Minions & Monsters

Minions & Monsters opens July 1, 2026, arriving at the perfect midpoint of the summer season from Illumination and Universal Pictures. The third installment in the Minions prequel series and the seventh film overall in the Despicable Me franchise, it takes the iconic yellow creatures approximately 40 years back in time from the events of 2015's Minions to the golden age of Hollywood monster movies — think Universal's classic creature features, Boris Karloff, and the Creature from the Black Lagoon era — and drops them into the chaos of a production studio where they attempt to make a monster movie of their own. The voice cast brings serious dramatic talent into the Minions universe: Allison Janney, Christoph Waltz, Jeff Bridges, Jesse Eisenberg, and Zoey Deutch all join Pierre Coffin, who voices the Minions with his signature incomprehensible Minionese. The premise gives Illumination's animation team a visually rich period setting — the studio back lots, the black-and-white film stock aesthetic rendered in vivid color, the monster suit culture of 1930s Hollywood — and a comedic premise perfectly suited to the Minions' penchant for chaotic slapstick. The Despicable Me and Minions franchise has accumulated over $5.6 billion globally across six films, making it one of the most consistent animated box office performers in cinema history. Minions & Monsters arrives with significant commercial momentum and a premise that children find irresistible and adults can genuinely enjoy. The film was originally slated for a 2027 release before being moved up to replace Shrek 5's date.