MOVIE NEWS – Illumination’s latest animated blockbuster has taken cinemas by storm. Minions & Monsters, the seventh chapter in the Despicable Me franchise, has reached $160 million at the worldwide box office. The story takes the little yellow creatures back to 1920s Hollywood.

The film’s creators, director-actor Pierre Coffin and studio founder and CEO Chris Meledandri, gave an exclusive interview to Deadline, where they spoke about the pressure created by box-office success and the possibility of future sequels.

“From the beginning, I have loved the golden age of Hollywood, Charlie Chaplin, and the classic Universal monsters. I have always wanted to place the Minions in that setting, where the focus is even more on pure visual humour,” said Coffin, who co-directed the film with Patrick Delage and once again provided the voices for all the Minions. “Creating the Minion language is a continuous improvisation. When I am in the studio, I am not reading pre-written lines, but reacting spontaneously to the energy of the scene. In this film, the yellow creatures become filmmakers, which created many opportunities for inside jokes.”

Producer Chris Meledandri explained that there is enormous pressure surrounding every new release in a franchise that has earned more than $5.6 billion worldwide, but the 90% Rotten Tomatoes score of Minions & Monsters proves that audiences have not grown tired of the characters.

“The biggest challenge is always not repeating ourselves,” Meledandri stated. “When the possibility of Despicable Me 5 comes up, we are always cautious. In the world of Despicable Me, it is incredibly difficult to find a story that ignites creative inspiration like a spark. We are constantly looking for new directions, but we will not move forward until we have a brilliant screenplay that everyone considers brilliant. We do not want to make a film simply because the calendar tells us to.”

(Minions & Monsters – now in cinemas!)

Source: UIP Dunafilm