50 Fun Facts About Minions & Despicable Me

Which actor provides the voice of Gru in every Despicable Me film?

The accent was Carell's own experiment; one producer described it as halfway between Ricardo Montalbán and Bela Lugosi.

In the first film, what does Gru plan to steal to prove he is the greatest criminal mastermind?

The shrink ray's effect turns out to be temporary, and the bigger the object, the faster it grows back.

Which famous landmark does Gru's young rival Vector steal at the start of the first film?

The theft wounds Gru's pride and sets the whole moon heist in motion.

Where does Gru go to ask for a loan to fund his heist?

Its president, Mr. Perkins, turns out to be Vector's father.

Gru adopts the three girls by pretending to be what?

He only wants them to sell cookies at Vector's fortress so he can sneak inside.

Which of Gru's adopted daughters is the youngest and has a strong love for unicorns?

She has been voiced by three different young actresses across the four main films.

What is the name of Gru's small, sharp-toothed pet dog?

The pet even got his own short film, The Secret Life of Kyle, on the Despicable Me 3 home release.

Which legendary actress voices Gru's mother, Marlena?

The Mary Poppins star spends most of her screen time ridiculing her son's schemes.

Before she voiced Gru's wife in the sequels, Kristen Wiig played which character in the first film?

Playing the mean orphanage owner and then Gru's love interest makes her one of the few actors with two roles in the franchise.

Who provides the voices of the Minions themselves?

The co-director only recorded temporary dialogue until a real voice actor could be cast, but test audiences loved it so much he kept the job.

What is the Minions' invented language called?

It mixes gibberish with real words from English, French, Spanish, Indonesian, Hindi, Korean, Filipino and Italian, and it is re-dubbed for every country.

The Minions' look was partly inspired by which characters from Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory?

The Jawas from Star Wars, Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin and Bugs Bunny were also on the mood board.

Early designs for the Minions imagined them as what, before they became small yellow creatures?

They were not even in the original script and were added while the first film was in production.

The first Despicable Me was animated by the studio Mac Guff, which is based in which city?

Only about 100 artists worked on it, a fraction of a typical Hollywood animated feature.

What was the working title of the first Despicable Me film?

Spanish animator Sergio Pablos pitched it, imagining the lead as a Dracula-like figure.

In what year was the first Despicable Me film released in cinemas?

It came out the same day as the sci-fi film Predators and beat it easily.

Which musician wrote and performed the original songs for the first Despicable Me?

He shared scoring duties with Heitor Pereira, who has scored every film in the franchise since.

Which Despicable Me 2 song had a 24-hour music video and a Best Original Song Oscar nomination?

It was the best-selling song of 2014 in both the US and the UK and topped the charts in more than 19 countries.

In Despicable Me 2, what does the AVL stand for?

Its director Silas Ramsbottom has Gru kidnapped from his own street to recruit him.

Having retired from villainy in Despicable Me 2, what kind of business is Gru running?

The product is so bad that Dr. Nefario quits to go work for a real villain.

The stolen mutagen in Despicable Me 2 turns Minions into mindless monsters of which colour?

The filmmakers first considered giving the Minions superpowers, an idea shelved until Despicable Me 4.

El Macho was presumed dead after doing what 20 years earlier?

He turns out to be Eduardo, the cheerful owner of the Salsa & Salsa restaurant at the mall.

Which star recorded all of El Macho's lines but left Despicable Me 2 shortly before release?

Benjamin Bratt was brought in to re-record the part with only weeks to spare.

How many dates do Gru and Lucy go on before they get married at the end of Despicable Me 2?

The wedding makes Lucy the girls' adoptive mother, fulfilling Agnes's biggest wish.

What was the Minion-shaped airship Universal flew around the US to promote Despicable Me 2?

It measured 165 feet long and covered a 20,000-mile tour.

In the 2015 film Minions, which three Minions set out to find a new boss for their tribe?

The trio's quest starts because the tribe has become sad and unmotivated without a master to serve.

The Minions went into hiding after accidentally firing a cannon at which historical figure?

The film's prologue shows them serving a T. rex, a caveman, a pharaoh and Dracula, and losing every one of them.

In Minions, the trio hitchhike to which gathering for supervillains?

They get a lift with the Nelsons, a cheerful family of thieves.

Which Oscar-winning actress voices Scarlet Overkill, the world's first female supervillain?

Jon Hamm voices her husband Herb, the inventor who supplies the gadgets.

What does Scarlet Overkill hire the Minions to steal for her?

The plan goes wrong when Bob pulls the Sword in the Stone and is declared King instead.

At the end of Minions, the Queen gives Bob a tiny gift for his teddy bear. What is the bear's name?

Stuart gets an electric guitar and Kevin gets a knighthood.

Which Oscar-winning Australian actor narrates the prologue and epilogue of Minions?

The film had its world premiere at the Odeon Leicester Square in London, fitting for a story set largely in the city.

Roughly how much did Minions (2015) gross worldwide?

At the time that made it the second-highest-grossing animated film ever, behind only Frozen.

Minions: The Rise of Gru is set in 1976. How old is Gru in the film?

The soundtrack, produced by Jack Antonoff, is made of modern artists covering 1970s funk and soul hits.

In The Rise of Gru, what is the name of the supervillain team led by Belle Bottom that Gru auditions for?

Its members include Jean-Clawed, voiced by Jean-Claude Van Damme, and Svengeance, voiced by Dolph Lundgren.

In The Rise of Gru, the Minion Otto trades the precious Zodiac Stone for what?

The swap sends the trio on a rescue mission to San Francisco, where Michelle Yeoh's Master Chow teaches them kung fu.

Which actor voiced Wild Knuckles, Gru's mentor in The Rise of Gru, in his final film role?

The former leader of the Vicious 6 fakes his own death at the end, just as the Minions and Gru mourn him.

The 2022 TikTok trend of teenage boys attending The Rise of Gru in suits was known by what name?

It began with a group of Australian high schoolers and was usually soundtracked by Yeat's song 'Rich Minion'.

In Despicable Me 3, Gru discovers he has a long-lost twin brother. What is his name?

Steve Carell voices both brothers, and the twin has a full head of blond hair.

Who voices Balthazar Bratt, the former child star villain of Despicable Me 3?

The South Park co-creator said he took the part so his young daughter would have something of his she could watch.

In Despicable Me 3, which Minion leads the revolt that sees most of the Minions walk out on Gru?

The character's design was based on Illumination boss Chris Meledandri, who had earlier been drawn as a Minion on a birthday card.

Despicable Me 3 became the first film in the franchise to gross over what amount worldwide?

During its run it ranked as the fourth-highest-grossing animated film ever made.

Despicable Me 4 villain Maxime Le Mal enhanced himself with body parts from which creature?

Will Ferrell voices him with a French accent; his grudge dates back to a school talent show.

In Despicable Me 4, Poppy makes Gru help her steal Lenny, his old school's mascot. What kind of animal is Lenny?

The family end up keeping the mascot as a pet at the end of the film.

Illumination, the studio behind the Minions, was founded in 2007 by which producer?

The Minions are the studio's official mascots and appear in its logo.

According to their voice actor, what do all the Minions have in common?

The animators also had to work around the fact that Minions have no eyebrows, using body language to show emotion.

In which English county is the village of Minions, which got a Minion-themed road sign in 2015?

The sign was removed within months because so many drivers stopped for photos that it became a safety hazard.

The Despicable Me Minion Mayhem simulator ride first opened at Universal Studios Florida in which year?

The ride's popularity was what convinced writer Brian Lynch that the Minions could carry a film of their own.

How much was Sandra Bullock paid to voice Scarlet Overkill in Minions (2015)?

Jon Hamm joined two months after her as Scarlet's inventor husband Herb.

Which British comedian voices Queen Elizabeth II in Minions (2015)?

The Queen rewards Bob with a tiny crown for his teddy bear, Stuart with an electric guitar and Kevin with a knighthood.