Minions (Blu-ray) (2015)

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General		Extras
Category	Animation	Additional Footage-Mini-Movies Featurette-Behind the Goggles - The Illumination Story of the Minions Featurette-Jingle Bells Minion Style
Rating
Year Of Production	2015
Running Time	90:57
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Language Select Then Menu
Region Coding	1,2,3,4,5,6	Directed By	Kyle Balda Pierre Coffin
Studio Distributor	Universal Pictures Home Video	Starring	Sandra Bullock Jon Hamm Michael Keaton Allison Janney Steve Coogan Jennifer Saunders Geoffrey Rush Steve Carell Pierre Coffin
Case	Standard Blu-ray
RPI	$24.95	Music	Heitor Pereira

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby TrueHD 7.1 Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 Polish Dolby Digital 5.1 English Descriptive Audio Dolby Digital 5.1 Hungarian Dolby Digital 5.1
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.85:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	1080p
Original Aspect Ratio	1.85:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	English Spanish Catalan Hungarian Polish	Smoking	No
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

    Emerging seemingly out of nowhere, the Despicable Me franchise unexpectedly developed into a box office juggernaut, with 2013’s Despicable Me 2 alone earning more than ten times its $76 million budget. With Despicable Me 3 still a couple of years away, we now have Minions to tide us over, which is not so much a movie but rather a feature-length toy commercial. The little yellow guys have proven to be a hit with youngsters around the world, but the concept of giving these one-note characters their own movie did not sound too promising, as there’s no emotional resonance or depth to them. Fortunately, the resulting flick is not without merit, with screenwriter Brian Lynch, and directors Pierre Coffin and Kyle Balda pulling together a slight but enjoyable animated adventure. It’s not memorable in the slightest, but it is an improvement over the well-received but substandard Despicable Me 2.

    As it turns out, the bespectacled titular creatures have existed since the dawn of time, constantly on the lookout for an evil master to serve. However, the Minions find it difficult to hang onto a boss, with their various masters meeting abrupt endings thanks to their careless antics. Settling in the Arctic, the little guys wind up feeling lonely and without purpose, eventually deciding upon a risky venture to the outside world. Bob, Kevin and Stuart (all voiced by co-director Coffin) therefore leave the tribe, ending up in New York City in 1968. The trio are soon thrilled to find that the International Villain-Con is being held in Orlando, whereupon they meet the world’s first female super-villain, Scarlet Overkill (Sandra Bullock). Giving the Minions a shot at becoming her new henchmen, Scarlett sends Bob, Kevin and Stuart on a mission to steal Queen Elizabeth’s crown so that she can rule England.

    Minions moves by briskly enough, amounting to a succession of quirky comedic set-pieces, but there just isn’t a strong enough story at the core of the movie. Thus, while there is ample visual ingenuity and the animation is consistently pleasing, the plot cannot sustain a full-length feature film. In fact, many of the vignettes would probably be better served as short movies, especially with so many Minion shorts being produced. Unfortunately, too, with the Minions left unable to talk properly, character development is hard, and the movie also lacks the emotional centre which allowed the original Despicable Me to soar into the stratosphere. Scarlet Overkill is not an especially memorable antagonist, either; she’s a bog-standard stock villain, and, unlike Gru (Steve Carell), there is no nuance or complexity to her character. Nevertheless, it is a miracle that the Minions never get on the nerves, and something has to be said of the astonishing voice cast. In addition to Bullock, there’s also Michael Keaton and Steve Coogan, while the reliable Geoffrey Rush provides narration.

    Naturally, Minions offers up plenty of zaniness throughout, and kids will no doubt have a grand time watching the little yellow guys engaging in their usual shtick. For adults, the period detail does give the picture a boost, infusing the proceedings with ’60s music and pop culture markers, including a Beatles nod that this reviewer appreciated. The soundtrack is extremely well-judged, featuring tunes from The Who, The Doors and Jimi Hendrix, among others, giving the enterprise a unique flavour. The majority of the comedy is derived from slapstick humour in the vein of The Three Stooges and Charlie Chaplin, while sight gags are also employed to great effect. However, even though Minions does have belly-laughs, there’s not enough of them, particularly compared to the still-unbeatable 2010 movie that started it all.

    By its very nature, Minions is a one-joke movie, and, without Gru as a main character, there is nothing in the way of heart and soul, while the story could have used some tweaking. For better or for worse, the movie functions simply as a goofy comedy, with nothing to make it engaging or enjoyable on more than one level. Therefore, it does get tiresome after a while. Still, kids will be enraptured by the colourful visual design and the antics of the Minions, and though adults won’t be as enthralled, it’s still a bright, fast-paced adventure that won’t leave you staring at your watch every few minutes.

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Mini-Movies (HD)

• Cro Minion (4:25) - A goofy little caveman-era Minions short that will easily delight children.
• Competition (3:47) - A couple of Minions randomly begin to get competitive, with their antics growing bigger and bigger in scope. Amusing.
• Binky Nelson Unpacified (4:34) - A short movie involving the family of robbers from the movie. The baby, Binky, loses his pacifier during a heist, and is determined to get it back.

Around the World Interactive Map (HD)

Behind the Goggles: The Illumination Story of Minions (HD)

• Writers (3:38) - A discussion of the scripting process, with writer Brian Lynch talking about the challenges facing the movie, and how he overcame them.
• The Boss’ Office (4:58) - Illumination founder and producer Chris Meledandri talks about the genesis of Despicable Me, and the creation of the Minions.
• Art Dept. (3:32) - Character designer Eric Guillon (speaking in French) and art director Olivier Adam talk about the design of the Minions and the visuals of the movie in general.
• Gallery - A couple of galleries of concept art are available to view.
• Recording Studio (2:46) - Composer Heitor Pereira talks about his creative collaboration with the filmmakers and his thought process behind the music. I enjoyed this.
• Actors Studio (3:18) - Many of the high-profile actors, including Michael Keaton and Sandra Bullock, talk about their experience and why they wanted to get involved.
• Notice Board - A selection of amusing, themed notice board images and posters. There is a funny safety video (00:54) to select whilst navigating the stills.

• Animation (3:10) - Many of the crew involved in the animation process chime in to talk about the behind-the-scenes goings-on at Illumination, and what went into animating Minions. Fairly interesting stuff.
• Lighting and Layout (2:27) - More of the animation crew talk about the lighting aspect of the visual design, which was so pivotal in the finished movie.
• 3D Models (00:42) - No interviews here, just a quick succession of 3D Minion models wearing various costumes.
• Models Gallery - This one can be navigated; essentially the same deal as the last extra, but with some storyboards thrown in as well.
• Director (3:12) - Pierre Coffin and Kyle Balda chime in here, talking about their experiences and the way they approached the project, on top of their love for the characters.
• Producer (3:22) - The producers wax lyrical about the project and the three main Minion characters.
• Editorial (3:24) - Now this is worthwhile. Editor Claire Dodgson talks about the process of editing an animated movie, and the challenges of creating the movie over the course of three years.
• Storyboard Comparison: Lifeboat (00:46) - A comparison between storyboards, layout, animation and final for the scene in the lifeboat.
• Storyboard Comparison: King Bob (1:04) - Same as above, except this time for a sequence inside Buckingham Palace. Interesting to watch.
• Story (1:19) - A short interview with storyboard artist Nolwenn Roberts. Now they’re really reaching.
• Storyboard Gallery: Stuart Hot Tub - These storyboards are actually glimpsed in one of the video storyboard comparisons, but still a cool addition.

Jingle Bells Minion Style (HD; 1:52)

    Minions sees a Blu-ray release in America in December. Judging from the press release, supplemental material appears to be identical, with the exception of a theatrical trailer for The Secret Life of Pets. Call it a draw.

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