20 Mind-Blowing Facts About The Minions
2. Those Are The Actors' Real Gestures
While voice acting is certainly easier and more informal than live action, it's not so easy as one might think. Actors still throw themselves into a part, often using their full bodies to aid their performances.
For the first film especially, Renaud and Coffin wanted actors gifted at improvisation. including themselves, voicing as many parts as possible. And they filmed every line-reading to catch any of their talented cast members' gestures or expressions.
Naturally, animation is all about exaggeration. Some physical feats in the movie are beyond any actor's ability. But when Gru flails his arms or squares his shoulders, there's a pretty good chance that his gestures and facial expressions started with Carell.