^{Credit: Minions & Monsters (Universal Pictures)}

Many will go into Minions & Monsters thinking the same thing: “Do we really need another one of these?” While I enjoyed the first two Despicable Me movies as much as the next guy, this franchise has shown diminishing returns… in terms of quality. Financially, Illumination is still printing money. Although I went in with my arms crossed, the film won me over from the Universal Pictures opening, which suddenly rewinds to when the Trans-Atlantic Film Co. was part of the logo. A group of black and white Minions then appears on screen, looking as if they crawled out of Max Fleischer’s inkwell. From there, the Minions insert themselves into a series of classic silent films, setting the stage for a cinematic love letter.

No joke, Minions & Monsters is a surprisingly funny sendup of classic Hollywood, working Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, and Buster Keaton into one scene. The references keep coming in a film that plays like Cats Don’t Dance if it leaned more into the Looney Tunes slapstick. It sounds weird saying that Minions & Monsters will introduce a new generation to classics like Casablanca and Citizen Kane. For kids in the audience, though, it’s not a bad place to start. Of course, the film will perhaps be even more fun for adults who regularly watch Turner Classic Movies. I never expected to use Minions and TCM in the same sentence, but here we are!

Does that mean Minions & Monsters is going to win the Oscar for Best Animated Feature? No, but trying to win an Oscar is a subplot as a trio of Minions attempt to get a monster movie off the ground. They go for the real deal, summoning a pint-sized monster named Gary Orcam Oliver Magma Ichabod the Deceiver. As if the name didn’t already tip you off that Gary is a surprise villain, his voice belongs to Trey Parker, who already voiced one baddie in this franchise. Here, he puts on his Member Berries voice in a subplot reminiscent of when Cartman summoned Cthulhu. The monsters in question might not be as engaging as the Hollywood in-jokes, but Minions & Monsters is more focused than some of its predecessors, with moviemaking providing a through line.

There’s also an extended The Day the Earth Stood Still parody as the Minions seek to serve an alien robot named Dort (Jesse Eisenberg). At least Dort claims to be an alien robot, although he looks more like a dork in a space suit. Either way, Zoey Deutch’s suffragette is weirdly drawn to the hunk of metal. Christoph Waltz and Allison Janney also provide strong voice work, while George Lucas turns in his funniest voiceover cameo since Robot Chicken. Director Pierre Coffin once again does most of the heavy lifting as the Minions, whose antics fit right in with Hollywood’s silent era. Once the industry transitions to sound, though, their careers go the route of Lina Lamont.  

The comedy might not be what you’d describe as “highbrow,” but anyone who appreciates cartoon violence will find themselves laughing throughout most of Minions & Monsters. While the other films had an edge, this one goes a step beyond with at least one death that’s borderline PG-13 territory. It never crosses a line, however. Minions & Monsters knows that it’s a light-hearted, goofy comedy. Just because it’s a silly comedy doesn’t mean it can’t inspire viewers.

There’s a bizarrely poignant moment toward the end when one character talks about the magic of experiencing a movie in a theater with an audience. Say what you will about the Minions movies, but they do keep bringing audiences back to theaters in a post-pandemic world. This one, in particular, may indeed get kids interested in how movies are made. Okay, it’s not Hugo, but growing up, Tiny Toons was a show that initially got me thinking about what happens behind the scenes. I wouldn’t be surprised if Minions & Monsters had a similar effect. If not an Oscar, let’s give them a banana trophy.  

Nick Spake is the Author of Bright & Shiny: A History of Animation at Award Shows Volumes 1, 2, and 3. Available Now!