for MINIONS, producer Chris Meledandri and directors Pierre Coffin and Kyle Balda knew that setting the film in the ’60s would allow the opportunity to feature a soundtrack of music that continues to inspire and influence today’s culture.
Meledandri says, “When we realized that we were effectively making a prequel and we started to talk about a decade where the film would land and settle, we were all drawn to the ’60s. We all love it for its music, and the film is just packed with classic 1960s music throughout—ranging from The Doors, to the Stones, to The Beatles, to The Who. What I’ve found as a parent is that the music itself is so timeless that my sons have found that decade as they grow up. The music plays wonderfully for audience members who experience the music as nostalgia, but there are generations who have grown to love the music even though they weren’t alive in the 1960s.”
To take Kevin, Stuart and Bob on their trip, the film is chock full of the best of the ’60s, including The Beatles’ “Got to Get You Into My Life,” Jimi Hendrix’s “Purple Haze,” The Turtles’ “Happy Together,” The Spencer Davis Group’s “I’m a Man,” The Kinks’ “You Really Got Me,” The Who’s “My Generation” and Donovan’s “Mellow Yellow,” bringing key scenes in the film to vibrant life.
The filmmakers looked to returning composer Heitor Pereira of DESPICABLE ME and DESPICABLE ME 2, a man whom writer Brian Lynch refers to as “a tornado of emotion.” The Grammy Award-winning musician has written and produced music for films ranging from blockbuster family hits to acclaimed dramas. Of working with Pereira for the third time, Coffin commends, “Who could orchestrate a movie better than the one who worked on the DESPICABLE ME movies?”
Meledandri says,“Heitor composed the score for Despicable Me in partnership with Pharrell Williams. With Despicable Me 2, he went on and did the whole score again by integrating some of Pharrell’s themes. And once again, he’s composing the score for Minions. His score not only has these wonderful melodies, but he adds scale to the third act of the film, where it actually gets very big, from a perspective of the sweep of the action. Heitor has a wonderful range, from the most intimate moments to sweetness. He also understands comedy, which is elusive for a lot of composers.”
Composer Heitor Pereira and I recently discussed his score for MINIONS and how experimenting with sounds and manipulating them into ‘instruments’ is what gives the little yellow dudes their rhythm and soul.
WAMG: What made you want to return to the Minion world?
Heitor Pereira: When we worked on the DESPICABLE ME movies, I was sitting in the audience and looking at everyone reacting to the Minions. It made me feel like, ‘Wow, this is now a part of their lives, and I want to do justice to this dedication from the audience.’ Along these same lines, it was fun to generate the variety of personalities with the MINIONS through more colorful music.
WAMG: This one was even more interesting because it’s a prequel and it’s primarily set in the 60’s. What was it like scoring for the film wrapped around songs from The Beatles, The Who and The Rolling Stones?
HP: A lot of pressure, but it was a lot of fun. I really wanted to pay homage to musicians of the period. I wrote the score with Henry Mancini, Lalo Schifrin and John Barry in the back of my mind. They are composers I grew up listening to, even before I knew what film music was. To me it’s all about the melodies even when lots of crazy things were going on. To me, MINIONS was an opportunity to do that.
It’s like writing music for the Three Stooges, only difference is the Minions don’t speak English. To write around the songs of the 60’s, I used some of the techniques from that time period like recording with mics and using vintage amps.
I’m from Brazil, but the first time I heard The Beatles, I didn’t have a clue what they were singing about. But the rhythm and the waves of the sounds that the language created somehow already put me in a certain frame of mind. I find that the same goes with the Minions’ language.
WAMG: The score is such a big part of the DESPICABLE ME films. With your new score, it really gives the Minions a voice. The music is really funny. What kind of orchestra did you put together?
HP: The orchestra had 24 violins, 12 violas, eight cellos, five basses, five saxophones, including a bass sax, five trumpets, two trombones, a tuba, a choir, a rhythm section and a drummer.
Additionally, to create the British jazz sound of ’60s London, I invited a jazz ensemble made up of woodwinds, clarinets and piccolos and put everybody in the same room with a drummer and bass player. We put everyone together, unlike today where we tend to separate the sections, and recorded the cues altogether.
We also had a great group of percussion players for the big cues.
WAMG: Audiences really wanted a MINION film. What sounds were you going for?
HP: I took the music from their travel through time and acquired all the personalities. For example, if they are in Egypt, then we have this pharaonic-like music; if they’re in the Stone Age, we have rock ’n’ roll, ‘ooga-ooga, toomb-tah, toomb-tah,’ the most basic, primal kind of sound.
Plus it was fun to go back to Prehistoric times and write dinosaur music as well.
WAMG: Did you purposefully give the film’s heroes Kevin, Stuart and Bob a theme?
HP: They each have their own themes. Kevin is the most fatherly in this group of three. He’s always the more responsible one. Bob is the sweet and loving part of it. And Stuart is the crazy one. The music for Bob, it’s more of almost like a childlike melody, and Stuart is the one who allows the music to go anywhere it wants to go. It’s also a very physical score.
Illumination, Universal and the filmmakers gave me the freedom to look for a sound that is the sound of the Minions. I had suggested to Pierre and Kyle, ‘Why don’t we use the Minions’ language, and get the choir to sing throughout the whole movie in that language?’ We ended up using a 40-50 piece choir. Overall it was great opportunity.
WAMG: Even Sandra Bullock’s Scarlett Overkill has her own theme.
HP: Scarlet is the true villain in this movie. There’s something about a woman being the villain in which she never loses her charm; the music had to capture that. So we wrote something for Scarlet that, in itself, has hidden a lot of charm.
Overall, the best part was that I got to play a lot of guitar with both themes, so it was a lot of fun.
WAMG: Do you feel more at home with the guitar?
HP: I do. That’s how music came to me. It’s the one instrument I pick out and it’s become an official extension of me.
I also write from the piano, but I’m very interested in technology and am always looking out for new equipment and instruments for different sounds. You can manipulate what you want the music to sound like and that’s what I love about animation. There’s a lot of playfulness that you can add to the score – it opens a lot of doors to many surprises. Intricate rhythms may not sound complicated but I’m usually writing crazy time signatures. It winds up sounding very natural.
Animation is a great playground for me because of my love of film.
WAMG: What music influenced you growing up?
HP: I come from a family, from my mother’s side, with a lot of musicians. I was around it all the time. Then I went for formal education at the Villa Lobos Conservatory in Rio de Janeiro where I studied composition and orchestration. I got to know the “whys” of notes. I wish there was more music in the schools these days and a part of the curriculum
In Brazil, I played guitar with some of my idols, including Ivan Lins. As a guitarist, I became a member of Simply Red throughout the early ’90s. I love world music. I’ve collaborated with Jack Johnson, Bryan Adams, Elton John, and Willie Nelson. I love the internationality of it all. Music is my religion. I guess that’s why I really love animation – it’s very worldly.
Upcoming releases for Pereira include the indie crime thriller The Jesuit; family favorite Curious George 3: Back to the Jungle; and the drama The Moon and the Sun, starring Pierce Brosnan and William Hurt.
The MINIONS soundtrack album is available now on Back Lot Music.
This week’s episode of our podcast WE ARE MOVIE GEEKS The Show is up! Hear WAMG’s Jim Batts, Michelle McCue and Tom Stockman discuss the weekend box office, and next weekend’s releases. We’ll review MINIONS, THE GALLOWS, TESTAMENT OF YOUTH, CARTEL LAND, MR. HOLMES, and ALOFT. We’ll also analyze at length much of the exciting movie news coming out of Comic Con in San Diego over the weekend. WE ARE MOVIE GEEKS The Show is a weekly podcast and we will soon be streaming at ONStl.com Online Radio.
Here’s this week’s show. Have a listen:
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Those goggle-eyed scene-stealers from DESPICABLE ME (and its sequel) get their own showcase in MINIONS, a colorful, fast-paced prequel that kids will have fun with but fails to soar to the heights of the original films. The funniest bits in MINIONS are the opening scenes (we saw them in the trailer) with Minions throughout history disastrously serving the most despicable baddies they can find; a T-Rex, a Pharaoh, Dracula, Napoleon, etc. The story then jumps ahead to 1968, when three brave minions, Bob, Kevin, and Stuart, leave their tribe in the Antarctic to find a new Archfiend to assist. After a brief stop in New York City, the boys travel to ‘Villain Con’, a supervillain convention in Florida where they meet and get jobs working for Scarlet Overkill (Sandra Bullock). She, along with her husband Herb (John Hamm) whisks the three off to England with the assignment of stealing for her the Crown Jewels from the Queen. They muff that job but accidentally wind up ruling the country, which doesn’t sit well with the Overkills.
MINIONS has plenty of laughs but plays more like a series of frantic visual gags than a fully developed story. There’s a lot of fun to be had with the period music and references to Nixon, the moon landing, and the Swinging London of that time period. I’m not sure small children will laugh when the Minions pop out of a sewer lid on Abbey Road just as the Beatles are making their famous crossing, but I did. Voiced by the film’s directors Pierre Coffin and Kyle Balda jabbering in a helium-fueled garble, the Minions are pure slapstick gold, but MINIONS lacks the heart of the first two films. I think the little banana-loving gremlins work best when they’re comedy relief on the edges of the actual story, not front and center like they are here. They also need a good super-villain to work off of and Sandra Bullock’s Scarlet is no Gru. She’s given little to do besides standard cartoon stuff like cackle and scream and shoot her lava lamp gun from her flying machine. Worse is Jon Hamm, not funny at all as Scarlet’s creepy, unnecessary husband. The film gets bogged down when it becomes the Overkill’s story, making the 91-minute running time seem longer. I wish the central villains had been the Nelsons, a wacky American family on a cross-country crime spree that picks up the hitchhiking Minions in their station wagon early in the film. Ma and Pa Nelson are voiced by Allison Janney and Michael Keaton and what they pull off with their brief screen time is far more hilarious than anything Bullock and Hamm do. If the producers of MINIONS make another spin-off film, they’d be wise to bring back the Nelsons.
