July 3 will mark the latest installment in Illumination and Universal’s Despicable Me franchise, just in time for Independence Day weekend. Despicable Me 4, which premiered at the 2024 French Annecy International Animation Film Festival has recruited some new voices for its latest set of shenanigans, which began all the way back in 2010 with the first film.
The minions can’t be counted out either with two of their own film installments as well as a compilation of short film adventures in two volumes on Netflix. Through it all, Steve Carell and Pierre Coffin have reprised their voice roles of Gru and Minions, respectively.
Parents or others anticipating the release of the fourth Despicable Me film in theaters may be wondering how to watch the Despicable Me and Minions movies in order. Read on to find out.
How to watch the Despicable Me films in order:
DESPICABLE ME, Gru (voice: Steve Carell), 2010. ©Universal/courtesy Everett Collection
©Universal/courtesy Everett Collection
In 2010, it all began with Gru’s villainous efforts to shrink and steal the moon. He also became father to three young girls, who influenced his trajectory as a villain vs. good guy. The Despicable Me films focus more on Gru’s life and arc alongside the minions versus the other Minions titles which sometimes include him, but not center stage.
Chronological order would mean watching the two Minions installments first followed by the Despicable Me movies. The Minions and More short films combine the two with adventures in between the four Despicable Me films. Below find the full chronological order:
·     Minions (2015)
·     Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022)
·     Despicable Me (2010)
·     Despicable Me 2 (2013)
·     Despicable Me 3 (2017)
·     Minions & More Volume 1 (2022)
·     Minions & More Volume 2 (2022)
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According to the release order, the films came out in the following rollout:
·     Despicable Me (2010)
·     Despicable Me 2 (2013)
·     Minions (2015)
·     Despicable Me 3 (2017)
·     Despicable Me 3 (2017)
·     Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022)
·     Minions & More Volume 1 (2022)
·     Minions & More Volume 2 (2022)
MINIONS, from left: Stuart, Bob, Kevin, Scarlett Overkill (voice: Sandra Bullock), 2015. /©Universal Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection
Where to watch the Despicable Me films:
All three Despicable Me films are available to stream on Peacock. The first Minions movie is streaming on Netflix, while Minions: The Rise of Gru is available on Prime Video. The Minions and More shorts are streaming on Netflix.
Who is in the Despicable Me and Minions films?
Steve Carell voices Anti-Villain League agent and former villain Gru. Kristen Wiig’s Lucy Wild, another AVL member, joins the chaos in the second film. Pierre Coffin voices the minions. Russell Brand voices Dr. Nefario.
DESPICABLE ME 3, l-r: Gru (voice: Steve Carell), Dru (voice: Steve Carell), 2017. ©Universal Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection
Miranda Cosgrove voices Margo in all of the films, while Elsie Fisher voiced Agness for the first two films before handing off the fluffy unicorn-lover voice role to Nev Scharrel. Dana Gaier voices Edith. Julie Andrews voices Gru’s mother, and plenty more famous actors and actresses have lent their voices to individual installments.
What to watch after Despicable Me 4:
Longtime fans of the Despicable Me franchise or animated films with adventures and popular soundtracks, in general, can find a few other Illumination films to watch once they’ve exhausted all the Minions movies. The Secret Life of Pets films, available to stream on Peacock, revolves around a terrier Max (Louis C.K. and then Patton Oswalt). The first film watches Max adjust to the arrival of Duke (Eric Stonestreet). The sequel continues with those characters and more like Harrison Ford’s Rooster as they get up to antics when their humans aren’t home.
Illumination; Universal
Another pair of Illumination classics includes Sing and Sing 2, in which a koala bear Buster Moon hustles to promote theater and musical performance from characters like Reese Witherspoon’s Rosita, Scarlett Johansson’s Ash, Taron Egerton’s Johnny, Tori Kelly’s Meena and more. Sing 2 welcomes U2 lead singer Bono to the mix as a legendary lion musician Clay Calloway.
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