A Funny but Otherwise Unremarkable Cartoon: What the Minions Did Before Gru

A lighthearted but ultimately unremarkable animated film that explores the adventures of the Minions from the “Despicable Me” franchise before they met Gru.

The little yellow creatures known as Minions have existed on Earth since the dawn of time, when microorganisms first began consuming each other. From prehistoric times, the Minions have been irresistibly drawn to the most powerful villains. However, their clumsy attempts to serve these monsters and tyrants invariably backfire, forcing the Minions to flee. After a disastrous stint in Russia supporting Napoleon, the Minions find refuge in an icy cave in the far North. But even in this safe haven, they soon become depressed, unable to live without serving a villain. Finally, the determined Kevin, the self-centered Stuart, and the small, naive Bob leave the cave in search of a new “boss.” In 1968, they arrive in New York City and learn about Scarlet Overkill, the world’s first female supervillain, who is currently seeking henchmen.

The Making of the Minions

The film features 899 Minions, all voiced by a single person, the film’s director Pierre Coffin.

When French animators working for the American studio Illumination Entertainment were creating the 2010 film “Despicable Me,” they wanted the main character, the supervillain Gru, to have an army of helpers. However, they lacked the budget to animate a full human army. So, the artists came up with the idea of the Minions, cheerful, pill-shaped creatures that were much easier, faster, and cheaper to “bring to life.” These strange beings were so popular with audiences that the filmmakers soon considered creating a film where the Minions would be the main characters, not just supporting players.

Minions’ Disappointing Standalone Film

Five years later, “Minions” hit theaters and, unfortunately, disappointed. While the Minions are still amusing creatures who entertain simply by existing, their gibberish language, gestures, antics, and ability to get into trouble and emerge unscathed can certainly amuse younger viewers. However, everything else in Illumination Entertainment’s new film is far inferior to the wonderful first film about Gru and the Minions, and even its weaker sequel, “Despicable Me 2.”

Over their millions of years of existence, the Minions have served all sorts of masters, so their language consists of words borrowed from various languages, from Egyptian to English. Many of these words were taken from the menus of “exotic” restaurants by the filmmakers.

The Core Issue: Lack of Empathy

The main problem with “Minions” is that there is no one to empathize with. Gru evoked sympathy, even when he was a supervillain, because he used his superweapons in ways that many would in his position, and because he was humanly vulnerable and believably ambitious (who doesn’t want to be “the best in the world,” and who likes being challenged by upstarts?). The Minions, on the other hand, are simply looking for a villain to serve. Who can relate to that? Who will genuinely care about characters who trudge through snow and heat to become the “henchmen” of an evil, selfish being? Yes, that’s the essence of the Minions, and nothing can be done about it, but it’s impossible to root for the success of their “quest,” so you watch their adventures with a smile, but without emotional investment.

Scarlet Overkill’s Shortcomings

The same goes for Scarlet Overkill. She dreams of stealing the British crown to become the British queen, so that “everyone will love and respect” her. But everyone already loves and respects her! At least, all the villains do. Famous villains come from all over the world and line up to see her performance at the villain convention and compete for the right to be her henchman. Moreover, she has a smart and attractive husband who develops her superweapons. What more could a supervillain want? Yes, perhaps Scarlet is not respected by ordinary people. But she shows no indication that their opinion matters to her or that she is genuinely trying to change it (she is rich and influential enough to do so without the crown). In any case, Scarlet is spoiled and does not demonstrate even a fraction of the appealing vulnerability that Gru always exuded. And her set of superpowers is limited to sophisticated transformations of her bell-shaped dress. Good, but not enough!

Cultural Stereotypes and Missed Opportunities

And, of course, living in Russia, it’s impossible to worry about the fate of the English monarchy. Especially since the Queen “reigns but does not rule,” and ascending the throne will not strengthen Scarlet, but rather shackle her. So what’s fundamentally wrong with that? However, the filmmakers don’t seem to care much about the British monarchy either. They clearly included London in the plot only to fill the screen with tired jokes about stoicism and tea parties. The French, sir…

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 the time. 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-like surrealism that has nothing to do with reality? Why couldn’t they have pleased our viewers with jokes about a Soviet demonstration or something like that? Or, they should have shown America in 1968 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 wouldn’t have been offended.

Final Verdict: Lacking Depth

Of course, it’s strange to reproach a children’s comedy cartoon for a lack of seriousness. But we have seen many times in Western animation in recent years how the combination of humor, seriousness, and heart creates amazing works. “Minions,” on the other hand, consists exclusively of humor, which is not always funny and, as a rule, 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 roles of independent heroic saviors seems completely unnatural. Especially for characters who will spend the next decades in the service of Gru.