Just in time for Halloween week, the Minions have found a new stage. Minions & Monsters, Illumination’s latest spin-off from the Despicable Me universe, begins streaming exclusively on Peacock from today, Wednesday, October 28. For families who missed it in cinemas, or who simply want to hear the banana-loving chaos one more time, the timing could hardly be better.
The film arrives on the platform with a serious track record. After opening in North American theaters on July 1, it went on to gross around $528 million worldwide, roughly $183 million in the US and Canada and about $345 million internationally, according to Box Office Mojo. That makes it one of the summer’s biggest animated releases and another strong chapter for a franchise that became the first animated series to pass $5 billion at the global box office.
Silent stars, talkies and a very bad idea
This time the story travels back to the 1920s, to Los Angeles at the dawn of the movie business. Still without an evil boss to serve, a tribe of Minions stumbles onto a film set, accidentally ends up on camera and becomes an overnight sensation. Mansions, lavish parties and fans in overalls and goggles follow quickly.
Then sound arrives. In the era of the “talkies”, stars who cannot follow a script are in trouble, and nobody outside the tribe understands Minionese. The fame fades as fast as it came. Two new heroes, James and Henry, refuse to give up on the movies. Their plan: make their own monster film. With help from a spellbook belonging to a former master, the sorcerer known as Goomi, they summon real monsters to play the villains. One of them, a creature called Irene, has far bigger ambitions than a supporting role, and soon the whole planet is in danger.
The film also introduces Ed, a Minion who cannot speak but communicates with his friends through Minionese sign language, a small but warm addition to a cast of characters that usually relies on noise.
Who is behind it
Franchise co-creator Pierre Coffin, who still voices every Minion, directs together with Patrick Delage. Brian Lynch co-wrote the script with Coffin, Chris Meledandri and Bill Ryan produce, and John Powell provides the score.
The voice cast is stacked: Trey Parker plays Goomi, Allison Janney voices Olivia and Christoph Waltz plays Max, joined by Jeff Bridges, Jesse Eisenberg, Zoey Deutch, Bobby Moynihan and Phil LaMarr. Variety also notes a playful appearance from filmmaker George Lucas, along with nods to classics ranging from Citizen Kane to The Blob. In one gag, Waltz’s Max calls the Minions by names borrowed from famous directors such as Federico and Erich, a wink to Fellini and von Stroheim for the film buffs in the room.
Extras for the streaming debut
Peacock is adding bonus material alongside the movie, including a behind-the-scenes featurette, a look at the score and the casting process, and how-to videos on drawing Minions and building a slime version of the Irene blob monster at home. The film has already been available on digital, 4K UHD, Blu-ray and DVD, but this is its first subscription streaming home.
Should you press play?
At around 90 minutes and rated PG, Minions & Monsters is an easy pick for a family night during spooky season: monsters that are more silly than scary, slapstick inspired by silent-era comedy and plenty of jokes aimed at grown-ups who love old Hollywood. If your household already quotes “Bello!” at breakfast, today’s release is basically a holiday.