Minions: The Rise of Gru — Everything You Need to Know

(Updated 03/05/2021)

You can’t keep a good minion down. Ever since the overall-wearing chatterbox sidekicks who bear more than a passing resemblance to yellow Tic-Tacs made their first appearance in 2010’s DESPICABLE ME, they have captured the zeitgeist like few animated characters in recent memory.

Maybe it’s their infectious made-up language, the instantly recognizable nature of their silhouette, or their fashion sense — those goggles! — but the Minions are surprisingly charming, even when they are helping out the most evil masters in existence. In short, Minions are huge and they’re here to stay. MINIONS: THE RISE OF GRU is coming to theatres next year to fill in the gaps in the yellow helpers' backstory. Here's everything we know about the MINIONS sequel.

The Rise of Gru Release Date

MINIONS: THE RISE OF GRU was planned to be a barrage of comedic fireworks, as its original release date was set for July 3. That date has been changed, however, and the Minions will now be back in theatres on July 1, 2022.

Is There a Minions: The Rise of Gru Trailer?

[Image credit: Illumination Entertainment / Universal Pictures]

The first teaser trailer for the MINIONS sequel debuted during the Super Bowl in 2020. That was just a short clip that acted as a primer for the full trailer which arrived on February 5. Watch the full MINIONS: THE RISE OF GRU trailer above!

This footage introduces 12-year old Gru, and shows off the film's 1970s setting. It establishes a San Francisco-based organization called the Vicious 6, and sets up a conflict between Gru and the group when the aspiring young bad guy's application to fill a newly vacant opening in the evil team is rejected. Most of the trailer focuses around a couple of specific events tied to Gru's application and subsequent rejection — and it hints at plenty of Minions hijinks to come!

A Prequel Sequel

We last visited the Minions in 2017’s DESPICABLE ME 3. That film saw the villain Gru (Steve Carell) face off against an '80s-obsessed rival (Trey Parker) while continuing his relationship with his adopted kids and wife Lucy (Kristen Wiig). At the same time, Gru's long-lost twin brother, Dru (also voiced by Carell), reappeared. While the Minions were still a part of this story, their role was relegated to a sideline that saw them escaping from prison.

MINIONS: THE RISE OF GRU is not a follow-up to this story, but rather a sequel to MINIONS, which was set largely in 1968. The first Minions spin-off showed the minions through the ages, from the dawn of time to the late 1960s, as they constantly searched for new super-villains to serve. They found Scarlet Overkill (Sandra Bullock), but... that partnership didn't end terribly well.

Enter… the 1970s!

Now the calendar has flipped forward to the 1970s. People are kung-fu fighting; there's a pet rock and a Tupperware party; and the Minions apparently fly a very era-appropriate airline. Few actual details have emerged about the plot of MINIONS: THE RISE OF GRU, but it's clear from the trailer that the little yellow characters somehow meet the pre-teen version of their eventual master. Together, they work to establish Gru as the dominant villain in San Francisco and, eventually, the world.

Gru Is Back

As the subtitle of this film suggests, the MINIONS sequel is likely to be as much an origin story for Gru as it is a second chapter in the history of his banana-colored helpers. Young Gru was revealed at the end of MINIONS, young Gru was revealed, and while this new movie might not feature him in the same way a DESPICABLE ME movie would, you should expect to see a lot of the comical bad buy.

The biggest and most pressing question was whether or not Steve Carell would return Carell is the lynchpin of the entire franchise; his distinct, vaguely Eastern European accent perfectly complements Gru's exaggerated design. On press tours, Carell's willingness to embrace the wackiness of the series is always a ton of fun.

Fortunately, Carell is very much back, following Gru's brief appearance at the end of the first MINIONS. The DESPICABLE ME franchise is so indebted to Carell that it wouldn’t feel like a true installment in the series without him and he still seems to be having a blast. Gru will rise and Carell gets to bring a whole new side of the character to life!

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All images courtesy of Universal Pictures.