Commercially, the Minions are undeniable. First unleashed in Despicable Me (2010), the canary-yellow, gibberish-speaking mini-monsters have, over six features — four Despicable Me movies and two Minions spinoffs — earned more than $5.5 billion worldwide, making them the highest-grossing animated franchise of all time. The seventh, Minions & Monsters, which hits U.S. theaters July 1, looks to extend that dominance.
But that box office haul has not translated into much industry recognition or critical respect. The chaos-creating characters from Illumination Entertainment rarely enter the awards conversation, and there is little appetite to treat them as anything more than disposable entertainment. Even as their cultural footprint continues to grow, the Minions are seldom acknowledged as one of the more distinctive and enduring creations of 21st century cinema.
Minions & Monsters attempts to challenge that perception in its own unique way, primarily through plenty of gags. Early reactions out of the Annecy film festival, where Minions & Monsters premiered June 21, have been strong, with some reviewers calling it the franchise’s most accomplished entry. The movie itself goes further, arguing the Minions are not just money-making merchandising machines but deserve their place in the Hollywood canon.
