# Megamind (franchise)

Megamind is an American media franchise created and owned by DreamWorks Animation, which began with the 2010 animated film of the same name written by Alan J. Schoolcraft and Brent Simons. The franchise follows the adventures of a supervillain named Megamind who suddenly gets a chance to defend Metro City from the forces of evil after the superhero Metro Man retires.

## Feature films

| Film | U.S. release date | Director | Screenwriter(s) | Producer(s) |
| Megamind | November 5, 2010 | Tom McGrath | Alan Schoolcraft and Brent Simons | Lara Breay and Denise Nolan Cascino |
| Megamind vs. the Doom Syndicate | March 1, 2024 | Eric Fogel | Alan Schoolcraft and Brent Simons | |

### Megamind (2010)

Megamind is a 2010 American animated superhero comedy film directed by Tom McGrath, produced by DreamWorks Animation, and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It features the voices of Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Jonah Hill, David Cross, and Brad Pitt.
The film tells the story of Megamind, a highly intelligent alien supervillain who becomes depressed after finally defeating his nemesis Metro Man. He creates a new superhero from Metro Man's DNA, but must become a hero himself when the new "hero" becomes a much more dangerous villain than he ever was.
The film was written by Alan J. Schoolcraft and Brent Simons. It was first titled Master Mind, and then Oobermind. It was suggested that Ben Stiller would be cast as Megamind, and later Robert Downey Jr. but Will Ferrell was ultimately given the role, due to "scheduling conflicts" for Downey.
In 2014, the film's distribution rights were purchased by DreamWorks Animation from Paramount Pictures and transferred to 20th Century Fox; the rights are now owned by Universal Pictures.

### Megamind vs. the Doom Syndicate (2024)

In February 2024, a sequel film was announced to be released exclusively on Peacock on March 1, 2024.

## Short film
### Megamind: The Button of Doom (2011)

Megamind: The Button of Doom is a 2011 animated short film directed by Simon J. Smith and written by Alan Schoolcraft and Brent Simons, released on DVD/Blu-ray with Megamind on February 25, 2011, starring Will Ferrell and David Cross. Produced by DreamWorks Animation and Pacific Data Images, the short sets after the events of the film to show off Megamind's first day as Defender of Metro City.

## Television series
### Megamind Rules! (2024)

On February 11, 2022, it was announced that Peacock had ordered a CG animated series from DreamWorks Animation Television serving as a follow-up to the film, originally titled Megamind's Guide to Defending Your City. The series chronicles the new hero's quest to become a social media influencer and a true superhero. The original writers of the film, Alan Schoolcraft and Brent Simons, are signed on as executive producers with Celebrity Deathmatch creator Eric Fogel. JD Ryznar is co-executive producer and story editor.
On August 5, 2022, Simons confirmed that the show's writing was completed and production was moving forward.
The series premiered on March 1, 2024.

## Cast and crew

* $^A$ indicates an appearance through previously recorded material.
* $^C$ indicates a cameo appearance.
* $^G$ indicates the voice actor or actress was a guest appearance.
| Characters | Films | Films | Video games | Video games | Short film | Television series |
| Characters | Megamind | Megamind vs. the Doom Syndicate | Megamind: Ultimate Showdown | Megamind: Mega Team Unite | Megamind: The Button of Doom | Megamind Rules! |
| Megamind | Will Ferrell | Keith Ferguson | Keith Ferguson | Keith Ferguson | Will Ferrell | Keith Ferguson |
| Minion / Ol' Chum | David Cross | Josh Brener | Drew Massey | Drew Massey | David Cross | Josh Brener |
| Roxanne Ritchi | Tina Fey | Laura Post | Megan Hollingshead | Megan Hollingshead | | Laura Post |
| Hal Stewart / Tighten | Jonah Hill | Archive footage | Jonah Hill | Jonah Hill | | |
| Metro Man / Music Man | Brad Pitt | Archive footage | Rick Pasqualone | Rick Pasqualone | Brad Pitt | Ross Marquand |
| The Warden | J. K. Simmons | | | | | |
| Bernard | Ben Stiller | | | | | |
| Jody Smelt | Stephen Kearin | Roger Craig Smith | | | | Roger Craig Smith |
| Keiko Morita | | Maya Aoki Tuttle | | | | Maya Aoki Tuttle |
| Gail / Lady Doppler | | Emily Tuñon | | | | Emily Tuñon |
| Lord Nighty-Knight | | Talon Warburton | | | | Talon Warburton |
| Pierre Pressure | | Scott Adsit | | | | Scott Adist |
| Behemoth | | Chris Sullivan | | | | Chris Sullivan |
| Big King Fish | | Todd Haberkorn | | | | Todd Haberkorn |
| Blue Mackerel | | Eric Murphy | | | | Eric Murphy |
| Red Snapper | | Joey Rudman | | | | Joey Rudman |
| Melvin / Mr. Donut | | Tony Hale | | | | Tony Hale |
| Christina Christo | | Jeanine Mason | | | | Jeanine Mason |
| Polly 227 | | Eric Fogel | | | | Eric Fogel |
| Eccentric Eddie | | Micheal Beattie | | | | Michael Beattie |
| Machiavillain | | Adam Lambert | | | | Adam Lambert |
| Destruction Worker | | | Fred Tatasciore | Fred Tatasciore | | Brooke Dillman |
| Psycho Delic | | | Keith David | Keith David | | |
| Hot Flash | | | Cara Pifko | Cara Pifko | | |
| Judge Sludge | | | | Monte Markham | | |
| Lance Lafontaine | | | | Cam Clarke | | |
| Mega-Megamind | | | | | Will Ferrell | |
| Damien | | | | | Jordan Alexander Hauser | |
| Dude Monkey | | | | | | Max Mittelman |
| Bad Guy Brad | | | | | | Eric Bauza |
| Benett Schlurg-Peterman | | | | | | Jeremy Jordan |
| Mrs. Donut | | | | | | G.K. Bowes |
| Blanche Morita | | | | | | Jenny Yokobori |
| Terry Sasko / Supercool Power-Kid | | | | | | Natalia Del Riego |
| Dan Donner / Hu-Mouse | | | | | | Haley Joel Osment |

## Additional crew and production details

| Film | Detail | Detail | Detail | Detail | Detail | Detail |
| Film | Executive Producer(s) | Composer(s) | Editor | Production companies | Distributing companies | Running time |
| Megamind | Ben Stiller and Stuart Cornfeld | Hans Zimmer and Lorne Balfe | Michael Andrews | DreamWorks Animation Pacific Data Images | Paramount Pictures | 1hr 36mins |
| Megamind vs. the Doom Syndicate | | Matthew Janszen and Bryan Winslow | | DreamWorks Animation Television | Peacock | 1hr 25mins |

## Reception
### Box office performance

| Film | Release date | Box office gross | Box office gross | Box office gross | Budget | Ref. |
| Film | Release date | North America | Other territories | Worldwide | Budget | Ref. |
| Megamind | November 5, 2010 | $148,415,853 | $173,469,912 | $321,885,765 | $130 million | |

### Critical and public response

| Film | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic | CinemaScore |
| Megamind | 73% (182 reviews) | 63 (33 reviews) | A− |

## In other media
### Video games

| Year | Title | Developer(s) | Publisher(s) | Platform(s) |
| 2010 | Megamind: Ultimate Showdown | THQ Studio Australia | THQ | Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 |
| 2010 | Megamind: Mega Team Unite | THQ Studio Australia | THQ | Wii |
| 2010 | Megamind: The Blue Defender | Tantalus Media | THQ | PSP, DS |
| 2019 | DreamWorks Universe of Legends | Firefly Games Riva Games YYTX Game | N/A | iOS, Android |
| 2023 | DreamWorks All-Star Kart Racing | Bamtang Games | GameMill Entertainment | Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows, Xbox Series X and Series S, Xbox One |

### Comics

After signing a licensing deal with Dreamworks in 2010, the comics publisher Ape Entertainment produced a five-issue Megamind comics series titled DreamWorks' Megamind: Bad. Blue. Brilliant (2010–2011).

## Music
### Soundtracks

| Title | U.S. release date | Length | Label |
| Megamind: Music from the Motion Picture | November 2, 2010 | 48:10 | Lakeshore Records |