109 Fun Facts About Despicable Me

Which actor voiced Gru in all four Despicable Me films from 2010 to 2024?

Steve Carell credits his children with the voice: he tried a few on them and kept the one that made them laugh; in the third film he also plays Gru's twin brother Dru.

In the first Despicable Me, what are the three orphans selling when Vector lets them into his fortress?

Cookies get the girls past Vector's defences, which is why Gru adopts them: he uses their delivery as cover to take back the shrink ray Vector stole from him.

Which landmark is stolen at the start of the first Despicable Me film, wounding supervillain Gru's pride?

The Great Pyramid of Giza is taken by a newcomer who turns out to be Vector; hearing that the heist makes every other villain look lame is what pushes Gru to plan something bigger.

Gru's accent in the Despicable Me films is usually described as what?

Eastern European is the usual label, though the actor behind it calls the accent a blend of every middle European country plus a little Latin America; it spawned the 'Gorl' meme, after the way Gru says 'girl'.

What is Gru's rarely used first name?

Felonious passes to his baby son in Despicable Me 4: Felonious Gru Jr. is the target of the film's villain and only at the very end rewards his father by calling him 'Dada'.

Who voices Vector, Gru's rival in the first Despicable Me?

Jason Segel voices Vector, the nerdy rival who steals the Moon from Gru and ends the film stranded there; the 2023 short Mooned revisits his attempts to escape.

Which British comedian voiced Dr. Nefario from 2010 to 2022?

Russell Brand voiced the hard-of-hearing inventor in the first two films and Minions: The Rise of Gru; in the first, Gru asks him for a dart gun and is handed a fart gun.

In Despicable Me 4, the relocated family hides in Mayflower under which surname?

The Anti-Villain League moves the family to Mayflower as the Cunninghams, with Gru posing as solar-panel salesman Chet Cunningham and Lucy as hairdresser Blanche.

Which Oscar-winning actress voices Gru's mother Marlena?

Julie Andrews, an Oscar winner as Mary Poppins, plays against type as the withering Marlena: when young Gru says he will go to the moon, she replies that NASA has stopped sending monkeys.

Kristen Wiig voices Lucy Wilde in the sequels, but which character did she voice in the first Despicable Me?

Miss Hattie owns the girls' home and sends the orphans out to sell for her, and late in the film Dr. Nefario phones her to take the girls back; Wiig returned in the sequels as agent Lucy Wilde.

Who voices Margo, the eldest of Gru's adopted daughters?

Miranda Cosgrove's Margo falls for a boy in Despicable Me 2 who turns out to be the son of the villain El Macho, then drops her for another girl at his father's party.

In the first Despicable Me, Gru's Moon heist clashes with which event for the girls?

Ballet recital: Gru tells Dr. Nefario the clash means nothing to him, yet after stealing the Moon he races back to Earth to catch the girls' show and arrives too late.

Which Arrested Development actor voices Mr. Perkins, president of the Bank of Evil?

Will Arnett, Gob Bluth in Arrested Development, voices Mr. Perkins, who refuses Gru a loan for his Moon heist and turns out to be Vector's father.

Which Pineapple Express actor voices Fred McDade, Gru's cheerful neighbor in the first Despicable Me?

Danny McBride voices Fred McDade, who gets a telling-off for his cheery good morning: Gru complains that Fred's dog has been 'leaving little bombs' all over his yard.

Before co-directing Despicable Me, Chris Renaud drew storyboards for which company?

Blue Sky Studios is where Renaud co-directed the Oscar-nominated Scrat short No Time for Nuts; producer Chris Meledandri then paired him with Pierre Coffin, a co-director he had never met.

In the first Despicable Me, a sign says the villains' bank was 'formerly' which real firm?

Lehman Brothers had gone bankrupt in September 2008, less than two years before the film opened; its name hangs on a bank that lends to supervillains and turns Gru down.

Despicable Me out-grossed which pricier 2010 cartoon?

Megamind cost $130 million and took $322 million. Despicable Me took over $540 million on $69 million, a budget its producer held down with few management layers and short development schedules.

Which festival hosted the world premiere of Despicable Me 3 in June 2017?

Annecy's animation festival in the French Alps also launched the first film in 2010 and The Rise of Gru in 2022, a home debut for a series animated in Paris.

The Minions were inspired by the Oompa-Loompas and by which Star Wars characters?

Jawas, the brown-robed scavengers of Star Wars, and the Oompa-Loompas showed directors Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud that short stature was a big part of a henchman's appeal.

Which Flight of the Conchords star voiced Jerry the Minion in the first Despicable Me?

Jemaine Clement voiced Jerry as a rare outside hire: the film's directors, Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud, performed the other Minions themselves instead of casting actors.

How did Pierre Coffin originally end up voicing the Minions?

He recorded a temporary placeholder track of improvised gibberish until a celebrity could be cast, but test audiences loved it, so Coffin has voiced the Minions ever since.

In Despicable Me 2, El Macho was presumed dead after riding which animal into an active volcano?

A shark, with 250 pounds of dynamite strapped to his chest, carried El Macho into the volcano; Gru doubts the tale because no body was found, and he is right: the villain faked his death.

Minionese mixes gibberish with English, French, Spanish, Italian and which Southeast Asian language?

Indonesian words such as 'terima kasih' (thank you) reach Minionese through Pierre Coffin, the Minions' voice and the son of Indonesian novelist Nh. Dini; he says the language sounds like music.

What is the real first name of Gru's rival Vector?

Vector was born Victor Perkins; he renamed himself after the mathematical term because, he says, he commits crimes with both direction and magnitude.

Illumination founder Chris Meledandri left which studio in early 2007?

20th Century Fox Animation was where Meledandri oversaw Ice Age and Horton Hears a Who!, whose writers Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio followed him to script Despicable Me.

Illumination is headquartered in which California city, while outsourcing its animation to Paris?

Santa Monica holds Illumination's offices but none of its animators: almost all of its films are made in Paris, a cost-saving split that helped hold the first Despicable Me to about $69 million.

In 2017 Despicable Me overtook which series to become the highest-grossing animated franchise ever?

Shrek's five films, Puss in Boots among them, had earned $3.51 billion; Despicable Me 3 carried its series past that in August 2017 with only four releases.

In the 'Gru's Plan' meme scene, Gru's heist presentation is interrupted by a drawing of him doing what?

Sitting on the toilet is how a drawing signed by Edith shows him; in the four-panel meme, the plan's third step backfires and Gru does a double take at his own board.

In Despicable Me 2, the stolen PX-41 serum turns kidnapped Minions which colour?

Purple, mindless and indestructible, the mutated Minions are El Macho's planned army; Gru's jelly, laced with Dr. Nefario's antidote, turns them yellow again.

In Despicable Me 2, what kind of shop do Gru and Lucy use as their cover at the mall?

A cupcake store called Bake My Day is their front at the Paradise Mall, where the AVL has traced the stolen serum and suspects one of the shop owners.

Which Spanish actor was in talks to voice El Macho before Al Pacino was cast?

Javier Bardem's talks came to nothing; Al Pacino then recorded much of the part but quit over creative differences two months before release, so Benjamin Bratt stepped in.

Who voices Silas Ramsbottom, the AVL director whose surname the Minions cannot stop giggling at?

Steve Coogan voices Silas Ramsbottom, whose league tasers and kidnaps Gru just to offer him a job; Coogan doubles as Dru's butler Fritz in Despicable Me 3.

Lucy Wilde's personal martial art blends jujitsu, krav maga, Aztec warfare and what?

Lucy describes her fighting style as jujitsu, krav maga, Aztec warfare and krumping, the street dance; she and Gru marry after 147 dates and she becomes the girls' adoptive mother.

Rumours claimed Despicable Me 2 was kept out of China because the Minions resembled which former president?

Jiang Zemin's supposed likeness was dismissed by China's Film Bureau as an absurd rumour: it said the film had simply never been submitted, and it opened there in January 2014.

Pharrell's 'Happy', from Despicable Me 2, lost the Best Original Song Oscar to which song?

Let It Go, from Frozen, won at the 86th Academy Awards; Happy was still the best-selling song of 2014 in both the US and UK.

Which singer recorded 'Happy' before Pharrell did, only for his own team to shelve it?

CeeLo Green recorded it first and Pharrell says that take 'burns my version', but CeeLo's team wanted the focus on his Christmas album, so Pharrell sang it himself.

Which Oscar winner voices Scarlet Overkill, the supervillain who hires the trio in Minions (2015)?

Sandra Bullock voices Scarlet Overkill, billed as the world's first female supervillain, who hires the Minions to steal the Queen's crown and turns on them when one is crowned instead.

In Despicable Me 3, the villain's cancelled 1980s TV show was called what?

Bratt starred as the child villain in Evil Bratt, cancelled when puberty hit; his catchphrase 'I've been a bad boy!' and 1980s gadgets come from the show.

Which adult-cartoon creator voices Balthazar Bratt, the villain of Despicable Me 3?

Trey Parker, co-creator of South Park, voices Balthazar Bratt, a 1980s child star who became a supervillain for real after puberty got his TV show cancelled.

Gru's twin Dru lives in which fictional country?

Freedonia, also the name of the Marx Brothers' country in Duck Soup, is where Dru looks like a rich pig farmer until he reveals the fortune came from their father's villainy.

In Despicable Me 3, Gru and Dru's late father was a supervillain known as what?

The Bald Terror's crimes paid for the family mansion, and Dru, who has their father's high-tech car but no talent for villainy, wants Gru to teach him the trade.

Bratt's giant robot covers Hollywood in what, hoping to lift the city into space?

Bratt's robot sprays the city with expanding bubble gum to float it into space; Gru finishes him off in a dance fight using Bratt's own weaponised keytar.

Dr. Nefario misses most of Despicable Me 3 after accidentally freezing himself in what?

Carbonite is the substance that entombs Han Solo in The Empire Strikes Back; here it freezes Nefario by accident, leaving Gru without his gadget man for the whole adventure.

In Despicable Me 3, who replaces Silas Ramsbottom as head of the Anti-Villain League?

Valerie Da Vinci, voiced by Jenny Slate, takes over the Anti-Villain League and fires Gru and Lucy for failing to capture Balthazar Bratt.

What does Agnes name the one-horned goat she mistakes for a unicorn in Despicable Me 3?

Lucky is the name Agnes gives the one-horned goat she finds while hunting for a unicorn near Dru's home; told the truth, she decides to love him anyway.

Which comedian voices Maxime Le Mal, the cockroach-themed villain of Despicable Me 4?

Will Ferrell's Maxime and Gru end the film performing 'Everybody Wants to Rule the World' for the inmates of the AVL prison.

What is the name of the villain school where Gru and Maxime attend a class reunion in Despicable Me 4?

Lycée Pas Bon, the 'Not Good High School', is where a school talent show started Gru and Maxime's feud; its principal, Frau Übelschlecht, is voiced by director Chris Renaud.

Lenny, the school mascot Gru helps his teenage neighbour Poppy steal in Despicable Me 4, is what animal?

A honey badger named Lenny is the mascot of Gru's old villain school; Poppy blackmails Gru into stealing him as her first heist, and Gru's family ends up adopting him as a pet.

Who voices Poppy Prescott, the aspiring villain next door in Despicable Me 4?

Joey King voices Poppy Prescott, the teenage neighbour who recognises Gru and blackmails him into a heist at his old villain school.

The Mega Minions in Despicable Me 4 were modelled on which Marvel team?

The Mega Minions echo the Fantastic Four: Jerry turns to rock like the Thing and Tim stretches like Mr Fantastic, with The Incredibles as the other touchstone.

Why is the Mega Minions programme scrapped in Despicable Me 4?

City-wide damage: the five super-powered Minions are so bad at using their gifts that the Anti-Villain League retires them, until it needs them back to stop Maxime.

In Despicable Me 4, which sport does Gru play against neighbour Perry Prescott?

Tennis at the country club is how Gru tries to blend in with Poppy's father Perry, voiced by Stephen Colbert; while he is out, his old school principal tracks the family down.

In Minions (2015), Kevin, Stuart and Bob travel to Villain-Con in which US city?

The trio hitch a ride with the Nelson family to Villain-Con in Orlando, Florida, where Scarlet Overkill picks them as her new henchmen.

Which of the three lead Minions in the 2015 film Minions is a musician and the group's slacker?

Stuart, the one-eyed guitar lover, is the trio's slacker; the Queen rewards him with an electric guitar at the end, while Kevin is knighted and Bob's teddy gets a tiny crown.

How does Bob briefly become King of England in Minions?

He pulls the sword from the stone while fleeing the Tower of London, then abdicates in Scarlet Overkill's favour, which does nothing to improve her mood.

Who voices Herb Overkill, Scarlet's inventor husband, in Minions (2015)?

Jon Hamm voices Herb Overkill, who arms the Minions with his inventions for the crown heist and later turns up, thinly disguised, as their dungeon torturer.

Which Absolutely Fabulous star voices Queen Elizabeth II in Minions?

Jennifer Saunders' Queen loses her throne to a Minion mid-film, then wins it back and hands out rewards: a knighthood, an electric guitar and a tiny crown for a teddy bear.

The Minions go into hiding after firing a cannon at whom?

Napoleon is the last master the clumsy Minions lose, after accidentally killing a T. rex and Dracula; the cannon blunder drives them into a cave until three set out to find a new boss.

Which colour company created an official shade called 'Minion Yellow' in 2015?

Pantone unveiled Minion Yellow in April 2015, the first colour it had named after a character; the company said the idea came from Pharrell Williams, singer of the series' 'Happy'.

In 2015 Minions set a record for the biggest opening weekend by a prequel, beating which film?

Revenge of the Sith had opened to $108 million in 2005; Minions took $115.7 million, a bigger opening than either Despicable Me film that introduced its heroes.

Which two animated films passed $1 billion worldwide before Minions became the third in 2015?

Toy Story 3 and Frozen came first; Minions joined them on August 28, 2015, having cost $74 million against Toy Story 3's $200 million.

Which action star voices the Vicious 6 member with a giant lobster claw in The Rise of Gru?

Jean-Claude Van Damme voices Jean-Clawed, a pun on his own name; the gang betrays its founder, and young Gru ends the film by turning all five of them into rats.

Who voices Master Chow, the acupuncturist who teaches the Minions kung fu in The Rise of Gru?

Michelle Yeoh voices Master Chow, a kung fu teacher turned acupuncturist who rescues the Minions from Wild Knuckles' goons; she won her Oscar the following year.

Who voices Belle Bottom, the disco-styled leader of the Vicious 6?

Taraji P. Henson voices Belle Bottom, who turns into a dragon at the Chinese New Year parade; her flames seem to kill Wild Knuckles, though he turns out to have faked his death.

In The Rise of Gru, what business is Dr. Nefario running when Gru first meets him?

Nefario runs Criminal Records, a record store that doubles as the front for the Vicious 6's lair.

Which Wu-Tang Clan member voices the biker Otto befriends in Minions: The Rise of Gru?

RZA voices the biker, who is wearing Gru's lost treasure as a necklace when Otto catches up with him in Death Valley; he hands it back and gives the Minion a ride.

China's cut of The Rise of Gru ended with a message saying Wild Knuckles had been what?

Chinese cinemas added a closing text saying Wild Knuckles was arrested and jailed for 20 years, then took up acting and founded a theatre troupe, while Gru went home to his family.

Which Taylor Swift producer made The Rise of Gru's soundtrack of 1970s covers?

Jack Antonoff produced the album of 1970s covers; its lead single paired Diana Ross with Tame Impala on the new song 'Turn Up the Sunshine'.

Otto trades Gru's stolen treasure for which 1970s fad?

A pet rock is what Otto swaps the prize for, so a furious Gru fires every Minion and they spend the film trying to earn their jobs back.

Which Yeat song, made for The Rise of Gru's trailer, became the soundtrack of Gentleminions videos?

Yeat's 'Rich Minion', made for the film's trailer, scored the Gentleminions clips of teenagers in suits; PostTrak found 34% of the opening audience was aged 13 to 17.

Despicable Me Minion Mayhem replaced which attraction at Universal Studios Florida?

Jimmy Neutron's Nicktoon Blast closed in 2011 so Minion Mayhem could take over its simulator building the next year; Japan's version replaced the old Back to the Future ride instead.

Which Universal Studios park opened a Minion Mayhem ride inside a new Minion Land on Valentine's Day 2025?

Singapore closed its Madagascar zone in March 2022 to make way for Minion Land, so the site was shut for nearly three years before the ride opened.

Which French company made Minion Rush, the mobile hit downloaded 100 million times in three months?

Gameloft released the endless runner free to play, a model studios like Universal embraced as an inexpensive way to keep fans engaged with a film's characters after it left cinemas.

Which Batman actor voices Walter Nelson, the thieving dad who gives the trio a lift in Minions?

Michael Keaton voices Walter Nelson, whose family of thieves picks up the hitchhiking Minions and drives them to Villain-Con, with Allison Janney as his wife Madge.

Which treasure does young Gru steal from the Vicious 6 in Minions: The Rise of Gru?

The Zodiac Stone is snatched by eleven-year-old Gru after the Vicious 6 laugh off his job interview; in the finale he uses its power to turn them into rats.

Who voices Valentina, Maxime Le Mal's femme fatale girlfriend, in Despicable Me 4?

Sofía Vergara voices Valentina, who helps Maxime kidnap baby Gru Jr. so that he can be turned into a human-cockroach hybrid like his captor.

Despicable Me 4 was the fourth-highest-grossing film of 2024; which film ranked first?

Inside Out 2 took about $1.7 billion after opening three weeks ahead of Despicable Me 4, yet the rival family sequel still came within sight of $1 billion.

Who co-wrote Despicable Me 4 with Ken Daurio?

Mike White, creator of The White Lotus, took the seat of Daurio's longtime partner Cinco Paul, who had co-written the first three films.

Which veteran actor's last screen role was voicing Wild Knuckles in Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022)?

Alan Arkin voices Wild Knuckles, the Vicious 6 founder betrayed by his own gang, who ends up mentoring the boy who idolises him; Arkin died a year after the film came out.

Which fruit, the title of a 2010 short film, are Gru's Minions shown to crave above all others?

Bananas are such a fixation for the Minions that the fruit company Chiquita ran sweepstakes tied to Despicable Me 2.

In Despicable Me (2010), which gadget must Gru obtain before Mr. Perkins considers funding the Moon heist?

A shrink ray proves to have a flaw: its effects wear off, and the bigger the object, the faster it springs back to full size.

Where does Gru try to abandon his three newly adopted girls in Despicable Me (2010), only to bond with them?

An amusement park trip backfires on Gru, and critic Roger Ebert singled the visit out as a sure-fire use of the film's 3-D.

In the 2015 film Minions, which landmark do the heroes break into to steal the Queen's crown for Scarlet Overkill?

Tower of London guards nearly catch the trio, even though Scarlet's inventor husband Herb has kitted them out with gadgets.

Which profession does Gru pretend to follow when he adopts Margo, Edith and Agnes in Despicable Me (2010)?

Dentist is the cover Gru chooses, and his only aim at first is to use the girls to get inside Vector's fortress.

What is the name of Gru's sharp-toothed, dog-like creature, which snarls at the girls before bonding with Agnes?

Kyle starts out so vicious that even Gru has trouble controlling him, yet he ends up sleeping beside Agnes at night.

In Despicable Me 2, reformed supervillain Gru tries to go legitimate by launching a range of which product?

Jams and jellies drive Dr. Nefario to resign, yet a batch of the jelly later carries the antidote that cures the mutated Minions.

Minion versions of which cartoon family appeared at the end of their own show's Halloween special in October 2014?

The Simpsons, already yellow, became Minions to close Treehouse of Horror XXV, the show's Halloween special for 2014.

After Mr. Perkins refuses the loan in Despicable Me (2010), what do the three girls offer Gru to help?

Their piggy bank moves the Minions to pool their own resources, and together they fund the heist the lender turned down.

Which animal kept by El Macho launches the rocket carrying Lucy Wilde toward a volcano in Despicable Me 2?

A chicken named Pollito sets the rocket off just as Gru is asking Lucy out; she says yes before the pair leap into the ocean.

In Minions: The Rise of Gru, Wild Knuckles holds the kidnapped young Gru at his home in which city?

San Francisco also stages the finale, fought in Chinatown during a Chinese New Year parade in 1976.

Which tech company withdrew a 2016 April Fool's email button that sent a mic drop along with a Minion GIF?

Google scrapped the Gmail button after users complained they had sent the GIF by accident during job searches.

To promote Despicable Me 2 in 2013, which Minion-shaped aircraft toured the United States for 20,000 miles?

A blimp nicknamed the Despicablimp made the trip; at 165 feet long it ranked among the largest airships in the world.

Once the mutagen case is closed in Despicable Me 2, the Anti-Villain League reassigns Lucy Wilde to which country?

Australia is also where Despicable Me 2 had its premiere, on 5 June 2013, nearly a month before it opened in American cinemas.

After a final dance fight in Despicable Me 3, Gru beats the film's villain by stealing which weaponised instrument?

A keytar is the villain's own weapon, and Gru turns it on the former child star to send him floating away.

Which gem does the villain of Despicable Me 3 steal from a Paris museum to power his giant robot?

The Dumont Diamond is recovered by Gru in the opening mission, but letting the thief escape gets him and Lucy fired.

Which Minion, drawn as a caricature of the franchise's producer, leads the walk-out against Gru in Despicable Me 3?

Mel was modelled on producer Chris Meledandri, whom designer Eric Guillon had once drawn as a Minion on a birthday card.

Which veteran late-night television host voices Perry Prescott, Gru's new neighbour, in Despicable Me 4?

Stephen Colbert plays the father of Poppy, the teenager who blackmails Gru into a school heist, with Chloe Fineman as his wife Patsy.

Gru and Maxime Le Mal end Despicable Me 4 duetting on Everybody Wants to Rule the World, a hit for which band?

Tears for Fears took the song to number one in the US in 1985; in the film the two rivals perform it for a prison full of old villains.

At the end of Minions (2015), which reward does Queen Elizabeth II give Kevin, the leader of the trio?

A knighthood goes to Kevin, while Bob's teddy bear Tim is given a tiny crown of its own.

Which Oscar winner for Shine narrates the prologue and epilogue of the 2015 film Minions?

Geoffrey Rush tells how the Minions evolved from single-celled organisms and lost one master after another, a tyrannosaurus included.

In Minions: The Rise of Gru, young Gru finally defeats the Vicious 6 by transforming them into which animals?

Rats are the gang's fate after they had turned themselves into enormous superpowered beasts, a fire-breathing dragon among them.

Which singer joined Tame Impala on Turn Up the Sunshine, lead single of the Minions: The Rise of Gru soundtrack?

Diana Ross led an album on which St. Vincent covers Funkytown and Kali Uchis covers Desafinado.

Which English county contains a real village named Minions, which briefly had a road sign featuring the characters?

Cornwall's village of Minions put the sign up in 2015 with Universal's money, then removed it because drivers kept stopping for photos.

Gru began as a Dracula-like figure until the directors of Despicable Me cited which James Bond villain as a model?

Goldfinger and Bond's world of technology gave Gru his sleeker look, replacing the vampire-like mastermind of the original pitch.

Which future star of the film Eighth Grade voiced Agnes, the youngest girl, in Despicable Me (2010)?

Elsie Fisher voiced Agnes in the first two films, and the part is credited with helping to launch her career.

Despicable Me (2010) was nominated at the Golden Globes and BAFTAs but won Favorite Animated Movie at which ceremony?

Kids' Choice Awards voters picked it in 2011, when Steve Carell was also nominated for Favorite Buttkicker for playing Gru.

Which Paris-based studio animated the first Despicable Me (2010) with a team of only about 100 artists?

Mac Guff's animation arm was bought by Universal the following year and became Illumination's permanent Paris studio.

Which former Simply Red guitarist composed the score of Despicable Me (2010) alongside Pharrell Williams?

Heitor Pereira, a Brazilian guitarist turned composer, came back for the sequels and became the series' regular composer.

Which star of The Office has a small voice role as a tourist mom in Despicable Me (2010)?

Mindy Kaling plays the tourist mom, while Ken Jeong pops up as a talk-show host and Rob Huebel as an anchorman.