A Funny but Unremarkable Animated Film: What the Minions Did Before Gru
A lighthearted but ultimately unremarkable animated film, “Minions” delves into the lives of the titular characters from the “Despicable Me” franchise before their fateful encounter with Gru.
The film introduces us to the Minions, tiny yellow creatures who have existed on Earth since the dawn of time. Driven by an insatiable desire to serve the most powerful villains, their clumsy attempts at assisting these masters invariably backfire, forcing them to flee. After a disastrous stint in Russia supporting Napoleon, the Minions find refuge in an icy cave in the far North. However, despite the safety, they soon fall into a deep depression, unable to thrive without a villain to serve. Determined, Kevin, along with the reluctant Stuart and the innocent Bob, venture out in search of a new “boss.” Their journey takes them to New York City in 1968, where they discover Scarlet Overkill, the world’s first female supervillain, who is actively seeking henchmen.
Fun Fact: The film features 899 Minions, all voiced by a single person, the film’s director, Pierre Coffin.
The Origin of the Minions
During the production of the 2010 film “Despicable Me,” French animators at Illumination Entertainment sought to create an army of helpers for the main character, the supervillain Gru. However, budget constraints prevented them from animating a full human army. As a result, the artists conceived the Minions, cheerful, pill-shaped creatures that were much simpler, faster, and cheaper to animate. These quirky beings resonated with audiences, prompting the filmmakers to consider a film where the Minions would take center stage.
A Disappointing Sequel?
Five years later, “Minions” arrived in theaters, but it failed to fully capture the magic of its predecessor. While the Minions remain amusing and entertaining, their gibberish language, gestures, antics, and ability to escape trouble provide plenty of laughs for younger viewers. However, the rest of the film falls short compared to the original “Despicable Me” and its weaker sequel, “Despicable Me 2.”
Did you know? Over their millions of years of existence, the Minions have served countless masters, resulting in a language that incorporates words from various languages, from Egyptian to English. Many of these words were taken from the menus of “exotic” restaurants.
Lack of Emotional Connection
The main issue with “Minions” is the absence of a relatable character. Gru evoked empathy, even as a supervillain, because he used his superweapons in ways that many would, and because he was humanly vulnerable and believably ambitious. In contrast, the Minions in “Minions” are simply searching for a villain to serve. Who can relate to that? Who will genuinely care about characters who trek through snow and heat to become the “henchmen” of an evil, selfish being? While this is the essence of the Minions, it is impossible to truly care about their “quest,” and their adventures are watched with a smile but without emotional investment.
Scarlet Overkill suffers from a similar problem. She dreams of stealing the British crown to become the British queen, so that “everyone will love and respect her.” But she is already loved and respected by the villain community. Famous villains from around the world line up to see her performance at the villain convention and compete for the right to be her henchman. Furthermore, she has a smart and attractive husband who develops her superweapons. What more could a supervillain want? While Scarlet may not be respected by ordinary people, she does not show that their opinion matters to her or that she is genuinely trying to change it. She is simply spoiled and lacks the appealing vulnerability that Gru always exuded. Her range of superpowers is limited to elaborate transformations of her bell-shaped dress. Good, but not enough!
Cultural Stereotypes
it is difficult to care about the fate of the English monarchy. Especially since the Queen “reigns but does not rule,” and ascending to the throne would not empower Scarlet but rather restrict her. So what is so fundamentally wrong with that? However, the filmmakers do not seem to care much about the British monarchy either. They clearly included London in the plot solely to fill the screen with tired jokes about stoicism and tea parties.
Speaking of national humor, in New York, the heroes are greeted by a huge portrait of President Nixon, 1960s rock and roll, and the fashion of that era. In London, the Minions encounter Queen Elizabeth, and the British capital looks as it did in 1968. So why, when the Minions wander into the USSR, do they stumble upon an old-fashioned matryoshka doll surrealism that has nothing to do with reality? Why couldn’t our viewers be pleased with jokes about a Soviet demonstration or something of that nature? Either America in 1968 should have been depicted as the Wild West with cowboys and Indians, and London as Victorian England with Sherlock Holmes. Then everything would have been equally absurd, and we would not have been offended.
Final Thoughts
Of course, it is strange to criticize a children’s comedy cartoon for lacking seriousness. However, we have seen many times in Western animation in recent years how the combination of humor, seriousness, and heart creates amazing works. “Minions” consists solely of humor, which is not always funny and is usually quite primitive. There is no exciting plot, no characters that you love with all your heart, and no special ingenuity in the depiction of the supervillain world. And the climactic stuffing of the Minions into the uncharacteristic roles of independent heroic saviors seems completely unnatural. Especially for characters who will spend the next decades in the service of Gru.