MINIONS the movie
The story of Illumination Entertainment and Universal Pictures’ Minions begins at the dawn of time. Starting as single-celled yellow organisms, Minions evolve through the ages, perpetually serving the most despicable of masters. Continuously unsuccessful at keeping these masters—from T. rex to Napoleon—the Minions find themselves without someone to serve and fall into a deep depression.
But one Minion named KEVIN has a plan, and he—alongside teenage rebel STUART and lovable little BOB—ventures out into the world to find a new evil boss for his brethren to follow.
The trio embarks upon a thrilling journey that ultimately leads them to their next potential master, Scarlet Overkill (SANDRA BULLOCK of The Blind Side, The Heat), the world’s first-ever female super-villain. They travel from frigid Antarctica to 1960s New York City, ending in mod London, where they must face their biggest challenge to date: saving all of Minionkind…from annihilation.
Joining Kevin, Stuart, Bob, Scarlet and the rest of the Minions team is a cast of characters led by JON HAMM (TV’s Mad Men, Bridesmaids) as Herb Overkill, Scarlet’s mod-scientist husband; MICHAEL KEATON (Birdman: Or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), (Toy Story 3) as Walter Nelson, patriarch of his felonious troupe; ALLISON JANNEY (TV’s The West Wing, Finding Nemo) as Madge, Walter’s domestic villainess and purveyor of a number of crimes in the family name; STEVE COOGAN (Despicable Me 2, Philomena) as both Professor Flux, inventor of the world’s first time machine, and the doddering Tower Guard, who is singlehandedly responsible for the protection of the Queen’s priceless jewels; JENNIFER SAUNDERS (TV’s Absolutely Fabulous, Shrek 2) as the surprisingly spry and ribald Queen Elizabeth II; and GEOFFREY RUSH (The King’s Speech, Pirates of the Caribbean series) as the narrator who takes us along this fascinating and brilliant journey.
Featuring a soundtrack of hit music from the ’60s that still permeates our culture today, Minions is produced by Illumination founder and CEO CHRIS MELEDANDRI (Despicable Me series, Dr. Seuss’The Lorax, Hop, Ice Age series), who, alongside JANET HEALY (Despicable Me series, Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax), has produced all of the studio’s films since its inception. The film is directed by PIERRE COFFIN (Despicable Me, Despicable Me 2) and KYLE BALDA (Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax). BRIAN LYNCH (Hop, Puss in Boots) wrote the screenplay, and CHRIS RENAUD (Despicable Me series, Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax) serves as executive producer of the film.
The core filmmakers are joined by a talented behind- the-scenes team of animators that includes production designer and character designer ERIC GUILLON (Despicable Me series, Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax), editor CLAIRE DODGSON (Despicable Me series, Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax) and composer HEITOR PEREIRA (Despicable Me series, It’s Complicated).
Super-Villains and Bank Robbers: Who’s Who in Minions?
When they accidentally lose yet another master, Kevin, Stuart and Bob lead the charge for their fellow Minions in search of the next boss to serve. Their harrowing journey is far from easy, but the quest that is chronicled in Minions will introduce us to everything we’ve ever wondered about them.
Kevin (Pierre Coffin) is the proud and protective “big brother” who knows that Minions without a master are Minions without a purpose. It’s Kevin who steps up and ventures out into the world with Stuart and Bob to find a new evil boss for his brethren to follow.
Stuart (Pierre Coffin) is the “middle brother” of the Minions who feels hungry, mostly, and loves being a rebellious guitar player. Although the perennial adolescent has a short attention span and is a bit apathetic about the mission, he will certainly help Kevin and Bob find the biggest, baddest villain to serve.
Bob (Pierre Coffin) is the innocent and eager “little brother” of the Minions. He embodies unconditional love for everyone and everything, and is a little nervous to go on an unknown journey with Stuart and Kevin.
The loyal, yellow, scheming and joyous Minions (Pierre Coffin) are a band of brothers who love causing mischief and mayhem almost as much as they love bananas. They are easily distracted and can be unpredictable, curious and subversively sweet. They are extremely competitive with each other. This can lead to sudden slap fights, but if someone from the outside tries to harm them or their master, they become fiercely protective.
Scarlet Overkill (Sandra Bullock) is the world’s first female super-villain. She is a unique combination of quick- tempered and impeccably stylish. Kevin, Stuart and Bob are drawn to her for her ability to mastermind incredible heists, and they are simultaneously terrified of and smitten by her. Scarlet hires the Minions as her henchmen and charges them with their first mission: to embark on a criminal heist that takes them to London as she attempts to achieve her lifelong dream: becoming the Queen.
Herb Overkill (Jon Hamm) is Scarlet’s mod husband and a mad scientist. Herb can usually be found in the lab inventing extraordinary ’60s-inspired gadgetry while always loving and supporting Scarlet. Known just as much for his swanky sartorial choices as he is for his ability to invent, there is nothing that Herb won’t do to champion his wife.
When he’s not a straight-laced, nerdy dad and devoted husband, Walter Nelson (Michael Keaton) is a quite-accomplished bank robber. You read that right. Walter is the patriarch of a crime-happy family of felons who meet Kevin, Stuart and Bob on their way to Villain-Con, a secret convention in Orlando where villains gather annually. If you’re a Minion who has to hitchhike across the country, there are no better chaperones.
• Madge Nelson (Allison Janney), the Bonnie to Walter’s Clyde, shows you can never judge a book by its cover. Madge gleefully is the co-leader of the crime-happy Nelson family, who picks up the hitchhiking Kevin, Stuart and Bob to join Walter and their kids—Walter Jr. (MICHAEL BEATTIE), Tina (KATY MIXON) and baby Binky (TARA STRONG) on their way to a family stickup.
Meet Kevin, Stuart and Bob: Heroes Hit the Road
As our story begins, the Minions are currently masterless in the frigid Antarctic, having grown despondent the more time they spend without a master to serve. Over the centuries, they have had such great intentions for their numerous bosses, but in true Minion fashion, they end up accidentally getting each and every one of their masters killed. When the Minions finally do meet Gru, they’re more relaxed and less insecure. In 1969, however, they’re still in the middle of a steep learning curve.
While the majority of film projects concentrate on casting after the script has been written, when preparing Minions, it helped enormously that the three leading men would be vocalized by one of the directors himself. While Minionese is actually peppered with words from multiple languages, the Minions’ physical comedy is what makes them universally accessible to moviegoers. Director Coffin’s goal has long been for the audience to understand the intention of and the melodies behind what the Minions are saying, not necessarily the verbiage that comprises it.
As they’ve been around since the dawn of time—and done their fair share of globetrotting—the etymology of the Minions’ language is quite international. And why’s that? Well, whether it was learning the basics of ancient Egyptian from the Pharaoh, high-society French from Napoleon, proper Transylvanian from Count Dracula or simple grunts from the first of the brutish Homo sapiens, they’ve served so many masters across the Earth. That written, Coffin was quite thoughtful in developing unique intonations and vocalizations to differentiate Kevin, Stuart and Bob.
Professor Flux (Steve Coogan) has long postulated that time is, well, relative. When the Minions encounter him at Villain-Con, they found that he’s invented a time machine and brought future versions of himself to help out in his lab. Now that he has (almost) perfected time travel, the professor is this close to changing what we’ve long held to believe is the space-continuum….
The Tower Guard (Steve Coogan) is proof positive that age doesn’t matter. When Kevin, Stuart and Bob are charged with breaking into the Tower of London to steal the Queen’s jewels for Scarlet, they think it’ll be a piece of cake to get past this hard-of-hearing and almost-blind old man. Little do they know that he’s been waiting for them for a long time….
The Queen (Jennifer Saunders) has seen everything and ruled England for decades before the Minions hit her shore. And she’s about to find out what happens when a super-villain plots to steal her Crown Jewels and take her out of the game for good. • The Narrator (Geoffrey Rush) bookends this chapter in Kevin, Stuart and Bob’s journey and walks us through how our heroes came to be, what they’ve been up to and just where they’re going.
ABOUT THE CAST
SANDRA BULLOCK (Scarlet Overkill) is one of Hollywood’s most sought-after leading ladies, whose films have grossed more than $3.6 billion worldwide. In 2013, Bullock received her second Academy Award® nomination for Best Actress for her role as Dr. Ryan Stone in Alfonso Cuarón’s critically acclaimed sci-fi thriller Gravity, opposite George Clooney. Her portrayal also garnered her nominations for the Critics’ Choice, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild (SAG) awards as well as her first BAFTA nomination.
JON HAMM’s (Herb Overkill) nuanced portrayal of the high- powered, philandering advertising executive Don Draper on AMC’s award- winning drama series Mad Men has firmly established him as one of Hollywood’s most talented and versatile actors. Hamm has earned numerous accolades, including a Golden Globe Award in 2008, Television Critics Association Award and a Critics’ Choice Television Award in 2011, as well as multiple Primetime Emmy and Screen Actors Guild award nominations. Mad Men concluded its seventh and final season on May 17.
MICHAEL KEATON (Walter Nelson) garnered critical and public acclaim for his role as Riggan, a one-time celebrated, now washed-up actor battling to regain his ego and career by mounting a Broadway play.
For his work in Birdman, Keaton was nominated for an Academy Award and won the Golden Globe, Independent Spirit and National Board of Review awards for Best Actor, as well as many other nominations and honors, including a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.
Keaton first achieved national attention with the hit comedy Night Shift, followed by starring roles in such popular films as Mr. Mom, Johnny Dangerously and Dream Team.
The incredibly versatile ALLISON JANNEY (Madge Nelson) has taken her place among a select group of actors who combine a leading lady’s profile with a character actor’s art of performance. Currently starring alongside Anna Faris in the CBS/Chuck Lorre sitcom Mom, Janney received rave reviews for her turn as Margaret Scully on Showtime’s groundbreaking drama Masters of Sex.
STEVE COOGAN (Professor Flux/Tower Guard), born and raised in Manchester, U.K., trained as an actor at the Manchester School of Theatre. In 1992, Coogan won the Edinburgh Festival Fringe’s Perrier Award for his show Paul Calf Video Diary, which went on to also win a BAFTA.
JENNIFER SAUNDERS (The Queen) is one half of the comedy duo French and Saunders and an original member of The Comic Strip. Saunders wrote and starred in the BBC series Absolutely
Fabulous. Saunders co-wrote and acted in Girls on Top, The Life & Times of Vivienne Vyle and Jam & Jerusalem (Clatterford).
GEOFFREY RUSH (Narrator), an acclaimed actor who started his career in Australian theater, has appeared in more than 70 theatrical productions and more than 20 feature films.
