The Minions have become superstar mascots for Illumination. Since they appeared in Despicable Me more than 15 years ago, they've had their own spin-off movies, and they feature in merchandise and memes the world over (though there are still no female minions).
The pill-shaped characters' latest adventure, Minions & Monsters, comes to cinemas this week, but the studio behind the franchise is already promoting its next project: an original movie that could provide its next Minions moment.
Illumination has had success with Sing and The Secret Life of Pets, but those films didn't produce truly iconic characters that could step into the Minions' shoes. Not Alone might be different.
The first trailer (below) introduces us to a trio of aliens with a very Minion-like blend of minimalist design an endearingly chaotic temperament (see our character design tips if you're working on creating your own creatures).
The Not Alone trailer starts out resembling something that would be completely unexpected from Illumination: a gentle romantic comedy. Sparks fly between rocket mechanic Joe, voiced by Timothée Chalamet in his first animated role, and astro-botanist Fran (Selena Gomez) as they prepare for the revolutionary launch of a plant-fuelled rocket.
While the trailer features Illumination’s signature vibrant animation style, everything feels surprisingly serene. Until the tiny alien fugitives arrive.
The mischievous blob-like creatures Dunk, Welly and Shirm are voiced by the British comedians Rob Brydon, Diane Morgan and Jamie Demetriou. Brett Goldstein voices Officer Zandro, from whom they're trying to escape.
The trio look destined to be scene stealers bringing Illumination's unpredictable slapstick humour to proceedings to create a striking contrast to the awkward romantic chemistry between Joe and Fran. They also sound like they could have a potentially rich back story, which could allow Not Alone to spins off into space as a new franchise if it does well.
Not Alone will be directed by Illumination veterans Eric Guillon, Claire Dodgson and Jonathan Del Val and is scheduled to be released on 16 April 2027.
For more animation news, see the excitement around Pixar's Gatto. We also have a guide to the best laptops for animation.
