We're finally getting some idea of the non-yellow characters and actual storyline of Minions, this summer's spin-off from Universal's super-popular Despicable Me series. The plot proper is going to kick off with a trip to Villain-Con, where the perennial lackeys hook up with Scarlet Overkill, looking to make their dreams of fruitful subserviance come true. Because the roots of a lot of these tropes are in James Bond - obviously he didn't get chased about by a swarm of banana-skinned goons, though I wouldn't have been surprised if such a scene was cut from the 1967 version of Casino Royale - the story is set, mostly, in the 1960s. Amongst other things, this gives us the excellent, mod-like styling of Scarlet's husband, Herb. Scarlet and Herb are voiced by Sandra Bullock and Jon Hamm respectively. The Minions, meanwhile, are voiced by fingers going down a blackboard. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgYhvSfXlt4 Aside from the often irksome Minion patois, there's a lot to like there. The storytime sequence seems to be particularly interesting, with its odd camera shutter simulation and added-jerkiness in the animation to suggest a kind of stop motion. It could only have been better if the filmmakers went the whole hog (Three Little Pigs pun intended) and actually ditched the CG for those scenes. Minions will be released first in the UK, on June 26th, and then make its way to the US on July 10th.
Brendon Connelly has been a film writer since the early 90s, with time on the staff of Orbit Magazine, Slashfilm, Bleeding Cool, Den of Geek and many more. He's a long time teacher of film studies and practical filmmaking classes, and has directed music videos, commercials, short films and more. His favourite film is Terry Gilliam's Brazil, his favourite food is pancakes or crepes, and he tries to live his life by the teachings of Kermit the Frog.
