Despicable Me 4

Lore & Background

Development on Despicable Me 4 began in September 2017, with early script drafts by Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio. The film was officially confirmed in February 2022, with Chris Renaud as director, Patrick Delage as co-director, and Mike White as writer. Production was underway by June 2022, with most work done during the COVID-19 pandemic. The screenplay was written by White and Daurio, who joined later. An abandoned Mega Minions idea from Despicable Me 2 was resurrected for this film, taking inspiration from the Fantastic Four and The Incredibles.

Reader's Guide

Despicable Me 4 debuted at the Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York on June 9, 2024, and was theatrically released in the United States on July 3. Despite mixed reviews, the film continued the franchise's streak of box-office successes, grossing $986.7 million worldwide against a budget of $100 million, making it the fourth-highest-grossing film of 2024. The film's significance lies in its expansion of the franchise's universe, introducing the Mega Minions and new characters like Maxime Le Mal and Poppy Prescott, while maintaining the series' commercial viability.

Did You Know?

• The film features a superhero initiative called the Mega Minions, formed by augmenting five Minions with superpowers from the Anti-Villain League.
• Romesh Ranganathan voices Dr. Nefario, replacing Russell Brand.

The Story of Gru's Family Under Siege

Following the events of the 2017 third installment, Gru has settled into his life as an Anti-Villain League agent, but his past refuses to stay buried. A class reunion at his former school, Lycée Pas Bon, forces him to confront Maxime Le Mal, a high school rival who believes Gru stole his talent show act. Maxime, now enhanced with cockroach body parts and armed with a ray gun capable of turning humans into insect hybrids, escapes custody and sets his sights on Gru's infant son. The AVL, under the direction of retired agent Silas Ramsbottom, relocates the entire family to a safe house in a wealthy residential town under new identities. There, they encounter Poppy Prescott, a teenage aspiring villain who recognizes Gru and coerces him into helping her steal the school's honey badger mascot. What begins as a simple heist spirals into a full-blown crisis when a tracking device in the mascot's collar leads the school's principal straight to the family. Maxime kidnaps Gru Jr., and only Gru's words of encouragement can break his son free from brainwashing, culminating in a dramatic rooftop confrontation that ends with the Mega Minions arriving to deliver the final blow.

An Ensemble of Voices

The fourth installment assembles one of the franchise's most star-studded voice casts. Steve Carell returns as the reformed supervillain Gru, while Kristen Wiig reprises her role as his AVL partner and wife Lucy Wilde. Will Ferrell brings his comedic energy to Maxime Le Mal, a French-accented, cockroach-themed rival from Gru's school days. Joey King voices Poppy Prescott, the teenage aspiring villainess who becomes an unlikely ally, with Stephen Colbert and Chloe Fineman filling out her parents Perry and Patsy. Sofía Vergara appears as Valentina, Maxime's femme fatale girlfriend. The three daughters are voiced by Miranda Cosgrove as Margo, Dana Gaier as Edith, and Madison Polan as Agnes, while Tara Strong provides the voice of baby Gru Jr. Steve Coogan returns as Silas Ramsbottom, the retired AVL director who re-emerges to manage the crisis. Notably, director Chris Renaud lends his voice to Principal Frau Übelschlecht, and Pierre Coffin continues voicing the Minions. John DiMaggio adds a small role as Karl, an angry bus driver for the AVL.

From Greenlight to Screen

The road to the fourth main Despicable Me film was a long one. Development on a new installment kicked off in September 2017, yet the project sat in the background for several years before being officially confirmed in February 2022. At that point, Chris Renaud was attached as director, Patrick Delage as co-director, and Mike White as writer. By June 2022, production was already underway. The bulk of the main voice cast was not publicly announced until January 2024, at which time Brett Hoffman and Ken Daurio were revealed as co-producer and co-writer alongside Chris Meledandri and White. On the musical front, Heitor Pereira returned from previous entries to compose the score, while Pharrell Williams came back to write original songs and themes. The film was produced by Illumination and distributed by Universal Pictures, maintaining the studio partnership that has defined the franchise since its inception.

A Franchise That Keeps Delivering

Despicable Me 4 made its world premiere at the Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York on June 9, 2024, before hitting U.S. theaters on July 3. Despite receiving mixed reviews from critics, the film proved that the franchise's audience appetite remains enormous. Against a production budget of $100 million, it grossed approximately $986.7 million worldwide, earning the distinction of the fourth-highest-grossing film of 2024. This result extended the Despicable Me franchise's remarkable streak of box-office successes across its main installments. As the fourth main entry and the sixth overall installment in the broader franchise, the film demonstrated that the core formula still commands major theatrical attention. The combination of a familiar voice cast, a fresh villain in Will Ferrell's Maxime Le Mal, and the introduction of the Mega Minions superhero initiative gave audiences plenty of new material to latch onto, even as the story circled back to the family dynamics that have anchored the series. The franchise's ability to balance nostalgic callbacks with new characters like Poppy Prescott and the augmented Minions speaks to its enduring appeal at the box office.

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