79 Fun Facts About Despicable Me

Which actor has voiced Gru in every Despicable Me film?

Carell also voices Gru's blond twin Dru in the third film, and reprised the role for the young Gru cameo at the end of Minions.

What does Gru set out to steal in the first Despicable Me?

Gru shrinks and steals the Moon with a stolen shrink ray, but the ray's effect is temporary, and the bigger the object the faster it reverts, which is how the heist unravels.

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 young upstart Vector, who replaces it with an inflatable copy.

Gru speaks with what kind of accent?

Eastern European is the accent, and it spawned the 'Gorl' meme, based on the way Gru pronounces the word girl.

What is Gru's rarely used first name?

His infant son in Despicable Me 4 is Felonious Gru Jr., voiced by Tara Strong.

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

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 three films and Minions: The Rise of Gru; his mishearing 'dart gun' as 'fart gun' is a running gag from the first film.

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, Oscar winner for Mary Poppins, voices Marlena, first heard in the 2010 film; her dismissive reaction to young Gru's rocket models is shown as one reason he turned to villainy.

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

Miss Hattie runs the orphanage and confines girls to the cardboard 'Box of Shame' when they fall short of their cookie-selling quota; Wiig returned as agent Lucy Wilde from the second film.

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

Cosgrove is one of the few voices to appear in every main film, along with Dana Gaier as Edith.

Which actress voiced Agnes in the first two films before the role was recast twice?

Elsie Fisher, later the star of Eighth Grade, voiced Agnes in the first two films; Nev Scharrel took over for Despicable Me 3 and Madison Polan for Despicable Me 4.

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 comedian voices Gru's neighbor Fred McDade in the first film?

Danny McBride voices Fred McDade, the neighbour who complains that Gru's dog Kyle has been 'leaving little bombs' all over his yard in the 2010 film.

Before co-directing Despicable Me, Chris Renaud worked in animation at which studio?

Coffin was hired for his commercials work with Mac Guff, Renaud for his Blue Sky experience on films like Ice Age.

Illumination bought Mac Guff's animation arm in 2011 and renamed it what?

Illumination bought the animation division of Paris house Mac Guff in 2011, after the first film, and renamed it Illumination Mac Guff; the studio was later renamed Illumination Studios Paris.

What was the production budget of the first Despicable Me?

The first film cost about $69 million and grossed over $540 million worldwide, a return that set Illumination's low-budget model for its later features.

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

Despicable Me 3 premiered at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in France on 14 June 2017; Minions: The Rise of Gru also opened there in 2022.

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

Eric Guillon's design drew on the Oompa-Loompas and the hooded Jawas of Star Wars; their look was also shaped by Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin, since they act largely without words.

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

Jemaine Clement voiced Jerry and co-director Chris Renaud voiced Dave in the 2010 film; from Despicable Me 2 onward Pierre Coffin has voiced the Minions alone.

How did Pierre Coffin originally end up voicing the Minions?

Coffin recorded a temporary placeholder track so the animators had something to time to; the filmmakers liked his scratch vocals so much that he kept the job for the whole franchise.

Coffin has said he lent his voice to how many individual Minions in Despicable Me 2?

Coffin put his tally at 899 individual Minions for Despicable Me 2, varying pitch and delivery from his single voice to tell them apart.

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

Coffin's mother, Nh. Dini, was an Indonesian novelist; the language is dubbed slightly differently in each country.

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's founder left which studio in early 2007 before starting the company?

At Fox he oversaw Ice Age and Horton Hears a Who!, whose writers Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio followed him to Despicable Me.

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

Illumination runs from offices in Santa Monica, while almost every one of its films has been animated by Illumination Studios Paris, the former Mac Guff.

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

Despicable Me 3's 2017 run lifted the series past the Shrek franchise as the highest-grossing animated film series; with Despicable Me 4 it had taken more than $5 billion by 2024.

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

The girls' drawing of Gru sitting on the toilet, slipped in among his heist slides, became the four-panel 'Gru's Plan' meme format.

What is the name of the mutagen stolen at the start of Despicable Me 2?

PX-41 is the serum El Macho uses to turn Minions into purple, indestructible Evil Minions; Gru's jelly, laced with Dr. Nefario's antidote, turns them back.

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

Gru and Lucy pose as owners of the cupcake store Bake My Day at the Paradise Mall; the wig shop belongs to suspect Floyd Eaglesan, voiced by Ken Jeong.

Which actor was in talks to voice El Macho in 2011, before Al Pacino was cast?

Javier Bardem passed on El Macho to play Raoul Silva in Skyfall; Al Pacino then recorded the part and quit over creative differences weeks before release, so Benjamin Bratt re-voiced the finished animation.

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

Coogan also voices the Tower guard in Minions and 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?

Online rumours said the goggled Minions looked like Jiang Zemin; the real hold-up was a distribution dispute, and the film opened in China 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.

Pharrell originally wrote 'Happy' for which other singer, whose label passed on it?

Pharrell first offered Happy to CeeLo Green and has said he preferred CeeLo's version, but the label wanted to focus on CeeLo's Christmas album, so Pharrell sang it himself.

Which film in the franchise was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature?

It picked up two Oscar nominations in total, the other for Best Original Song, and lost both to Frozen.

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.

In Despicable Me 3, what is the name of Balthazar Bratt's robot sidekick?

Clive is Bratt's robot sidekick, who cues up 1980s pop hits such as Michael Jackson's 'Bad' during his heists and dance fights.

Gru's twin Dru lives in which fictional country?

Gru flies to Freedonia, a pig-farming nation that shares its name with the Marx Brothers' Duck Soup country, to meet the twin he never knew he had.

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

Robert Gru, the Bald Terror, was a celebrated supervillain; his lair and gadgets lie beneath Dru's pig-farming estate, and Dru wants Gru to teach him the family 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?

It is a Star Wars nod: Han Solo suffers the same fate in The Empire Strikes Back.

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?

Agnes names the one-horned goat Lucky after finding him in a Freedonian forest while hunting for a unicorn; she keeps him even after learning he is only a goat.

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?

Lenny is a honey badger, the Lycée Pas Bon mascot; Poppy blackmails Gru into helping her steal him as her first villainous heist.

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.

How many Minions are given superpowers to form the Mega Minions?

Five Minions get powers: Dave gains strength, Jerry turns to rock, Tim stretches, Mel fires a heat ray and Gus flies.

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

Poppy's father Perry Prescott, voiced by Stephen Colbert, invites 'Chet' to the club, where Gru humiliates him on the tennis court with a rigged racket.

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 Minion trio in the 2015 film is described as a musician and the slacker of the group?

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 then abdicates in Scarlet Overkill's favour, which does nothing to improve her mood.

Who voices Herb Overkill, Scarlet's inventor husband?

Jon Hamm voices Herb Overkill, the swinging-sixties inventor married to Sandra Bullock's Scarlet; his gadgets include the hypno-hat.

Which Absolutely Fabulous star voices Queen Elizabeth II in Minions?

Saunders' Queen hands out the film's closing rewards: a knighthood, an electric guitar and a tiny crown for a teddy bear.

In which year is most of the 2015 film Minions set?

After a prologue running from the dinosaurs to Napoleon, the film jumps to 1968, when Kevin, Stuart and Bob leave the Minions' Arctic cave for New York and Villain-Con.

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

Pantone unveiled Minion Yellow in June 2015, the first Pantone colour named after a character, as part of a promotional push reported at $593 million, the biggest in Universal's history.

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

Minions' $115.7 million debut in July 2015 topped Revenge of the Sith's $108 million as the biggest opening for a prequel, and trailed only Shrek the Third among animated films at the time.

Minions was the third animated film to pass $1 billion worldwide. Which two got there first?

It crossed the line on August 28, 2015 and finished at $1.159 billion.

Which action star voices the Vicious 6 member with a giant mechanical lobster claw for an arm?

Jean-Claude Van Damme voices Jean-Clawed, the claw-armed member; Dolph Lundgren plays roller-skating Svengeance and Danny Trejo the metal-fisted Stronghold.

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

Yeoh won her Oscar for Everything Everywhere All at Once 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 on the road to San Francisco?

RZA, the Wu-Tang Clan's producer, voices the Biker who gives Otto a lift toward San Francisco on his chopper.

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 and Lorde 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'.

In which year is Minions: The Rise of Gru set?

The film is set in 1976, with an eleven-year-old Gru in San Francisco; the Vicious 6 strike at Chinese New Year, which that year ushered in the Year of the Dragon.

Which Yeat song, commissioned for the film'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?

Minion Mayhem opened in 2012 in the building that had housed Jimmy Neutron's Nicktoon Blast; the Japan version, opened in 2017, took over the old Back to the Future dome instead.

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

Singapore's version replaced Madagascar: A Crate Adventure.

Minion Rush was downloaded more than how many times in its first three months after its 2013 launch?

Gameloft's endless runner passed 100 million downloads within three months of its June 2013 launch and went on to top a billion downloads.

Which composer scored the Despicable Me films from the 2010 original through Despicable Me 4?

Heitor Pereira, a Brazilian guitarist and composer, scored all four Despicable Me films and the Minions spin-offs of 2015 and 2022, collaborating with Pharrell Williams on the first three.

Who is the credited director of Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022)?

Kyle Balda directed Minions: The Rise of Gru, with Brad Ableson and Jonathan del Val as co-directors; Balda had co-directed Minions with Pierre Coffin and Despicable Me 3 with Coffin and Eric Guillon.

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

Sofía Vergara voices Valentina, Maxime's glamorous partner in crime; the film also brought in Chloe Fineman and Stephen Colbert as Poppy's parents, Patsy and Perry Prescott.

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

Inside Out 2 topped 2024 with about $1.7 billion, ahead of Deadpool & Wolverine and Moana 2; Despicable Me 4 took roughly $970 million against a $100 million budget.

Which School of Rock screenwriter co-wrote Despicable Me 4 with Ken Daurio?

Mike White joined Daurio, while Chris Renaud, who co-directed the first film, returned to direct the fourth instalment.

Which veteran actor gave his final film performance as Wild Knuckles in Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022)?

Alan Arkin's Wild Knuckles is the former Vicious 6 leader who becomes Gru's mentor; the film grossed $940 million, fifth-biggest of 2022.