As a warm-hearted children’s movie franchise with lovable and interesting characters, the Minions series, directed by Pierre Coffin and Kyle Balda, has won our hearts since 2010, when the first movie of the series, Despicable Me, was released. The series follows the main character, Gru, who goes from a life of villain hood to becoming a hero and a father to three adopted girls.

Each movie in the franchise follows a different action-and-humor-filled plot that leads to the ceaseless theme of always keeping your loved ones near you, and how there will always be someone who will have your back. Wendy Ide from The Guardian says, “The film’s approach is a near-relentless barrage of sight gags, puns, and effervescent cartoon violence; the result is exhausting but extremely funny.”

Every movie is filled with an easy to comprehend plot that children can follow, which also maintains a sense of humor that adults can enjoy and spontaneity that is captivating and attention-holding. The themes of the movies leave a good impression on the younger viewers to whom the series appeals. The movies don’t only appeal to children, however, as many teens have expressed their love for the Minion franchise as well. Teenagers were given an opportunity to grow up with the movie franchise, which started in 2010 and is still continuing. The newest movie, Minions: The Rise of Gru, was released in 2022. They can feel the comfort of nostalgia because of how long these movies have been in their lives.

The characters have majorly influenced the popularity of the franchise. Every character in the movie has a backstory and personality that can complement the rest of the characters, including the 10,400 minions that Gru has. The chemistry that is displayed between each character brings emotional warmth to the movie and makes the characters have a family bond despite not being blood related.

Minions are usually the first thing to pop into someone’s mind when they think of the franchise. This is because of their unique character designs and airhead personalities; with their one-step thinking bringing spontaneity to their ideas, the audience is sure to laugh every time. Because of how much they depend on Gru, Minions can touch viewers’ emotional sides. We learn in the movie Minions that the minions have always craved a life filled with villainy and crime, so when they were created, they had various attempts to find a leader. Unfortunately, all of their bosses ended up dying or firing the minions. This pattern continued until they found young Gru and made him their current boss. This made viewers feel remorse for the minions and their efforts. When Gru becomes good enough to become a good parental figure to the girls, the minions become so loyal to Gru that they are still stuck with him in order to help him become a better person. We also learn that the minions cannot die, so despite their stupidity and their mindless actions, they always risk their lives to save their families.

Universal Studios has profited greatly off of the Minion franchise. The latest Minions movie, The Rise of Gru, which was released on July 4th, 2022, grossed approximately $367 million dollars in the United States. Despicable Me was nominated for fifteen awards when it came out, and ever since that movie, each movie in the franchise has had at least eight nominations. There’s no doubt that the Minions franchise had an impact on the newest generation of kids unlike any series before.