Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022)

Minions: The Rise of Gru (also known as Minions 2) is a 2022 American computer-animated comedy film produced by Illumination and distributed by Universal Pictures. It is the sequel to the spin-off prequel Minions (2015) and the fifth entry overall in the Despicable Me franchise. It was directed by Kyle Balda, co-directed by Brad Ableson and Jonathan del Val, produced by Chris Meledandri, Janet Healy and Chris Renaud, and written by Matthew Fogel with a story by Brian Lynch and Fogel. The film features Steve Carell reprising his role as Gru and Pierre Coffin as the Minions, with Taraji P. Henson, Michelle Yeoh, RZA, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Lucy Lawless, Dolph Lundgren, Danny Trejo, Russell Brand, Julie Andrews, and Alan Arkin also starring. In the film, an 11-year-old Gru plans to become a supervillain with the help of his Minions, which leads to a showdown with a malevolent team, the Vicious 6.
After being delayed for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Minions: The Rise of Gru had its world premiere at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival on June 13, 2022, and was released in the United States on July 1, 2022, by Universal Pictures, in standard and select IMAX theaters. It received generally positive reviews from critics, with praise for its musical numbers and entertainment value for families, but criticism towards the plot. Minions: The Rise of Gru has grossed $875 million worldwide, making it the fourth-highest-grossing film of 2022, as well as the highest-grossing animated film released during the COVID-19 pandemic. The film was dedicated in memory of animator Madeline Montero, who died during production of the film. The film has been nominated to a Saturn Award for Best Animated Film.
==Plot==
In 1976, an 11-year-old Gru dreams to become a supervillain, assisted by the Minions, whom he has hired to work for him. Gru is ecstatic when he receives an audition invitation from the Vicious 6, a supervillain team led by Belle Bottom, who hope to find a new member to replace their founder, the supervillain Wild Knuckles, following their betrayal and the presumed death of Knuckles during a heist to steal the Zodiac Stone – a stone connected to the Chinese zodiac. Due to his young age, Gru's interview goes poorly but, much to the outrage of the Vicious 6, he manages to steal the stone and escapes with Minions Kevin, Stuart, and Bob, handing the stone to another Minion, Otto, for safekeeping.
At his basement lair, Gru finds out that Otto has traded the stone for a pet rock, causing him to fire the Minions in anger before going alone to find the stone. However, Knuckles, who is revealed to be alive, kidnaps Gru before taking him to San Francisco and informs the Minions that if they do not give him the stone within 48 hours, Gru will be killed. Failing to locate the stone, Kevin, Stuart and Bob leave for San Francisco to rescue Gru, while Otto leaves in pursuit of a biker whom he realizes has the stone as a necklace. When they reach Knuckles' house, they are chased by his goons until Master Chow, a former Kung Fu teacher who now makes a living at an acupuncture clinic, rescues them by defeating the goons. 
Chow decides to teach them kung fu after they beg for her to do so, but the three prove to be incompetent students. Prematurely ending their training, the trio heads back to Knuckles' home to rescue Gru. Meanwhile, Otto manages to catch up to the biker at Death Valley, who gives the stone back and takes him to San Francisco. Gru starts to bond with Knuckles after the latter's goons quit on him, and later saves Knuckles from being eaten alive by crocodiles in his pool. Teaching Gru how to be a villain, the two decide to rob the Bank of Evil, managing to steal the Mona Lisa. While on the heist, the Vicious Six, having realized that Knuckles is alive, destroy his house in an attempt to find him. Failing to do so, they head towards Chinatown, with Kevin, Stuart and Bob in pursuit. Arriving back at his destroyed house, a shaken Knuckles laments his friends' betrayal and decides to give up villainy, sending Gru away.
During a Chinese New Year parade in Chinatown, Otto and Gru find each other with the stone but are cornered by the Vicious 6, who in turn are confronted by Anti-Villain League agents. The Vicious 6 then use the stone to turn themselves into superpowered versions of animals from the Zodiac and prepare to kill Gru by tying him to a clock tower to rip him apart. Kevin, Stuart, and Bob manage to find Gru, but are turned into a rabbit, a rooster, and a goat, respectively. However, Knuckles returns and fights the Vicious 6 with the Minions. Encouraged by Chow's teaching, Kevin, Stuart, and Bob find their inner beast and manage to defeat most of the Vicious 6 while Otto saves Gru, but Knuckles is badly burnt by Bottom's dragon flames when trying to take the stone back. After Kevin, Stuart and Bob knock the Vicious 6 out, Gru uses the stone to turn the Vicious 6 into rats and the three Minions back to normal, rehiring them after saving his life. 
The Vicious 6 are arrested, including Knuckles, who is taken to a hospital and seemingly succumbs to his injuries. At Knuckles' funeral, Gru gives a heartfelt eulogy but is overjoyed when it is revealed that Knuckles faked his death. He and Gru later drive off with the Minions. 
In a mid-credits scene, Gru attempts to hire Dr. Nefario in gratitude for an invention of his that helped him steal the stone. Nefario initially declines but changes his mind after Gru and the Minions beg, giving them a ride on an airship.
==Voice cast==
* Steve Carell as Gru, a rising supervillain and the boss of the Minions
* Pierre Coffin as Kevin, Stuart, Bob, Otto, and the rest of the Minions
* Taraji P. Henson as Belle Bottom, a master thief and the newly-appointed leader of the Vicious 6
* Michelle Yeoh as Master Chow, an acupuncturist and Kung Fu fighter who helps the Minions on their quest
* RZA as a biker Otto befriends on his way to San Francisco, and Brad's uncle.
* Jean-Claude Van Damme as Jean-Clawed, a member of the Vicious 6 with a giant mechanical lobster claw for his right arm
* Lucy Lawless as Nun-chuck, a member of the Vicious 6 who is a nun and wields nunchaku
* Dolph Lundgren as Svengeance, a member of the Vicious 6 who is a roller skater
* Danny Trejo as Stronghold, a member of the Vicious 6 with big metal hands
* Russell Brand as Dr. Nefario, an absent-minded scientist who runs a record store
* Julie Andrews as Marlena Gru, Gru's mother 
* Alan Arkin as Wild Knuckles, the former leader of the Vicious 6
Additionally, Will Arnett, Steve Coogan and Michael Beattie reprise their respective roles as Mr. Perkins, a bank worker who later becomes the president of the Bank of Evil; Silas Ramsbottom, an agent who later becomes the director of the Anti-Villain League; and the VNC announcer from the Minions film. Beattie also voices Guru Rick. Jimmy O. Yang, Kevin Michael Richardson and John DiMaggio voice three of Wild Knuckles' goons, and Raymond S. Persi voices Brad, a birthday kid to whom Otto trades the stone for a pet rock.
==Production==
In January 2017, Universal Pictures and Illumination announced the sequel to their animated film, Minions. The film began production in July 2017, with Brad Ableson added as a co-director. In May 2019, the film's title was revealed as Minions: The Rise of Gru. In December 2019, it was announced that Pierre Coffin and Steve Carell would be reprising their roles as the Minions and Gru, respectively. Production of the film shifted to remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic, following the temporary closure of Illumination Studios Paris. To incorporate 1970s culture and environment in the film, Wade Eastwood and Ric Meyers were hired as creative consultants while Flora Zhao joined in as a cultural consultant on Chinese culture.
==Music==
The soundtrack album for the film was released on July 1, 2022, through Decca Records and Verve Label Group. The Jack Antonoff-produced soundtrack consists of various contemporary artists covering famous funk, pop, and soul hits of the 1970s. "Turn Up the Sunshine" by Diana Ross and Tame Impala was released as the album's lead single on May 20, 2022. It was followed by Kali Uchis's cover of "Desafinado" and St. Vincent's cover of "Funkytown".
On July 8, 2022, an score from longtime Illumination composer Heitor Pereira was released with two versions of "Bad Moon Rising" and "You Can't Always Get What You Want" being performed by Steve Carell and Pierre Coffin, both songs that were not in the original soundtrack. A new version of the "Despicable Me" theme song, by Pereira and Pharrell Williams, featuring a chorus of children was used in the film but not included in the score or the soundtrack.
==Release==
===Theatrical===
Minions: The Rise of Gru debuted at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival on June 13, 2022, followed by a premiere on June 25, at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles. The film was originally scheduled for general release on July 3, 2020, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the film's incomplete status with Illumination Mac Guff temporary closure in response to that event, it was pushed back to July 2, 2021, and later to July 1, 2022.
The film was rumored to have been banned in Lebanon. While the reason for the ban has not been specified, users on social media speculate it was because of the character Nun-chuck portrays nuns as evil.
The theatrical Chinese release of the film replaced the ending scene with a message stating that Wild Knuckles was arrested and sentenced to twenty years in prison, pursued his love of acting and started his own theater troupe, while Gru "returned to his family".
===Marketing===
Deadline Hollywood reported Universal spent $285 million on promotion and tie-ins for the film, the biggest-ever campaign for a Despicable Me film. Toy company Mattel announced that it had entered a three-year deal to create merchandise based on the film. Lego released two sets for the film in 2020. A collaboration with Minecraft, featuring content from the film as well as content from the overall franchise, was released in 2021. Similarly, a collaboration with the film was made within the Roblox game Adopt Me!. IHOP created a special menu based on the film.
===Home media===
Universal Pictures Home Entertainment released Minions: The Rise of Gru for digital download on August 2, 2022, and on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD on September 6. The film is scheduled to stream on NBCUniversal's Peacock streaming service within four months of its theatrical release, as part of an 18-month deal. The film would then move to Netflix for ten months, before returning to Peacock for the last four.
==Reception==
===Box office===
, Minions: The Rise of Gru has grossed $356.2 million in the United States and Canada, and $519.6 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $875.8 million. It is the fourth-highest-grossing film of 2022, as well as the highest-grossing animated film release date during the COVID-19 pandemic, surpassing the 2020 film Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train.
In the United States and Canada, Minions: The Rise of Gru was initially projected to gross $70–80 million from 4,391 theaters over its four-day opening weekend. After making $48.2 million on its first day (including an estimated $10.8 million from Thursday previews), the best for an animated film among the pandemic and of the Despicable Me franchise, estimates were raised to $129 million. It went on to debut to $107 million (and a four-day total of $123.1 million), topping the box office. Its total set the Independence Day weekend record, surpassing Transformers: Dark of the Moons $115.9 million in 2011. The film made $46.1 million in its second weekend (a drop of 57%), finishing second behind newcomer Thor: Love and Thunder.
The film opened in Australia a week before its U.S. release, debuting at $3.7 million. It added another 60 international markets in its sophomore weekend and made $87.2 million. The combined first and second offshore weekends were 13% below Minions (2015) and 3% below Despicable Me 3 (2017). Four countries—Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Israel, and Venezuela—had the biggest animation opening weekend of all time. The popular TikTok trend that accompanied its release (see below) was credited for Israel's record-breaking performance. In its third international weekend, Minions: The Rise of Gru passed the $400 million worldwide mark after adding $56.4 million to its total. In France, it set records for the biggest Illumination animation opening day of all time, the third biggest animation opening day of all time, and the biggest opening (including previews) of 2022. The film passed the $500 million worldwide mark in its fourth weekend, $600 million worldwide by its fifth. and $700 million worldwide by its sixth.
===Critical response===
 Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale, the same grade as its predecessor, while PostTrak gave the film an 87% overall positive score, with 71% saying they would definitely recommend it. 
Johnny Oleksinski from The New York Post rated the film three out of four stars, stating that "while a tad too light, as these films often are, nobody is making animated characters as funny or likable (or marketable) as the Minions." Serena Puang from Boston Globe gave the film two and a half stars out of four and wrote: "The movie is fun: The music is unironically good -- a particular standout is the Minions's rendition of Simon and Garfunkel's 'Cecilia'; Bob, as cute as ever, learns that 'even the smallest of us are capable of great things'." Scroll.in Udita Jhunjhunwala, giving a positive review, wrote: "The animated comedy is an 88-minute delight, further enlivened by the talented voice cast..."
Peter Bradshaw from The Guardian rated the film two stars out of five, writing that "the plot is perfunctory and it runs on the faintest of fumes." Bilge Ebiri from Vulture gave the film a negative review, writing that "it looks nice, the kids will enjoy it, and, at 87 minutes, it all goes down relatively smoothly — but it's not quite smart enough to be as stupid as it wants to be."
===#Gentleminions TikTok trend===
A popular Internet meme involving groups of young teens dressed in suits like the character Gru attending the film and some dressing up like minions with the tag #Gentleminions began spreading on TikTok almost immediately after the film's release. The meme originated with a group of Australian high schoolers. It is usually accompanied by American rapper Yeat's song "Rich Minion", which was commissioned for the Cole Bennett-directed trailer of the film. Large groups recorded themselves cheering, throwing bananas at the screen, and performing Gru's trademark steepled fingers gesture. Several theaters in the United Kingdom banned groups of young men in formal attire from seeing the film due to their disruptive behavior during screenings. The meme was also documented in the United States, Norway, Singapore, and Israel.
The substantial meme subculture around The Rise of Gru was noted by The Face to be similar to memes surrounding the superhero film Morbius, released earlier in 2022. Both meme subcultures focused around a largely ironic appreciation for the supposed strengths of said film, often verging on the absurdist, but The Face noted that the interest in The Rise of Gru was largely based in genuine interest in the film, whereas the interest in Morbius was based solely in the latter's perceived lack of quality.
The social media accounts for Universal Pictures, Illumination, and the franchise have acknowledged the meme, with the latter two posting a video that depicted the Minions participating in the trend.
PostTrak reported that 34% of The Rise of Gru audiences were between the ages of 13 and 17, an unusually high percentage for an animated film. Pamela McClintock of The Hollywood Reporter concluded that the results of the survey were a result of the Internet trend.
===Accolades===
 
Award 	Date of ceremony	Category 	Recipient(s) 	Result	
Golden Trailer Awards	 	Best Animation/Family TV Spot 	"Get Ready" (Inside Job) 	 	
Golden Trailer Awards	 	Best Animation TrailerByte for a Feature Film	"Shades Dance" (Inside Job)	 	
Golden Trailer Awards	 	Best Animation/Family 	"Ready" (AV Squad) 	 	
Golden Trailer Awards	 	Best Summer Blockbuster Trailer 	"Ready" (AV Squad) 	 	
Golden Trailer Awards	 	Best Animation/Family TV Spot 	"Mini Boss" (TRANSIT) 	 	
Saturn Awards 	 	Best Animated Film 	Minions: The Rise of Gru 	 	
==References==
==External links==
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