The Despicable Me series had such a success
with its Minions characters, they got a series all their own! Let’s take a look at what’s
hiding in Minions and Minions: The Rise of Gru! The Minions are going back! Way, waaay back
in this prequel to the Despicable Me series, Illumination Studios’ Minions!
Secrets and easter eggs abound on their journey! Let’s get up to speed! From the outset of the movie, we watch
as the minions evolve through time. Did you notice that even the materials used
in their goggles change? Take a look! In the first five minutes you’ll see that
they change from palm fronds, to wood, to the various different metals with leather
straps before becoming the silver and black leather we’ve come to recognize, when Kevin,
Bob and Stuart climb onto land in New York City. Yes, Kevin, Stuart and Bob are the
three main minions who leave their tribe in search of the “Big Boss” that
gives their species meaning. Did you ever have a hard time keeping them straight?
Here, I’ll help you. Kevin is the tall one, the short one with one eye is Stuart,
and the short one with two eyes and a fondness for teddy bears is Bob. To help you
remember that Bob’s the one with two eyes, just think of the letter ‘B for Bob’ on it’s
side; kinda looks like a pair of goggles. Anyway, there’s something else I really
should point out about Bob. I don’t know if you realize this, but he has: heterochromia
iridum! I know what you’re thinking: “Oh no, Doctor! Is it fatal?!” Of course not!
Heterochromia iridum is just fancy medical lingo for ‘has two different colored
eyes.’ See? One is green and one is brown! So why the three minions? And why does
their dynamic feel so familiar? It’s because they were designed to
be like three other characters in the Despicable Me universe! Gru’s three
adopted daughters: Margo, Agnes, and Edith! Margo, Agnes and Edith are voiced by Miranda
Cosgrove, Elsie Fisher, and Dana Gaier while Kevin, Bob and Stuart are voiced by Pierre
Coffin, Pierre Coffin, and Pierre Coffin. In fact, did you know that the co-director voiced each
and every one of the 899 minions in the movie? Talk about job security! But talking like a
Minion is no easy feat! We’ll get to that later. Back to New York City. Our Minions
find their trademark overalls hanging on clotheslines in an alleyway. Does
that alleyway look familiar to you at all? It might just remind you of the
alleyway full of cats that terrorize Max in another Illumination Studios
animated feature The Secret Life of Pets. Still, seeing Kevin, Bob and Stuart in
their overalls…something’s not quite right. Something’s missing. Can you put your
finger on it? The overalls are missing Gru’s ‘G’ insignia. Of course that makes sense,
because our minions haven’t met Gru…yet. Now that they’re properly dressed, there are some
sights worth mentioning as they venture through The Big Apple. Watch the minions head to Music Pad
for a little window shopping. You can see a men’s clothing store next door called R. Meledandri.
This is a little shout out from Producer and CEO of Illumination Studios, Chris Meledandri to his
Pops, Roland, who owned a clothing store in NYC! Before long, the minions find themselves
at a department store. Take a close look at the mannequins inside. Notice anything? Many of them look strikingly like another character
from the Despicable Me series: Lucy Wilde, the secret agent from the Anti-Villain League
who stole Gru’s heart, voiced by Kristen Wiig! Of course when looking for a new big boss,
what better place to find the villain of your dreams than Villain Con in Orlando?! It’s
there that the minions meet Scarlet Overkill, the hottest, greatest, and first female
villain out there, voiced by Sandra Bullock. There is so much to see while we’re at the
convention! Everyone who’s anyone is in attendance. Check out that young scientist with
the green sweater doing a demonstration of his Freeze-Ray. You may not recognize him so young,
but that’s Doctor Nafario, voiced by Russell Brand! Too bad his invention hasn’t quite taken
off yet, but look closer, and you’ll realize he’s actually doing the demonstration for one of
his future customers…or should I say bosses?! Check out the backsides of the boy in the
black and gray scarf and the lady in the polka dot dress. You are looking at young Gru
and his mother, voiced by Steve Carrell and Julie Andrews in the series! Not convinced? Check
out Gru’s beak of a nose as he turns to face us. Another interesting presenter is Professor Flux,
who gives a demonstration of his time machine. Although his experiment proves disastrous, did
you know that Professor Flux is an easter egg? He is named after the flux capacitor, which is
another important time travel device, because it allowed Marty McFly and Doc Brown from Back to
the Future, to travel through time in their iconic DeLorean! So Flux has got that going for him…had
that going for him. RIP, Professor Flux...es. Anyway, Scarlet Overkill is the headliner at
the convention. Listen while Kevin stares in awe at her statue. You can hear the
announcer saying that she’s appearing “now in Hall H.” Hall H is sort of an
insider joke for anyone who’s made the pilgrimage to San Diego Comic Con. All that
con’s biggest presentations happen in Hall H. Alright, this next one is tricky, but there’s
another villain from the Despicable Me universe sitting near Frankie Fishlips in the audience
of Hall H. While Frankie gets carried away and makes a fool of himself, take a look at the
audience member three people to the right, and one row behind. He’s not wearing
his normal clothes. Maybe he’s observing incognito…or maybe he’s just going through
a biker phase. Whatever the explanation, that’s Eduardo Pérez, aka El Macho, the big bad
from Despicable Me 2, voiced by Benjamin Bratt. For fans of 80s classic villains, take a look at the bushy-browed fella
sitting in front of the minions, with the long black robe and the big bulbous
schnoz. He’s Illumination’s version of Gargamel, evil wizard and arch-nemesis to the whimsical
little blue people known as The Smurfs. C’mon, you know the song! Let’s…not sing it and avoid
getting slapped with a copyright claim! Moving on. How about historic villains? Sure, he’s
famous for saying he’s not a crook, but Americans knew better back in 1974.
Still, this movie takes place in 1968, so maybe it would be a little surprising
to find Richard aka Tricky Dick Nixon in attendance at Scarlet Overkill’s
Keynote Presentation. Front and center! And sitting right next to him is a gent in
sunglasses and a hat. That’s Chilean Dictator, General Augusto Pinochet, who took
power over Chile from 1973 to 1990. See kids? It pays to stay awake in history class! The big reveal during Scarlet’s presentation
is that she’s looking for new henchmen, and of course, Kevin, Bob and Stuart prove
they’re the right minions for the job. How do they prove it? By stealing a
ruby right out of Scarlet’s hand. Did you notice that the ruby in her
hand is a priceless stolen gem? If not, you weren’t paying close enough attention
during the car ride to the convention with The Nelsons. At one point Tina Nelson, voiced
by Katy Mixon, shows Kevin a magazine spread of Scarlet Overkill. Look at the page on the
left! There’s the ruby and a headline that reads “STOLEN RUBY STILL MISSING!” The ruby is
also framed in a silhouette that pretty much guarantees that everyone knows who’s to blame.
Scarlet obviously doesn’t mind the attention. After the minions steal the ruby from her, Scarlet
immediately takes them back to her castle lair in England to bring them up to speed on her
next major scheme: Stealing Her Royal Majesty, Queen Elizabeth’s crown. Watch as she shows the
minions the portrait of the Queen. At one point, she steps in front of the picture in
such a way that it looks like she’s wearing the queen’s crown, which
of course, is her ultimate goal. But, after all is said and done, we know that Gru
winds up with the crown in the end. What? Don’t get mad! That wasn’t a spoiler! I mean, sure you
see Gru with the crown at the end of this movie, but that crown’s been featured
in another movie all along! Go back to the original Despicable Me. Remember
when Gru comes to tell his Minions that the Bank of Evil is no longer funding his plan to steal the
moon? After a lovely little gesture from Margo, Agnes and Edith, the rest of the Minions scrape
together everything they have in order to make Gru’s dream a reality. Aside from the piggy bank,
loose cash and a watch amongst other things, in one shot you can clearly see that minions
are bringing the Queen’s crown to Gru. So, as you can see, Scarlet’s failure had
already been written out of sequence. Did you know that Scarlet has something in common with one of our minions? Pay close
attention to her passive aggressive, yet super threatening re-telling of the Three
Little Pigs. Did you notice that the picture of Scarlet on the easel shows her with a teddy
bear? It looks exactly like Bob’s teddy bear, Tim. No wonder she seems to have a soft spot
for Bob…well, soft by super villain standards. Speaking of teddy bears, later on in the movie,
when Queen Elizabeth shows her gratitude to the minions, she rewards Bob with a crown for
his teddy Tim. Bob is so grateful, he shouts “Terima Kasih!” Terima Kasih is Malay for
“Thank You.” Malay is a language spoken in Southeast Asia. Is that it? Have we figured
out what language the Minions speak? Not quite. Back when Scarlet shows the
minions her portrait of the Queen, she asks them if they know who the subject is.
Kevin guesses, “La cucaracha?” La Cucaracha, aside from being a famous song,
is Spanish for “The Cockroach.” So what the heck is going on
with the minions’ language? Well, “Minionese” or “The Banana Language”
as it’s sometimes referred to, is a mish-mash of gibberish that uses words in
a totally nonsensical way from across multiple languages, including Spanish, Italian, English,
German, French, Portuguese, Hebrew and more! How in the world do you try to translate that? You
don’t, according to director and minions’ voice, Pierre Coffin. Words were literally put together
based on how funny they sounded. Go ahead, translate the words all you like,
but you’re probably better off trying to guess what the minions
are saying based on the situation. At one point, all the rest of the minions make
the journey across the world to join Kevin, Stuart and Bob. In their travels, they come
across an old friend; not an old friend of theirs, but an old friend of ours. Listen closely when
they’re hanging off the wing of the Air Britannia jet. It’s a little hard to hear against the
end of the song “The Letter” by the Box Tops, but you can hear a scream just before the scene
changes. That scream is none other than the Wilhelm Scream from 1951’s Distant Drums!
You may not have caught it the first time, because the filmmakers pitched it up so that
it would sound like a minion’s scream! Sneaky! There’s also a fun little easter egg to be found
for cinephiles in the tribe’s travel montage. At one point, the Minions find themselves wandering
into the frame of a movie shoot in progress, making the director very angry. Well, that
director looks a little like legendary director Stanley Kubrick, and what he’s shooting is the
basis for a real-life conspiracy theory that claims the 1969 moon landing was fake and that
Kubrick was involved in directing the footage. That’s not the only Kubrick easter egg in
the movie. Herb Overkill, voiced by Jon Hamm, is Scarlet’s husband. Like Doctor Nafario, he has
his own lab filled with dangerous inventions and weapons. But what might be more of concern is his
choice of flooring. His carpet is the same design found in the Overlook Hotel; the hotel which
transformed Jack Torrence from a “dull boy” into a raging psychopath in Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation
of the Stephen King shocker, The Shining! Now, how can you make a movie with pop culture
references, set in the 1960’s UK, that avoids making a single reference to The Beatles? Easy!
You can’t! Remember when the minions climb out of the sewer on Abbey Road only to be stomped on
by four pairs of feet? The song playing during the shot is “Love Me Do” by The Beatles, and the
four pairs of legs supposedly belong to the fab four. One of ‘em’s even barefoot, just like Sir
Paul McCartney on the Abbey Road album cover! Make sure you subscribe to Movie Logic for
more daily movie facts, trivia and easter eggs! Minions: The Rise of Gru has arrived
and its about time! You may remember our breakdown of the trailer before
it hit theaters. Let’s crack into it, uncover some secrets and easter eggs
and see how close to the mark we came! Rise of Gru was such a long time coming, it became
the record holder for the longest-advertised animated film in motion picture history! Did
you know that the movie didn’t debut until two and a half years after its first trailer
was revealed? I’m sure you can guess the reason for the delay of its release. Ugh!
Covid…the real super villain. This created a mess for the advertising and merchandising
connected to the movie. McDonald’s had Happy Meal toys based on the movie that went out two
years before the movie’s release. Same with Lego. When the movie finally did come out, it was a
black tie affair. At least, for some young Tik Tokkers. Kids from all over made a meme sensation
of going to the movie dressed in formal wear and posting on the platform! The craze had such
an impact, PostTrak reported 34 percent of the opening weekend audience was teenagers between
13 and 17! No small feat when you consider that only 8% of this same demographic went to see
Despicable Me 3 on it’s opening weekend. But enough about stats! Let’s break into this movie
and see what secrets we can come away with! The movie opens on a billboard celebrating the
American Bicentennial, 1976! If you remember from our trailer video, with Gru and his
Minions going to see Jaws in theaters, we figured the movie would take place somewhere in
that time…ish. But did you know that Minions has something in common with another movie directed
by one of Steven Spielberg’s peers? In 1981, director Brian De Palma released Blow
Out, a political thriller starring John Travolta as a sound man who records what
sounds like an accidental tire blow out, but turns out to be so much more. Blow Out
is set against the Philadelphia Bicentennial Celebration in 1976. Of course, Rise of
Gru leans heavier on the Chinese New Year, but both films end amidst a colorful
celebration and parade, complete with fireworks. Rise of Gru wastes no time introducing us to The
Vicious 6, the team of super villains idolized by young Gru. Belle Bottom, voiced by Taraji
P. Henson is unleashing her groove on the good ole AVL, that’s the Anti-Villain League to
the uninitiated. Watch as black sedans give chase after her. One of the cars comes right
at us! Did you catch what’s going on in the passenger seat? The agent is taking a bite
of a pink donut with sprinkles! C’mon guy, don’t perpetuate the stereotype! Of course,
that pink donut calls to mind another animated property created by Matt Groening; The
Simpsons. “Mmm…forbidden donuuuuut.” Belle Bottom returns to the secret lair where
we meet Stronghold voiced by Danny Trejo, Nun Chuck played by Lucy Lawless,
Svengeance performed by Dolph Lundgren, Jean-Clawed played by Jean-Claude…Van
Damme, that is, and Wild Knuckles voiced by Alan Arkin; all of which we covered
more extensively in the trailer video. Needless to say, that neckless they’re
after that we were wondering so much about is called the Legendary Zodiac
Stone, and its magical powers don’t just change characters into random animals.
It turns the characters into animals from the Chinese Zodiac! We’ve got the ox, monkey,
sans the pre-existing claw of course, the snake which just had to be the Catholic nun’s
inner beast, the tiger, and last but not least, the dragon because in 1976, the Chinese
New Year marked the Year of the Dragon. The Minions also get transformed
into zodiac animals: Rabbit, goat and rooster. So when we
called them barnyard animals, we were kinda right. We’ll count it!
But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. The Vicious 6 have to steal the Zodiac Stone,
and they do, thanks to the map stolen by Belle Bottom. Oddly enough, the leader of the pack,
Wild Knuckles, takes point on getting the stone pretty much all by himself, facing an army of
tiny, golden, armored guards. He finally gets a little support in the form of a rope!
Hang on a second. That rope is fashioned into a noose. Probably not a good sign. And of
course it isn’t as the rest of the Vicious 6 doublecross Wild Knuckles, steal the stone, and
literally cut ties with their leader. Harsh! Next, we’re treated to some eye candy in the
form of an opening credits sequence. Did you know this sequence is an homage to a long
running spy film franchise? The bold colors, the silhouettes, and the music are
all sending up the title sequences made famous in the James Bond series. Over
27 films and counting, the opening montages have grown from simple graphics and the
iconic view down a gun barrel, to sweeping, layered graphical showcases of danger and
lust. They’re an artform all their own, thanks to the likes of Maurice Binder, Robert
Brownjohn, and Marc Forster’s studio MK12. Sometimes the Bond title sequences show
little samples of the film ahead. Rise of Gru does the same thing. When Gru’s silhouette
rises and the Minions arms appear with him like Shiva, it’s a foreshadowing of later
in the movie when the minions Bob, Kevin and Stuart, break into Wild Knuckles’s home. Want another movie reference? Let’s watch Gru
get ready for his big interview! At one point, he’s singing in the shower with his hair in
a mohawk. Fans of writer/director John Hughes recognize this right away as a reference to
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Of course, Ferris, played by Matthew Broderick, is singing Danke
Schoen while Gru is singing Bad Moon Rising, only substituting his name Gru for moon.
Ya’ gotta love it! The kid has confidence. Of course, classic rock and disco sounds of the
70s reign supreme in any movie featuring Gru, and Rise of Gru doesn’t disappoint. You’ll hear
familiar hits like Funky Town, Dance to the Music, Born to be Alive, and Black Magic Woman.
But one Disco Queen lends her voice to a brand new song with the help of
Austrailin psychadelic pop band, Tame Impala, and that’s Diana
Ross. Did you know that at 78, Ross is still touring in support of her latest
album, ‘Thank You’? No, thank you, Ms. Ross. The Minions, of course, have to give their
renditions of two classic songs of the era. While building Gru’s very first evil lair, they
can be heard singing in their native Minionese, also known as ‘The Banana Language,’ as Minions
are obsessed with bananas. The song they’re singing is the 1970 hit “Cecelia” by Simon
and Garfunkel. Later in the movie, they give a heartfelt performance of The Rolling Stones
1969 hit “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.” That’s not the only reference from 1969. As
Gru makes his way to the Vicious 6’s evil lair, he almost runs over a hippy looking dude in
bell bottoms and a jacket. The dude yells, “Hey, I’m walkin’ here!” which was a line
made famous by Dustin Hoffman in the 1969 Academy Award winning film, Midnight Cowboy.
The line is especially famous because Hoffman, who played Enrico “Ratzo” Rizzo in that
film was almost run over by the taxi for real. Midnight Cowboy was shot on the
streets of New York City guerrilla-style, because the production didn’t have a permit to
shut down the street, so that’s a real New York Taxi coming at him! But Hoffman stayed
in character and film history was made. The Vicious 6’s lair is fronted by a record shop
run by a groovy brit by the name Nefario. Heheh, yea we know where this is going. He just so
happens to even have an interesting gadget…on hand! He calls it “Sticky Fingers”. The
invention is a more complex version of the Sticky Hands kids toy. Did you know
that the toy originated in the 80’s, thanks to a gentleman named Ken Hakuta? The
sticky elastomer substance was originally used in a toy called the Wacky Wall-Walker
and was modeled after a spider. So, it looks like Nefario actually bested Hakuta
by developing the technology a decade earlier. That’s not the only retro toy to show up in
Rise of Gru. Check out all the fun classic arcade games Gru, Kevin, Stuart, and Bob
play. Air Hockey, Whack-a-Mole, Pinball, but most interestingly, take a look at the arcade
box behind the air hockey table. Pong is one of the earliest arcade games to actually port into a
home version in 1975! It may not look like much, but this game was important in
launching the video game industry. If you thought Pong was old, this next toy
will feel downright prehistoric. After Gru is denied by the Vicious 6, he steals the
Zodiac Stone which leads to an action-packed chase. He keeps the Vicious 6 busy chasing
him after secretly giving the stone to minion Otto to bring back to his lair safe and
sound. After giving the Vicious 6 the slip, he returns to his lair victorious…only
to find that Otto traded the Zodiac Stone for another kind of stone that was very
much in demand at the time…a pet rock. The Pet Rock was marketed by Gary Dahl as the
answer to all other kinds of high maintenance pets. It came with a booklet on how to care
for the rock, filled with puns and gags, and at less than five bucks, the toy
made Gary a millionaire by the end of its short-lived craze. Oh, and the googly
eyes? Did you know they weren’t included, but were an added bit of inspiration by consumers?
Thank God I grew up in the age of video games. Another kind of game is played by Otto during the
scene when Gru announces he’ll be interviewing for a spot in the Vicious 6. Otto’s a bit of a
jabbermouth and so Gru tells him to play the quiet game. Otto takes this to mean he should hold his
breath. This answers our question from the trailer video when we wondered why his cheeks were so
rosy and he looked liked he was going to pass out. Another moment we touched on in our trailer
video was the Evel Knievel cameo. It seems the creators decided to fudge the year a little
on this one, as we said that Evel Knievel failed his attempt at jumping Snake River Canyon
in 1974. Well, here’s the rest of the jump! Otto lands, and Evel…doesn’t. Called it! Another wonder from our trailer video revolved
around Gru in a boyscout uniform at the Bank of Evil. What was he doing in that outfit and
how does he so readily have a key? Well, we certainly know now. The uniform was part of
a disguise. The other part? Wild Knuckles. The two join forces and pretend to be a Grandpa and
Grandson duo in order to train Gru to infiltrate the bank and steal something. Of course
if we’re talking about the Bank of Evil, someone else from the Despicable Me universe
can be counted on to show up: Mr. Perkins, voiced by Will Arnett! In fact he’s the
keeper of the key. We also get a look at a picture of him with young Vector, voiced by
Jason Segel in the first Despicable Me movie. But there’s one more villain of note
visiting the bank as well. See the pointy-hatted gentleman with the fur collar who
kind of looks like if the Wicked Witch of the West were a man? Well that’s none other
than Sergei, the big bad from The Secret Life of Pets 2! If you missed him the first
time, here he is again…again…aaaaaand again! While Gru is learning everything Wild Knuckles has
to teach him, Bob, Kevin and Stuart are learning the art of Kung Fu from Master Chow, voiced by
Michelle Yeoh. As we said in our trailer video, she is probably best known for her work
in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Rise of Gru reinforces that statement. Watch the
sequence where Master Yeoh teaches the minions to find their inner beast. She goes jumping and
flipping from tree to tree with minimal effort, kind of like Chow Yun Fat and Ziyi Zhang
during their fight in the bamboo forest. Yes, I know Michelle Yeoh isn’t in the scene,
but she is in the movie! So count it! Thanks to Master Chow, there’s one more sighting
of a supervillain…kind of. While the minions are training at San Francisco’s Fisherman’s
Wharf, Stuart takes a much needed banana break. Did you happen to notice who’s
on his lunchbox? It’s Scarlet Overkill, the main baddie from the original 2015
Minions movie, voiced by Sandra Bullock. Want another character cameo? Turns out
we were spot on about the AVL. Under that coiffe and mutton chops is a chin that can’t be
denied: Silas Ramsbottom voiced by Steve Coogan. Still, we can’t get them all right. Remember when
we had a hard time placing rapper producer RZA in the cast. His imdb credit didn’t have a character
name. Well it’s since been updated and it turns out RZA plays the biker uncle of the birthday kid
who winds up in possession of the Zodiac Stone. He and Otto strike up a friendship that finds
them on a motorcycle journey reminiscent of the counterculture masterpiece, Easy Rider. It just so
happens they send up another movie along the way. On their ride, the duo finds themselves behind
a gasoline tanker. They start making goofy faces to amuse themselves with their funhouse
reflections off the back of the rig. Does this moment feel familiar at all? Not in the Despicable
Me universe. Then where? Along the way to the Los Angeles International Speedway before a short
detour through Radiator Springs. That’s right, Lightning McQueen’s trusty driver Mack voiced
by John Ratzenberger did the same exact thing. Of course, where minions are concerned there’s
always a fair share of goofiness. Check out the fun they have at Gru’s mom’s tupperware party.
They just can’t get enough of the product’s trademark Burp and Seal feature. Yea… that’s
not a burp. But there’s something else going on. You can hear a low horn in the background
playing a melody that should really perk up the ears of sci-fi fans. That’s because the note
progression was chosen by composer John Williams as the basis for communication with alien life
in the Steven Spielberg classic Close Encounters of the Third Kind; a movie that came out in 197…7?
It seems we’ve stumbled on an anachronism. Whoops! There’s another detail fudge made
by the filmmakers. Remember when the minions were turned into animals from
the Zodiac? Stuart, as the rooster, unleashes his inner beast and lays a
projectile barrage of eggs at cobra Nun Chuck. There’s just one problem with
that. Roosters don’t lay eggs. Hens do. Hey, they unleashed their inner beasts and saved
their mini boss. That’s what really counts. Mini boss–I mean, Gru has certainly been set on
the path to becoming the greatest super villain that ever lived, thanks to his new mentor Wild
Knuckles. After witnessing Wild Knuckles’s final stroke of genius, Gru expresses his excitement
at one day being able to do the same thing. Wild Knuckles tells him, “Shoot for the moon, kid.”
And as we all know, he did. In Despicable Me. Make sure you subscribe to Movie Logic for more
daily movie facts, trivia, and easter eggs. Now let’s look back at our trailer breakdown
before we had all the answers for Minions: The Rise of Gru! Watch in awe at all
the details we nailed out of the gate, and have a laugh at our expense for
the ones we really messed up on! Take a look at the opening. The trailer starts on
a sleepy, modest suburban street. In his bedroom, young Gru struggles to get comfortable in bed
sandwiched between minions Bob and Kevin before Stuart also jumps in. Did you notice Stuart’s
smoking jacket though? This is a nod to the founder of Playboy magazine, Hugh Hefner. And
this is only the start of the hidden references! Look around the bedroom, it’s obvious Gru is
a villain in the making! His bedside table is an open vault, and his alarm clock looks like a
timebomb. Also, check out the spider wallpaper! While you’re mulling that over, take a look at
the poster on the right: A muscle man holding up the word STRONGHOLD. Stronghold is a member of
the villainous syndicate called The Vicious 6. In the movie they’re looking for a new member
to round out the group, so it looks like Gru will be giving his all to fill that empty
spot. What’s next that you may have missed? We’re treated to another creative and comical
reveal of the Illumination title screen, with a minion riding a Disco Ball like Miley
Cyrus in her video for “Wrecking Ball,” knocking down all the letters that don’t spell ‘minion.’
Disco music has always played a key part in the Despicable Me universe. Judging by Gru’s age, do
you think we’re at the height of the disco craze? Next, when Gru says, “There are a lot
of other villains in the world,” we’re introduced to some immediately! The Vicious
6 in the heart of Chinatown. Remember the poster on Gru’s wall? Take a look on
the left! It’s STRONGHOLD in the flesh! Next to him is a villain that looks like a cross
between a crab and a droog from the 1971 film, A Clockwork Orange. This character is aptly
named Jean Clawed, not just because he has an obvious claw for an arm, but because he is voiced
by the Muscles from Brussels himself, action star Jean-Claude Van Damme! And he’s not the only
member of the Vicious 6 with hidden references. Moving down the line, our next baddie
is Belle Bottom. Based on her look, she’s a tribute to the tough-as-nails women from
70’s blaxploitation cinema, like Tamara Dobson and Pam Grier. She’s voiced by Taraji P. Henson. But
take a closer look! There’s more going on here. What is that necklace she’s holding? Since we
seem to be in Chinatown, are those jade stones in the amulet? And notice what’s going on with
her left hand? It’s holding a gold chain wrapped around…something. Is that Gru upside down?!
Looks like he got himself into some deep trouble. Check out what looks like a big blond
throwback to the 1975 movie Rollerball. This is Svengeance and he’s voiced by another
big blond, action star, Dolph Lundgren. Look at the back of our last villain in
the next shot. Notice they’re wearing a nun’s habit. Her name is Nunchuk. Yes,
she’s a nun who uses nunchucks! And the Vicious 6 aren’t the only ones
full of secrets and references. Next, we see the authorities out in
full force! But these aren’t just any authorities. They’re the Anti-Villain
League introduced to us in Despicable Me 2! Could that chap in the brown with the
sideburns be a young Silas Ramsbottom? Also, look closer at the shot. Something is off here.
Notice the characters are in the same order from behind as they were from the front in the
prior shot? Is this an error? A different scene? Guess we’ll have to check out the movie to
find out! Stay sharp! There’s more to unpack! Did you see the movie poster for Jaws in the
background as the minions open the theater doors for Gru? Based on Jaws’s American release,
the year could easily be the Summer of 1975, sometime in 76, or even 79 for its
re-release. Judging by the audience’s longer, layered wardrobe, it could be
during a colder season too. Then again, part of the appeal of going to movie theaters at
that time was the air-conditioning. Of course, Gru has to terrorize the audience with a
prototype stink bomb. Stink weapons are another staple of the Despicable Me universe going
all the way back to the…um, not-Dart gun built by Dr. Nefario in the first movie. And there’s
another throwback to the first Despicable Me. Recognize the Bank of Evil? In the first film,
underneath the Bank of Evil sign, a banner read “Formerly Lehman Brothers,” which was a dig at
the real-life financial firm which experienced the biggest bankruptcy in history, back in
2008. Since Rise of Gru takes place in the 70’s, it makes you wonder when the Bank of Evil split
from the ill-fated investment company. Or maybe you’re just wondering why Gru is dressed like a
boy scout, and how that disguise gave him access to vault keys? I guess we’ll look forward to
how it all unfolds when the movie comes out. Did you notice this detail from the trailer? The
sequence in the ice cream parlor when Gru shoots customers with a cheesy blast gun is another
direct reference to the first Despicable Me, when Gru uses his freeze ray on
customers in the coffee shop. Let’s look for more. Next we’re treated to a flurry of action in
bell bottoms and polyester. The villains all have vehicles of destruction tailored to their
character. You can also see the creators of the movie are really exaggerating the 70’s style
from the feathered hair and mustachioed minions’ disguises to the incredibly oversized sedan in
the background. The action comes to a screeching halt when the minions chant “Mini Boss!” Not
only does Gru not like being called mini, this is in direct contradiction to
the end of the first minions movie, when Kevin screams “Big Boss!”
while chasing after Gru. Suddenly, Gru is kidnapped and taken
away in a van, leaving poor Kevin crying, “Mini Boss!” alone on the street. Do you get
the feeling “Mini Boss!” will be a running joke? Notice how the trailer takes a turn from
Gru proving himself as a young villain to a minions rescue mission? Next, Gru faces down
a leatherbound dude with curly white hair and a headband. This is Wild Knuckles, the bitter,
ousted leader who was cut from the Vicious 6. When Gru tells him, “My minions will save me,”
take a look at the furniture flanking him. Two crocodile couches like the one in Gru’s house from
Despicable Me! Is this foreshadowing? Could one of those couches be Gru’s very first trophy? Maybe
a gift? Stick around for another crazy reference! Did you hear the music playing at this point
in the trailer? That song is called, “Battle Without Honor or Humanity,” and it was made famous
by the Quentin Tarantino film, “Kill Bill.” Add to that detail some sharply-dressed henchmen with red
bandanas, and an acupuncturist who knows kung fu, and we know that Minions: Rise of Gru promises
to have some fun with the martial arts genre. The acupuncturist is Master Chow, and she’s voiced
by Michelle Yeoh, who you probably saw last in the movie Everything Everywhere All At Once but
probably remember better from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. She agrees to train
the minions for their rescue mission. Next, we’re teased with some visuals of
a far-off mystical land and a mysterious character in a jetpack. Who could this be?
A look at the cast list on imdb shows one voice actor without a character name
credit; Rapper/Producer RZA. Could RZA and the mysterious character be one in
the same? Or could it be Wild Knuckles? We’re not done yet though, there’s still
plenty more to point out in this trailer. Next we see Kevin try to break a board with his
head and it doesn’t go well. After Kevin falls over, Stuart squares up to the board but instead
decides to continue using Kevin’s head to hit the board. By the way, does that board they’re
trying to break look more like a bench to you?
You probably missed this detail. In the next
shot, the minions find themselves on a jumbo jet disguised as pilots. Where exactly are they going?
While Bob and Kevin freak out in the cockpit, Stuart is hanging on for dear life in the
airplane bathroom. Did you happen to notice the pink toilet paper? Pink toilet paper
aka pécu or PQ is common in France. Maybe that’s where they’re headed! Bon voyage, Minions!
Don’t blink or you’ll miss this next one. Back on the ground we see a new minion called Otto who’s
burning rubber on a tricycle, taking it up a ramp and over a deep canyon drop. Did you catch the
number on the ramp? That’s the American stars and stripes number 1 made famous by stunt performer
Evel Knievel. If this little easter egg is any indication, then the movie actually takes place
in 1974, the same year Evel Knievel failed to jump Snake River Canyon. It seems Otto stole his
thunder. From here the trailer gets really wild. Gru is tied to the face of a clock tower, but
never fear, his heroic minions are there for him, suited up in matching yellow jumpsuits. Do they
look familiar? A Tarantino fan will remember a similar yellow jumpsuit as worn by The Bride
in Kill Bill, which in turn was a tribute to the great martial arts master, Bruce Lee
from the 1978 film Game of Death. Stuart, Kevin and Bob must mean business! But as you’ll
see, they’ll need all the help they can get! Check out those mutant creatures creating
chaos! They’re actually the Vicious 6! The amulet necklace around Dragon Belle
Bottom’s neck possesses the power to transform matter. The minions find the odds
stacked against them when Belle turns them into common barnyard animals. But that doesn’t
stop them. They charge their adversaries anyway. Did you see that though? They’re not alone.
In the shot when the two groups clash, leading the minions, dressed in white and black,
is Wild Knuckles! And look at what happens next! Gru screams, “Minions assemble!” which
is a callback to the command “Voltron Assemble” from the 1980s cartoon
series, Voltron. In the cartoon, the space explorers would all combine to
form a giant robot called Voltron. Here, the minions summon fire power that builds
on their newly acquired kung fu skills. From there, our minions chant their
devotion for mini-boss Gru, again, much to the poor kid’s displeasure. Did you see
Otto at the front of the group? His cheeks are rosy and he looks like he’s about to pass out.
Is he holding his breath? And why is Stuart carrying two nail guns? Behind him, another
minion is clad in all black for some reason, and not far from him, one minion is playing a
cymbal on another minion’s head. At the top of the frame is a minion who looks like he’s
doused in green paint. What’s that about? One thing’s for sure, you always gotta keep
your eyes peeled when minions are involved! Smash cut to the animal Vicious 6
as they pounce on poor little Gru, and the title screen interrupts the action,
leaving us wanting to see more! Just like the minions in the final shot, I can’t wait to pile
into a movie theater to see Minions: Rise of Gru! I hope you liked this video and spotted some
things you missed in the Minions Movies! Make sure you subscribe to Movie Logic for more
daily movie secrets, trivia, and easter eggs.
