The most successful animated films are the ones that hold the kiddies’ attention while simultaneously offering an ample supply of adult humor for their reluctant parents. I didn’t feel Despicable Me (2010) had the right formula. It was unusually tedious for me and I loathe any movie that ends with a musical dance number set to a popular song. I didn’t see Despicable Me 2 (2013) because of the first one. However, if you take the best components of the franchise and extract them for a prequel, there’s potential to create something different, if not special.
The components to which I refer are, of course, Minions, the small, yellow, elongated blobs that live to serve villainous masterminds. I call them “tater tots.” In the movie Minions, a British newscaster calls one a “bald jaundiced child.” Most other people call them “freaks.” Regardless of what they’re called, we can all agree on one thing: they’re pretty darned funny. Speaking a chipmunk-ish mashup of English, Spanish and otherwise unintelligible gibberish, Minions bop along on tiny feet and face any challenge with slapstick failure that always seems to work out for the best in the end.
Minions (the movie) is similar enough in tone to the Despicable Me movies to please the kiddies; however, it takes a fresh approach toward pleasing the adults. It appealed to me not necessarily because of adult humor; in fact, its humor remains fairly immature and manic. Instead, it appealed to me because of the 1968 setting and the accompanying soundtrack of period popular music. There were a number of adults smiling and tapping their toes at the screening I attended. It’s good, innocent fun, including an animated spoof of The Dating Game with three Minion doppelgangers as the contestants.
I’m going to credit writer Brian Lynch for this infusion of creativity. He joins the Illumination Entertainment team of “regulars,” director Pierre Coffin and producers Chris Meledandri and Janet Healy. Also new is Kyle Balda (The Lorax) as co-director. Gone are Despicable Me 1 & 2 writers Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio. There’s also a new crew of voice actors, including Sandra Bullock, Jon Hamm, Michael Keaton, Allison Janney, Steve Coogan and Jennifer Saunders. Geoffrey Rush narrates the story and there’s a surprise appearance by a familiar voice during the movie’s final moments.
Before the Minions arrive in London to help super villain Scarlett Overkill (Bullock) steal the Queen’s (Saunders) crown, there’s an extended introduction that gives us the history of the mischievous creatures. No spoilers here; in fact, if you’ve seen the trailer, you’ve already seen practically the entire introduction. The Minions originally crawled from the ocean, and then, through their efforts to find and serve the bad guys, become responsible for the extinction of dinosaurs, the positioning of the pyramids and the defeat of Napolean.
Being a horror buff, I also appreciated the appearance of some of Universal’s famous monsters in the audience of Scarlett’s speech at Villain-Con in a pre-Disney World Orlando. Most prominent are Dracula and a Creature from the Black Lagoon-like “manphibian.” But if you look closely, I’m sure there are others. I believe I saw Frankenstein’s monster sitting next to the Creature from the Black Lagoon. These characters are another nice touch in giving Minions a retro-feel, particularly if you happen to be a monster kid like me.
All in all, I enjoyed Minions, although it won’t be a favorite of mine in the animation genre. I found humor from the setting and retro pop culture references, but if your sense of humor leans more toward slapstick and visual chaos, you’ll probably find it even funnier than I did. I’m tempted to say that it’s “harmless entertainment,” but need to qualify that by saying “…for the audience.” As for the characters and creatures on screen, harmless isn’t an adjective that comes to mind. Danger and destruction follows those crispy little tater tots wherever they go.
