Minions & Monsters (2026)
SHOULD I SEE IT?
YES
Minions & Monsters is perhaps my biggest surprise of the year, as this is a clever, charming tribute to classic Hollywood and the transition from silent films to those with sound.
Did John Powell compose one of the best scores of 2026? For a Minions movie? I think so!
Fantastic animation, hilarious moments, and energetic visual storytelling help make Minions & Monsters a definite crowd-pleaser.
NO
Some of the humor can be a bit naughty for younger viewers and the first half is far superior to the film’s second half.
Loses a lot of steam when diving into the action/adventure aspects of the story.
Minions excess may resurface and drive you absolutely nuts throughout the whole film. Admittedly, I have not really been a Minions fan before … but, wait … am I one now?!?
OUR REVIEW
Minions & Monsters serves as an affectionate homage to the glory days of Hollywood, just as much as it plays as a crowd-pleasing, enthusiastic, hyperactive, nonstop free-for-all, action-oriented comedy. The nods and winks to legendary monster movies of the past in particular are fitting, since this Minions franchise, spun off from the Despicable Me series, has countless little yellow pill-shaped monsters running amok and creating chaos everywhere they go.
Truth be told, I have not previously been a Minions fan, nor would I say I love the Despicable Me films. For me, they are a franchise of diminishing returns. Yet, the fact that this film is the seventh overall entry in the “Despicable Me Cinematic Universe” is proof that people all over the globe love these movies and love these crazy little Minions. At my screening, lots of people, from young kids to grown adults, were dressed up in some form of Minions-gear. My wife even donned a yellow T-shirt for the occasion.
Admittedly low expectations for this latest Minions offering may have set me up for something I was not anticipating, but gosh, did I have fun with this. The parodies of classic movies, the goofy insertion of Minions into iconic movie moments, and the somewhat shocking sight gags and expected Minion nudity all crash together hilariously in an almost endearing and meaningful way.
Tirelessly voiced by Pierre Coffin, who also serves as director and screenwriter on the film, this represents something of an origin story where Universal Studios tour guide (Allison Janney) takes us through the history of the Minions and how they became massive movie stars of the silent film era. We are reminded that Minions are not evil, but inherently drawn to support the most evil person on the planet. They encounter ogres and wizards and other beasties but accidentally kill them all, forcing them to move on to the next most evil thing they can find.
These old-time movie sequences and fantastical trips through the Minions past experiences look fantastic with crisp, clean animation design from Coffin’s team. Co-directing with Patrick Delage, who also co-directed the Minions’ last cinematic adventure in Despicable Me 4, Coffin is buoyed by a truly fantastic score from Oscar-nominated composer John Powell (How To Train Your Dragon). His cinematic, symphonic work complements these vignettes and short, fast-paced scenes, making them vibrant and engaging. Additionally, Coffin deserves credit for staging action across the entire frame rather than concentrating everything in the center of the screen.
Having created these characters, designed their language, and built a career out of finding ways to keep Minions funny and engaging for kids young and old, Coffin takes some risks this time around. There are lengthy sequences where the only dialogue comes from the Minions’ unique, hybrid language (Minionese, I suppose it’s called), which mixes international languages with a few words of English, and a healthy amount of gibberish. The film never really misses a beat in those stretches, and it is quite exciting to find a major animated blockbuster relying on visuals and imagery and minimal dialogue to drive its narrative.
At the heart of the story are the Minions known as James and Henry, his best friend, who find themselves on the cusp of an era when silent films gave way to the era of sound. Along with their buddy Ed, the trio become key to a screenplay where Coffin and writing partner Brian Lynch draft an endearing and respectful tribute to filmmaking and the people who helped make Hollywood the movie capital of the world.
James’ desire to become a big-time director allows him to cross paths with Bright Studios’ filmmaker Max (Christoph Waltz). When the Minions force their way into one of his silent films, the twin brothers leading the studio (voiced by Jeff Bridges) force Max to work with the yellow creatures. As the era of the “talkies” arrives and sound becomes an innovation in the world of moviemaking, the Minions’ English-speaking shortcomings are exposed and their movies begin to tank.
Now as I heap a fair amount of praise on Minions & Monsters, I want to pump the brakes a little bit because the first half is consistently more entertaining than its second half. The film begins to spin its wheels when it veers more into action/adventure territory, amplified with the arrival of Gommi (Trey Parker), a diminutive green monster, and a massive, eye-covered orange blob named Irene, who cross paths with James and his crew.
Still, what surprised me most was not that Minions & Monsters found ways to keep me laughing. With slapstick comedy, sight gags, and frenzied chaos happening all over the screen, it’s the way in which Coffin has crafted a film that exists as a loving, respectful tribute to cinematic history.
Even when the film loses its way and meanders around for a bit, this is never boring. If anything, you find yourself hoping all the other stuff can wrap up so you can go back to the slapstick humor and one-liners which worked so well from the beginning.
Minions & Monsters may never inspire kids to run home and watch Méliès’ A Trip to the Moon, but when they do inevitably come across the iconic image of the space capsule stuck into the surface of the moon, maybe they will connect the dots one day as to the significance of that particular image.
Then again, perhaps that’s the critic in me talking. What I do know is that, with zero apologies, I had fun with Minions & Monsters. Sure, it’s slight, silly, and gets occasionally caught up in the errors of past Minions excess, but if it can inspire kids to tell stories and make movies of their own, then that may be its biggest accomplishment of all.
CAST & CREW
Starring: Pierre Coffin, Trey Parker, Allison Janney, Christoph Waltz, Jesse Eisenberg, Jeff Bridges, Zoey Deutch, Bobby Moynihan, Phil LaMarr, George Lucas, Carlos Alazraqui, Laraine Newman, John Kassir
Director: Pierre Coffin
Co-Director: Patrick Delage
Written by: Pierre Coffin, Brian Lynch
Release Date: July 1, 2026
Universal Pictures