'Minions: The Rise Of Gru' Super Bowl Spot: Yep, Those Little Yellow Henchmen Are Back

While some animation aficionados like to turn their noses up at the work of Illumination, there's no denying their power at the box office. And the first footage from Minions: The Rise of Gru, which arrived during the Super Bowl, suggests that they've crafted yet another billion dollar hit. If you have a child in your life, you're probably going to end up seeing this one. Probably a dozen times or more.

Minions: The Rise of Gru is the sequel to 2015's Minions, itself a prequel to the Despicable Me series of films. While the core series followed Gru (Steve Carell), a criminal mastermind with a warm, squishy heart beneath his angular exterior, these spin-off films explore the origins of his yellow henchmen. The first film revealed them to be ancient beings who always seek out and serve the most evil person they can find. That film ended with them finally meeting up with a young Gru. As the title implies, Minions: The Rise of Gru will explore what happens next. Spoiler alert: Gru rises, apparently.

While critics have generally waved these movies off, their box office has kept Universal happy for a decade now – the lowest grossing film in the series still broke half a billion dollars worldwide while two of them have broken a billion. Plus, those minions are just plain inescapable, both as merchandise and as memes. Sure, Pixar has the prestige, but Illumination has made a strong play for family dollars all over the world for years now. Nothing can stand in their way.

Minions: The Rise of Gru will open on July 3, 2020.