Pierre Coffin, the man behind the Minions phenomenon, has opened up about his “strange relationship” with the franchise, revealing that he wanted to leave back in 2017 amid “exhaustion”.Coffin, 59, co-directed the first four films in the Despicable Me franchise, as well as recording the vocals for the Minions, the popular animated characters who serve as assistants to eccentric supervillain Gru. Despite appearing in the first Despicable Me (2010) as side characters, the Minions enjoyed breakout success, spawning three spin-offs, including the new release Minions & Monsters.The Minions from 'Minions' (2015) (Universal)In a new interview with Variety ahead of the film’s premiere, Coffin said that jointly working as director and a key voice actor on the franchise took “an enormous amount of work”.“Each film takes three years, sometimes four when things don’t go as planned,” he explained. “It’s exhausting. “And on top of directing, I also do the Minions’ voices. If the script changes, I have to redo all the voices. I’m the only one doing that.” Following the release of Despicable Me 3 in 2017, Coffin said he informed Minions co-creator Chris Renaud that he “wanted to stop”. “I worked on other things: the Olympics, short films, marketing. I have a bit of a background in advertising, and I love short formats,” he continued. “Then one weekend, about three years ago, Chris called me. He said, ‘You’re going to say no, I know, but I’m telling you anyway: I have an idea.’ The ideas for the films usually come from him. I can suggest things, but nothing I’ve suggested has ever really happened.”Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 dayNew subscribers only. £9.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled.Try for freeADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 dayNew subscribers only. £9.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled.Try for freeADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.Pierre Coffin gives interviews during a 'Minions & Monsters' presentation at Illumination Paris on 9 June 2026 (Getty Images for Illumination an)The idea comprised what would become Minions & Monsters – with the new film following the Minions as they seek to enter the world of filmmaking during 1920s Hollywood.Asked if he plans to continue the franchise going forward, Coffin replied: “I really don’t know. I’m waiting to see what this one brings me. “I have a strange relationship with these films. Every time one came out, I thought, ‘You can tell only 20 people worked on it, that it was pulled in every direction.’ And every time, I was surprised by the box office. This one feels different. Now, when I watch it, I think, “Actually, it’s pretty good.” Maybe it will be a flop, I don’t know!”Across four Despicable Me films and the two preexisting Minions outings, the franchise has made more than $5.5bn (£4.16bn) at the global box office, making it the highest-grossing animated film franchise in history.