'Minions: The Rise Of Gru' Trailer: The Yellow Goofballs Help A Young Gru Become A Super Villain

Despicable Me is one of the most successful animated franchises in recent memory, and the little yellow Minions are a cash cow for Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment. So it should come as no surprise that they're back in theaters this summer.Minions: The Rise of Gru takes us back to the 1970s when Gru (voiced by Steve Carell) was just a little kid aspiring to be a super villain. When he heads to the headquarters of the nefarious team known as the Vicious 6, he almost gets laughed out of the room. But then he uses one of his patented gadgets to steal an important artifact from their lair, officially starting him down his path of being a bona fide super villain. Unfortunately, what happens after that complicates things for the kid. Watch the Minions: The Rise of Gru trailer below to see what happens.

First of all, let me just say that it's rather shameless that this prequel starring Gru is now going under the Minions moniker. The part of the franchise focusing on Gru and his life as a villain falls under the Despicable Me banner, but clearly Universal and Illumination are using the more recognizable Minions name to get as many eyes on it as possible. Plus, it's probably still hard for kids to say "despicable" instead of "minions." But I digress.

Otherwise, this movie actually doesn't look half-bad. Origin stories often don't do much to enhance the franchise they're explaining, but in this case, it allows for the amusing prospect of seeing Gru as a villainous child. Plus, even though the Minions can get annoying after awhile, their antics do come with decent laughs here. But in the case of The Rise of Gru, it's the new characters that sound like the most fun.

The Vicious 6 brings a new roster of characters to the animated franchise with Taraji P. Henson as Belle Bottom, Jean-Claude Van Damme as Jean Clawed, Lucy Lawless as Nunchuck, Dolph Lundgren as Svengeance, and Danny Trejo as Stronghold. Plus, Michelle Yeoh is voicing a character named Master Chow, Julie Andrews is voicing Gru's mother, and Russell Brand is back as Dr. Nefario.

In the heart of the 1970s, amid a flurry of feathered hair and flared jeans, Gru ( Steve Carell) is growing up in the suburbs. A fanboy of a supervillain supergroup known as the Vicious 6, Gru hatches a plan to become evil enough to join them. Luckily, he gets some mayhem-making backup from his loyal followers, the Minions. Together, Kevin, Stuart, Bob, and Otto—a new Minion sporting braces and a desperate need to please—deploy their skills as they and Gru build their first lair, experiment with their first weapons and pull off their first missions.

When the Vicious 6 oust their leader, legendary fighter Wild Knuckles (Alan Arkin), Gru interviews to become their newest member. It doesn't go well (to say the least), and only gets worse after Gru outsmarts them and suddenly finds himself the mortal enemy of the apex of evil. On the run, Gru will turn to an unlikely source for guidance, Wild Knuckles himself, and discover that even bad guys need a little help from their friends.Minions: The Rise of Gru hits theaters on July 3, 2020.