50 Fun Facts About Minions: the Rise of Gru

In The Rise of Gru's finale, the Vicious 6's leader becomes which animal?

Dragon: the leader's flames critically burn Wild Knuckles as he tries to take the stone back from the Vicious 6.

Which actor voices young Gru in Minions: The Rise of Gru?

Steve Carell, who voiced grown-up Gru in the Despicable Me films, returns to play him as a boy who dreams of becoming a supervillain.

Why are the Vicious 6 holding auditions when Gru applies?

They needed to replace their betrayed founder, Wild Knuckles, after trying to kill him during a heist; Gru's audition flops, so he steals their stone instead.

Which villain leads the Vicious 6 when young Gru auditions to join them?

Belle Bottom: after she ridicules young Gru at his audition, he steals the Vicious 6's Zodiac Stone out from under them.

What does Wild Knuckles decide after coming home to find the Vicious 6 have destroyed his house?

He decides to give up villainy and sends Gru away, but has a change of heart and returns to battle the Vicious 6 alongside the Minions.

Which Oscar-winning actor voiced Wild Knuckles in Minions: The Rise of Gru, his final film role?

Alan Arkin won his Oscar for Little Miss Sunshine, and Wild Knuckles, released a year before his death in 2023, was his final film role.

Which Arrested Development star reprises his Despicable Me role as the villains' banker in The Rise of Gru?

Will Arnett, Arrested Development's Gob Bluth, has voiced Mr. Perkins since Despicable Me, where the banker turns out to be the villain Vector's father.

Which Minion trades the precious stone for a pet rock?

Otto, a newcomer Minion, costs Gru the stone, then tracks down its new owner and ends up saving Gru in the finale.

To which city does Wild Knuckles take the kidnapped Gru?

In San Francisco he gives the Minions 48 hours to hand over the stone, but his own henchmen soon quit on him.

Who is Master Chow?

Master Chow, a kung fu teacher turned acupuncturist, rescues three Minions from Knuckles's goons and trains them, though they rush off before finishing.

Which actress voices Master Chow in Minions: The Rise of Gru?

Michelle Yeoh voiced Master Chow the same year Everything Everywhere All at Once came out, the role that made her the first Asian Best Actress Oscar winner.

Where does the Minion chasing the stolen stone finally catch up with the biker who has it?

Death Valley is where the biker, wearing the stone as a necklace, gives it back and offers the Minion a ride.

Which Wu-Tang Clan rapper voices the biker who befriends a stray Minion in The Rise of Gru?

RZA voices the biker, who wears the stone as a necklace after his nephew swaps a pet rock for it.

Gru saves Wild Knuckles from being eaten by what in his backyard pool?

Crocodiles nearly eat Wild Knuckles after his goons have quit on him, by which time he and young Gru have already begun to bond.

Which institution do Gru and Wild Knuckles rob as a villainy lesson?

The Bank of Evil lends to supervillains, and in Despicable Me its boss refuses to fund adult Gru's Moon heist until he steals a shrink ray.

During which event does the final showdown of Minions: The Rise of Gru take place?

A Chinese New Year parade is where the Vicious 6 turn into giant animals and tie Gru to the hands of a clock tower to rip him apart.

Kevin, Stuart and Bob are turned into which three animals in the finale of Minions: The Rise of Gru?

Rabbit, rooster and goat: the stone turns Kevin, Stuart and Bob into these, yet they still knock out the giant Vicious 6 alongside Wild Knuckles.

What does Gru turn the defeated Vicious 6 into with the stone?

Rats: Gru uses the stone on the beaten Vicious 6, who are then arrested while the Anti-Villain League confiscates the stone.

What twist happens at Wild Knuckles's funeral?

He turns out to have faked his death, so Gru's heartfelt eulogy gives way to joy when Wild Knuckles appears alive.

Whom does young Gru hire at the end of Minions: The Rise of Gru?

Dr. Nefario's gadget helped Gru steal the stone, and he goes on to be Gru's elderly gadget man and sidekick in the Despicable Me films.

Which martial-arts action star voices the Vicious 6 member with a giant lobster claw in The Rise of Gru?

Jean-Claude Van Damme voices Jean-Clawed, a pun on his own name, whose giant mechanical lobster claw serves as his right arm.

Which Vicious 6 member is a roller-skating villain voiced by Dolph Lundgren?

Svengeance, the Vicious 6's roller skater in spiked gloves, is voiced by Dolph Lundgren, the action star known for Rocky IV.

Which actress voices Nun-chuck in Minions: The Rise of Gru?

Lucy Lawless, TV's Xena, voices Nun-chuck, a nun who fights with nunchaku, just as her punning name suggests.

Which Hollywood legend voices Gru's mother, Marlena?

Julie Andrews has voiced Marlena since Despicable Me, where the neglectful mother finally admits Gru is a better parent than she was.

Who voices all of the Minions?

Pierre Coffin voices every Minion, and he co-directed the original Despicable Me with Chris Renaud in 2010.

Who directed Minions: The Rise of Gru?

Kyle Balda had co-directed Minions and Despicable Me 3, so The Rise of Gru made him the director of three Despicable Me franchise films in a row.

Which awards show gave Minions: The Rise of Gru its top animated-film prize?

The Kids' Choice Awards named it Favorite Animated Movie in March 2023, while all four of its Annie Award nominations came to nothing.

Which pop producer oversaw Minions: The Rise of Gru's soundtrack of 1970s covers?

Jack Antonoff's album had modern artists covering 1970s funk, pop and soul hits, and Heitor Pereira's separate score album followed a week later.

Which Diana Ross and Tame Impala song was the lead single from the Minions: The Rise of Gru soundtrack?

Turn Up the Sunshine was a new song, unlike most of the album, which had modern artists covering 1970s hits.

Which Simon and Garfunkel song do the Minions perform in Minions: The Rise of Gru?

Cecilia made the soundtrack album too, and the Boston Globe's critic singled it out from music she called unironically good.

Which Beastie Boys song played in the first trailer for Minions: The Rise of Gru?

Sabotage played in the first trailer in 2020 and returned for the third in 2022, after the COVID-19 pandemic had delayed the film.

In which city was Minions: The Rise of Gru animated?

Paris is where the film's animation studio is based, and the COVID-19 pandemic shut it while the film was unfinished, pushing its release from 2020 to 2022.

Where was the world premiere held in June 2022?

The Hollywood premiere followed at the TCL Chinese Theatre on June 25.

How did China's release of Minions: The Rise of Gru change the film's ending?

Text said Knuckles was jailed for twenty years, while Gru became one of the good guys and returned to his family.

Roughly how much did Minions: The Rise of Gru gross worldwide?

$940M worldwide made it the fifth-highest-grossing film of 2022, just behind Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

Which box-office record did Minions: The Rise of Gru's debut set?

Biggest Independence Day weekend opening: its four-day debut beat the $115.9 million that Transformers: Dark of the Moon took in 2011.

What was the TikTok trend of teenage boys wearing suits to see Minions: The Rise of Gru called?

Gentleminions started with Australian high schoolers, and some UK cinemas turned away suited groups after complaints about rowdy screenings.

Which rapper's song Rich Minion soundtracked TikTok's craze for wearing suits to Minions: The Rise of Gru?

Yeat's Rich Minion was featured in a trailer for the film, and PostTrak found 34% of its opening audience were aged 13 to 17.

Which animation studio made Minions: The Rise of Gru with Universal Pictures?

Illumination was founded by Chris Meledandri after he left Fox Animation and Blue Sky in 2007, as Universal's family-film arm.

Which Eminem song soundtracked the second trailer for Minions: The Rise of Gru?

Lose Yourself, Eminem's Oscar-winning 2002 anthem from 8 Mile, cued the trailer's action scenes.

The Face compared the meme following of Minions: The Rise of Gru to the ironic fandom around which 2022 film?

Morbius, Jared Leto's critically panned vampire film, was memed ironically, while The Face judged the Minions love to be genuine nostalgia.

Which disco classic got a cover on the Minions: The Rise of Gru soundtrack?

Funkytown, first a hit for Lipps Inc., was St. Vincent's contribution and one of five singles released ahead of the album in 2022.

Which British comedian reprises his Despicable Me 2 role as Silas Ramsbottom in The Rise of Gru?

Steve Coogan first voiced Silas Ramsbottom, director of the Anti-Villain League, in Despicable Me 2.

Which actress voices the leader of the Vicious 6 in Minions: The Rise of Gru?

Taraji P. Henson's villain earned her an NAACP Image Award nomination for outstanding character voice performance.

Which actor voices Stronghold, the Vicious 6 member with big metal hands?

Danny Trejo, famous as Machete in Robert Rodriguez's films, voices Stronghold, the Vicious 6 member with superhuman strength.

What kind of shop does Dr. Nefario run in The Rise of Gru?

A record store called Criminal Records is where Dr. Nefario works, and the shop hides the Vicious 6's underground headquarters.

Which film did The Rise of Gru out-gross?

The Batman took about $772 million worldwide, while The Rise of Gru finished fifth for 2022, behind the other three films here.

Which comedian voiced Nefario for the last time in Minions: The Rise of Gru?

Russell Brand had voiced Nefario since Despicable Me in 2010, and comedian Romesh Ranganathan took over the role in 2024.

On which streaming service did The Rise of Gru arrive on September 23, 2022?

Peacock got it under a deal bringing Universal films there within four months of release, and it later spent ten months on Netflix.

In which later film are the Vicious 6 shown locked up in the Anti-Villain League's prison?

Despicable Me 4 shows the aged Vicious 6 still behind bars in the Anti-Villain League's prison, decades after their 1970s arrest.