Minions : The Rise of Gru

The Illumination animation studio never ceases to amaze us with its permanent creativity and its undeniable know-how to offer successful animated films that can appeal to a wide family audience. With no less than three cinematographic sagas that have met a large audience Me, Ugly and Bad (6 films including spin-offs), The Secret life of pets (two films (2016, 2019)) and Sing (two films also on the counter (2016, 2021)), this studio located as much in the United States as in France with their subsidiary Illumination Mac Guff has been able to impose itself alongside the giants of animation such as The Walt Disney Company and Pixar. Certainly the new animated feature Minions 2: Once Upon a Time Gru (Minions: The Rise of Gru) finds all the charm of their offbeat universe and especially allow us to find the Minions that we love since their first appearance in Despicable Me. These official Illumination mascots have become characters as well known as Mickey (Disney), Mario Bros (Nintendo) and have appeared in many movies, short films, video games but also have the right to their own attraction and store in the various Universal Studios theme parks.

Minions: The Rise of Gru is the sequel to the movie Minions (2015) which told the story of the first meeting between Gru and these crazy and irresistible creatures. While the Minions were looking for their new master in the first film, this one shows us that the house of the young Gru, now 11 years old, has become their hideout and their HQ is in the basement. While Gru wants more than anything to join the Vicious 6, he finds himself and his minions Kevin, Stuart, Bob and Otto in a new adventure taking place in San Francisco as well as in other cities in the United States. Hunted by the Vicious 6 and kidnapped by the former leader of this group, the legendary Wild Knuckles who fired himself from his team, Gru will have to rely on his minions and face the biggest fight of his life. This new adventure presents many surprises and in particular incorporates a training close to that of Karate Kid for Kevin, Stuart, Bob and Otto in the Chinatown district of San Francisco which proves to be hilarious for all those like us who are fans of the Minions. Between chases, titanic fight scenes, the humor remains omnipresent and the minions once again provide a simply irresistible show.

Despite the passing years, the public continues to enjoy the Minions and their new adventure is just as exciting as the previous ones. While the Minions were relegated to supporting roles in the Despicable Me film saga, over time they have tended to gain exposure and establish themselves as quirky characters capable of holding the success of films on their presence. The first movie The Minions earned 1.1 billion dollars in worldwide revenue) and became superstars. The fact that the action of this film is also set in 1976 allows for some memorable nods to numerous films (Bruce Lee, Blaxploitation) but also gives the music a central place in the reconstruction of this period. We also find the almost incomprehensible dialogues of the Minions and their vision of the world with a look worthy of a child discovering the world.

The animation once again is irreproachable and shows that Illumination pays the same attention to the visuals of their film as well as to the scenario based on many excellent ideas capable of surprising us and letting us immerse ourselves in this universe. The script by Brian Lynch, Matthew Fogel certainly puts at the center of the story a magic medallion and Gru's apprenticeship to become the most appreciated and known villain in the world, but also continues to give the important place that these Minions deserve.

 The writers also understood that a movie was all the more successful as the villain is and here the Vicious 6. Composed of an evil Viking Svengeance (Dolph Lundgren), a demonic and furious nun who uses crucifixes as weapons, Nun Chuck (Lucy Lawless), a French villain, Jean Clawed (Jean-Claude Van Damme) with a big lobster claw as an arm and as a leader a ruthless Afro-American warrior, the Vicious 6 bring to this film an undeniable added value. We will also find in this film in original version the voice of Steve Carell for Gru and Julie Andrews for the voice of Gru's mother. The same care is felt in the French version and we find Pierre Coffin (the Minions) Gad Elmaleh (Gru), Claudia Tagbo (Belle Bombe) Bastian Baker (Jean-Claude), Jonathan Cohen (Dr. Nefario) and Gerard Darmon (Will Karnage). 

Certainly Minions: The Rise of Gru will not revolutionize the animated film, but it allows us to spend an excellent moment at the cinema and especially to find its characters so endearing The minions of which we are fans since their first appearance. We can expect to see them again soon in theaters. In the meantime, we will be in Los Angeles in July and will not miss the Despicable Me Minion Mayhem attraction with the same pleasure we had discovering this movie.

Minions: The Rise of Gru
Directed by Kyle Balda, Brad Ableson, Jonathan Del Val
Written by Brian Lynch, Matthew Fogel
Produced by Chris Meledandri, Janet Healy, Chris Renaud
With Steve Carell, Taraji P. Henson, Michelle Yeoh, RZA, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Lucy Lawless, Dolph Lundgren, Danny Trejo, Russell Brand, Julie Andrews, Alan Arkin.
Editing: Claire Dodgson
Music: Heitor Pereira
Production company: Illumination
Distributed by Universal Pictures
Release dates: June 13, 2022 (Annecy), July 1, 2022 (USA), July 6, 2022 (France)
Running time : 88 minutes

Seen on June 26, 2022 at Gaumont Disney Village, Room 9 seat A19

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