Another 'Despicable Me' Movie…Hooray

It is that time of the year when Illumination tests the waters to see if people still care enough about Minions where they can still make a buck off the brand.

For a long time, various studios creating animated films have developed their distinct lanes, formulating a brand that people know very well. Everyone knows what they are getting into when it comes to Disney. Everyone knows what they are getting into when it comes to Studio Ghibli. Everyone knows what they are getting into when it comes to Illumination. The latter, however, struggles to grow its brand image, lacking a creative spark that pushes the envelope to design iconic, memorable stories. The key word in that sentence is stories, not characters, which is the problem regarding Illumination, especially their Despicable Me franchise. They prioritize characters over the story, leading to such a letdown of a film. 

In the newest installment, Despicable Me 4, we follow Gru and his family on a new adventure, where they are relocated to a safe house in a town called Mayflower to hide from villain Maxime Le Mal, an old classmate of Gru's looking for revenge. Oh, and Gru and his wife Lucy now have a kid named Gru Jr. For a fun new addition to the family, you would think this movie would explore the family element, primarily how it affects the dynamics of Gru's bond with his three daughters, but it does not. Instead, we get an abundance of Minions, a random teenage girl who wants to be a villain that has more screen time than Gru's actual kids, and the weakest foe in the entire franchise. 

There is so much going on in Despicable Me 4, but none of it matters because there is no substance concerning the existing characters. My biggest issue with this story was including the character Poppy. She is the daughter of Gru's new neighbor, and she desperately wants to be a villain, pressuring Gru to be a villain once again and go on a heist with her so she does not reveal his location and identity while he and his family are in a protection program. As I mentioned earlier, Poppy has more screen time than his three kids, which makes no sense. Margot, the oldest, struggles with adapting to a new school, and Gru brushes it off with a sweet comment, and the problem never arises again.

The other two kids, Edith and Agnes, are the same as before; they are just there for laughs. These kids were crucial to Gru's character arc in the first film. Everyone remembers the high-stakes climax where Gru must decide whether to steal the moon or go to their ballet recital. It sucks that they are now on the sidelines in favor of the nonsensical story points that waste everyone's time. I understand that they don't want to age up the girls because they can keep making more of these movies without worrying about realism. Yet, they don't feel a part of the family anymore because they do not have any family issues. For instance, in Incredibles 2, Violet has a crush but worries her father might embarrass her at a restaurant. Dash struggles with his homework, and Bob struggles even more to understand it. It is realistic but does not involve aging the characters or doing anything outlandish to make the audience truly understand and feel for the characters and their stories.

You may think I am too critical of a film made for children, but is it just made for children? The adults who take the children have to watch the movie too. Do they want to hear a bunch of butt jokes or watch Minions cause destruction? Like any Disney, Pixar, or Studio Ghibli film, they have those unserious, comical jokes, but they balance it with robust emotional character work that complements the narrative. The first Despicable Me was Illumination's first film, and it is probably their best because it is the one with the most heart. It is not a blatant cash-grab featuring a story nobody gets anything from. Well, I guess the main message here is that being a parent is not easy, as they will do anything to protect their children. Yet, the impact is soft when there is a greater focus on just one of Gru's four kids and a teenage girl who is not even his daughter. 

So, Illumination, let's stop creating a brand overly focused on creating entertainment for toddlers. The box office numbers show that all sorts of people are seeing their movies, but the quality hardly warrants some of their billion-dollar hits. Bring back the dynamic yet balanced storytelling from the first Despicable Me. Why not focus more on Gru's connection with his wife and kids? Nobody cares about a random teenage girl, and the whole Minions brand is starting to get tiring when they take up screen time doing absolutely nothing. Animation is a medium of film that has elevated storytelling to new heights, but I fear the latest Despicable Me entry and Illumination as a whole have lost what makes animation so unique.