What Did Chris Renaud REVEAL About Despicable Me Franchise? Here’s What Director Says About Legacy Of Minions

Chris Renaud returned as a director for the fourth installment of the Despicable Me franchise. Following the movie’s digital release, the filmmaker spoke about the film and minions.

Written by Rashi Desai , Entertainment Journalist

Published on Aug 27, 2024 | 05:05 PM GMT | 75.7K

Despicable Me 4 via YouTube

The Despicable Me franchise has been winning hearts and gaining praise from the audience for its brilliant filmmaking and for introducing the characters of Minions and Gru to the fans. As Despicable Me 4 had its digital premiere earlier this month, the director of the film, Chris Renaud, spoke candidly about his journey in making animated movies and the legacy of minions carried over the years.

The filmmakers also fondly talked about Steve Carell, who has been the constant in all the movies.

In a lengthy conversation with the entertainment portal, Renaud talked about the quality of the franchise, especially after staying with Illumination Studios for a long time. The director claimed that the films have made their space in contemporary cinema.

The filmmaker revealed to the outlet, “I think that the whole franchise and the characters have a universal quality, a relatable quality—that's allowed it to kind of change over time but keep its relevance.”

He further added, “I think that you know, first and foremost, we make the movies as comedies; you know, they're lighthearted; they're there for people to laugh with and at; and I just think that inhabits a unique space in, you know, contemporary entertainment and animated films that really nobody else is doing, but people just like to come and have a good time.”

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Meanwhile, apart from taking the director’s chair, Renaud confessed that he voiced one of the Minion characters in the first two films of Despicable Me. "I did Minion voices in the first two films, just a little bit here and there, but most of it was Pierre, even then and then."

Additionally, the filmmaker spoke about Steve Carell and Will Ferrel, who, though voiced the characters in the film, never met on the sets of the animated movie. The actors worked together on Anchorman, and when Renaud was asked about it, he said, “The scene we really wanted to get them together on was towards the end of the movie, where they're talking to each other as just the two of them in the scene.”

Meanwhile, in his talks, the filmmaker also mentioned the minions, who not only worked out for the films but became one of iconic characters in the film industry.

Despicable Me 4 is available to stream on Apple TV+ and Prime Video.