The five movies in the DESPICABLE ME and MINIONS movie series tell a story that spans decades. (And, if you roll the clock back to the very beginning of the MINIONS story, more like centuries.) Fans and/or parents looking to give their kids a serious slice of entertainment might want to know how best to watch the DESPICABLE ME and MINIONS movies in order. Fortunately, the answer is easy.
With the two MINIONS movies serving as prequels and expansions of the DESPICABLE Me movies, it's a surprisingly sprawling story, even as the focus is really on Felonious Gru and his relationship with various figures in the world of villainy.
That means that the five films, despite taking place over a huge span of time, tell a story that is pretty clearly laid out. Here are two different viewing orders for the DESPICABLE ME and MINIONS MOVIES.
Watch the Despicable Me and Minions Movies in Release Order
As with most movie series, the best way to watch the DESPICABLE ME and MINIONS movies is in release order. This way, you'll preserve the arc of character developments and many reveals about key backstory elements.
Despicable Me (2010)
Despicable Me 2 (2013)
Despicable Me 3 (2017)
Minions (2015)
Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022)
Watch the Despicable Me and Minions Movies in Chronological Order
If you'd like to experience the entire Despicable Me saga in chronological order, this is the way to do it. For each movie, we've noted both the release year, in parenthesis, and the year in which the story is set.
Minions, set in 1968
Minions: The Rise of Gru, set in 1972
Despicable Me, set in 2012
Despicable Me 2, set in 2013
Despicable Me 3, set in 2014
In Summer 2024, DESPICABLE ME 4 will open in movie theatres. (Read more about DESPICABLE ME 4 here.) We understand that it will be set after the events of the third movie, so it will likely fall last in both the release order and chronological order. We'll update when the movie comes out!
DESPICABLE ME 4 opens on July 3.
All images courtesy of Illumination Entertainment and Universal Pictures.