This summer has already been great for little guys on the big screen, with Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu leaning into the cuteness of Grogu and the Anzellans. The extended sequence of the pint-sized aliens hanging out is, for many, the highlight of the entire movie… and it sounds like Minions & Monsters is about to deliver something similarly adorable next month.
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In a recent interview with Empire, Pierre Coffin — who both directs the film and voices all of the Minions — revealed that there will be a 15-minute-long section of the film spoken entirely in “Minionese.” In his wording, this sequence will both tap into the classic Hollywood setting of the film, and just the universal aspects of the Minions themselves.
“All the Minions stuff is heavily inspired by silent-movie stars,” Coffin explained. “There’s this magic element to it.”
“I want to hope that the reason why the Minions are successful is that in this era of highly political correctness, they’re on the edge of being insolent,” Coffin continued, adding, “The whole point of it is that you don’t understand them when they speak — but you understand them nonetheless.”
One look at the marketing for Minions & Monsters makes that Golden Age of Hollywood influence abundantly clear, between the basic premise of the Minions wanting to make a monster movie, and the little flourishes and Easter eggs. Whether they’re homaging the infamous party scene in Babylon or Humphrey Bogart’s line readings in Casablanca, there is a sense of goofy creativity on display that cinephiles can’t help but admire. And honestly, an extended sequence entirely in Minionese has the potential to continue that trend even further… and probably deliver some crazy slapstick in the process.
What Is Minions & Monsters About?
According to Illumination’s official description of the film, Minions & Monsters introduces us to an entirely new tribe of Minions, who find themselves in Hollywood at the dawn of cinema. Our heroes are two brand-new Minions: James and Henry. We meet them and their rambunctious friends in the distant past and witness their trials and tribulations as they search far and wide for an evil master to serve. Eventually they reach the 1920’s, and wind up crashing a Hollywood film set. Their brief and accidental appearance on camera pays off and before they know it the Minions are bona-fide movie stars. They begin to live the Hollywood lifestyle, and soon they’re throwing lavish parties, living in a huge mansion, and inspiring an army of fans to dress in overalls and goggles.
The Minions’ 15 minutes of fame are soon up, however. With the addition of sound to film and the rise of the “talkies,” they drop in popularity – it turns out they can’t follow the script when all they speak is Minionese. Destitute and aimless, the Minions roam the streets of Hollywood looking for a purpose…and a new evil master to serve. Our heroes James and Henry have a different plan and break away from their tribe. They have fallen in love with making movies and want to make an awesome monster movie of their own! With the help of a spellbook taken from an old boss (an evil sorcerer they used to work for), James and Henry summon some fearsome monsters to play the villains in their movie. When things go haywire, James, Henry, and all their buddies must work together to save the world from a band of rampaging monsters.
The cast of Minions & Monsters includes Coffin as the voice of the Minions, as well as Christoph Waltz, Jeff Bridges, Jesse Eisenberg, Zoey Deutch, Bobby Moynihan, Phil LaMarr, and Trey Parker.
Minions & Monsters will be released exclusively in theaters on Wednesday, July 1st.
(featured image: Universal Pictures / Illumination Entertainment)
