Best Minions Movies, Ranked

How the Minions became a staple of our culture will someday be a thesis for postgraduate study. On that day, maybe we’ll actually understand why the Minions are a cultural and financial juggernaut.

After the debut of Despicable Me, the little, blue jean overall and goggle-wearing pill creatures took over the cultural world. They even managed to do so while speaking their own unique Minion language. Since 2010, the Minions have appeared in several feature-length films and numerous theatrical shorts, before ultimately becoming the de facto mascot of Illumination Entertainment as a whole. They’ve been the subject of a holiday special, video games, theme park attractions, interstitials for other Illumination films, a digital series, and a handful of books. Let’s not forget, of course, the merchandise.

The films alone have grossed more than $3.7 billion dollars worldwide, making it the highest-grossing animated film franchise of all time — even surpassing the likes of Toy Story and Shrek. With the release of Despicable Me 4 in July 2024, it’s bound to pad that financial title. Here are the best Minions movies, ranked.

Updated Feb. 17, 2024: This article has been updated with the latest film in the Despicable Me franchise, in addition to where each film is currently streaming.

6 Minions & More (2022–2023)

Short films, particularly those meant as comedic bite-size films, are quick hits. The numerous short films featuring the Minions — later repackaged with other Illumination shorts in the form of Minions & More — deliver slapstick humor, silliness, and in a few cases, obvious 3D gags. They began appearing as bonus features on the DVD and Blu-ray releases, as well as a few that accompanied other Illumination films in the theater. They’re low-stakes, and they often feature the Minions getting into innocently comedic capers.

Bite-Sized Minions

Of the many shorts produced, a few of the highlights include Banana, Puppy, and Mower Minions. Given their short-length and deliberately condensed scope, the shorts aren’t necessarily the most hard-hitting projects featuring these zany yellow guys. But, if you’re desperate for more adventures featuring the Minions, these shorts deliver equal parts hilarity and heartwarming moments. Some shorts, like Puppy, would even go on to be nominated for Best Animated Short Subject at the Annie Awards. Stream on Netflix

5 Despicable Me 3 (2017)

There are a handful of consistencies that keep Minions franchise films going, and one of them is that director Pierre Coffin, and writers Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio, have been involved in part in all the films. Coffin has co-directed all the movies in the franchise so far, and we have to give him and the writers credit for going in a different direction with Despicable Me 3. The film reflects this different direction with a broader scope and its bigger budget, being one of the most expensive Illumination movies ever produced.

Now a proud husband and full member of the Anti-Villain League, both Gru and Lucy Wilde are now tasked with retrieving a stolen diamond from the clutches of Balthazar Bratt, a former child star who turned to villainy after the cancelation of his show. They’ll have to turn to a new face in order to bring Balthazar to justice: Dru (Steve Carell), Gru’s long-lost twin brother. Watch the trailer for Despicable Me 3 on YouTube

A Surprising Performance from Trey Parker

This film has a standout performance from Trey Parker as the TV child star turned villain, Balthazar Bratt, and featured some great music from Pharrell Williams in its score. It continues the story of Gru’s character evolution with equal levels of absurdity and ’80s callbacks.

That said, one negative that heavily works against the film is that Margo, Agnes, and Edith, were reduced to such smaller roles that they barely affect the plot, compared to their roles in the first film. The implementation of the long-lost family member trope is also, admittedly, a little underwhelming. Still, the film is entertaining, just not to the degree of other films presented here. Buy/Rent on Prime Video

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4 Despicable Me 2 (2013)

Despicable Me 2

Release Date

June 26, 2013

Director

Pierre Coffin , Chris Renaud

The challenge to expand upon the success of the first film, not to mention evolve the characters now that Gru has become a good guy and a father, certainly played into the development of Despicable Me 2. This film also features even more Minions, which makes sense, as they were the surprise stars of the first film.

Now a reluctant member of the Anti-Villain League, Gru is tasked with locating and retrieving a shipment of PX-41, a dangerous mutagen, from the clutches of El Macho, a supervillain once believed to be dead, who has possibly resurfaced. With the help of Lucy Wilde (Kristen Wiig), Gru finds himself against his toughest challenge yet as El Macho unveils his own nefarious surprise: an army of mutated Minions. Watch the trailer for Despicable Me 2 on YouTube

Despicable Me 2 Doubles Down on Minions

Benjamin Bratt does a fantastic job in playing the over-the-top El Macho, and Kristen Wiig as Lucy is delightful. As expected, the returning Steve Carell, Miranda Cosgrove, and Pierre Coffin bring their signature energy to the same cast once more. Though positive critical reviews weren’t as prolific as they were with this film’s predecessor, it managed to snag the tremendous achievement of being the third highest-grossing film of 2013. It would even receive two Academy Award nominations, one for Best Animated Feature and one for Best Original Song. Stream on Peacock

3 Minions (2015)

Minions

Release Date

June 17, 2015

Director

Kyle Balda , Pierre Coffin

A standalone Minions movie makes so much sense from a studio perspective — money! But, the film actually works. A dedicated prequel based around Despicable Me‘s comedic co-stars, Minions showcases the journey these little yellow creatures embark on as they search for a master to serve. During their lengthy existence, stretching all the way back to the beginning of time, a group of three (Kevin, Stuart, and Bob) are sent out to find a new permanent master, ultimately settling on the nefarious Scarlet Overkill (Sandra Bullock) before having some serious apprehensions. Watch the trailer for Minions on YouTube

A Financial Juggernaut

It’s a surprising journey to watch the absurdity of the Minions throughout this modest film. Jon Hamm and Michael Keaton both bring fun performances alongside Sandra Bullock, and the film does a nice job of fitting an origin story into a franchise that didn’t really need it. Not to mention that the Minions’ sight gags are fun, incorporating the setting of 1960s London well into the story. Though all three of our leading Minions are voiced by Pierre Coffin, they all manage to stand out due to their unique personalities. Plus, we can’t really overstate just how financially successful this picture was: nearly $1.16 billion dollars at the box office on a budget of $74 million is an almost unfathomable amount of money. Stream on Netflix

2 Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022)

Minions: The Rise of Gru

The untold story of one twelve-year-old’s dream to become the world’s greatest supervillain in this Minions sequel. Starring Steve Carell, Taraji P. Henson, and Jean-Claude Van Damme.

Release Date

July 1, 2022

Director

Kyle Balda , Brad Ableson , Jonathan del Val

Seeing as how the release of the dedicated Minions film in 2015 was, at one point, the single most financially successful animated film produced by Illumination prior to The Super Mario Bros. Movie, a sequel was practically guaranteed. Lo and behold, we ultimately got one in 2022 following numerous delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Minions: The Rise of Gru continues where the first Minions film left off, where we finally get to see a fledgling Gru (Steve Carrel) team up with the Minions in his first grand caper. After receiving an invitation to join the Vicious 6, a supervillain team led by Belle Bottom (Taraji P. Henson), Gru’s eagerness to please accidentally puts him directly in their crosshairs, leaving his army of Minions to come to his rescue. Watch the trailer for Minions: The Rise of Gru on YouTube

Does What a Good Sequel Should

Largely a direct improvement over the previous Minions film, due in part to its focused plotting and introduction of Steve Carrel back into the cast, Minions: The Rise of Gru does a terrific job of telling a brisk story punctuated by comedic antics. The burgeoning meme culture that grew out of an ironic appreciation of the first film — which even prompted the creation of the #Gentleminions TikTok trend during its theatrical release — arguably gave Minions: The Rise of Gru a tangible impact on pop culture as well. The constant references and cultural needle drops related to the 1970s are a fun icing on top. Stream on Peacock

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1 Despicable Me (2010)

Despicable Me

Release Date

July 8, 2010

Director

Pierre Coffin , Chris Renaud

Despicable Me really took audiences and critics by surprise. A film told from the villain’s perspective, we follow the exploits of Felonious Gru (Steve Carell), a longtime supervillain whose latest caper may finally be what plunges him into infamy. As he plans to steal the moon with the assistance of Dr. Nefario (Russell Brand) and his army of Minions, a rival supervillain named Vector (Jason Segal) plots to steal Gru’s thunder. Between all of this, Gru may find his villainous side fading away as he tends to the needs of three orphan girls. Watch the trailer for Despicable Me on YouTube

An Incredible Debut

Steve Carell’s ridiculous accent for Gru works so well, and Jason Segel as Vector works as a wonderful foil. It’s a film filled with silly mini-scenes of Gru and Vector outdoing one another in increasingly outlandish ways, but at its core, it is a story of Gru learning to care and love for someone other than himself. The girls, voiced by Miranda Cosgrove, Dana Gaier, and Elsie Fisher, are wonderfully used in giving the film heart and adding sprinkles of chaos to Gru’s life. And last, but not least, are the Minions, whose screen presence was so extreme, they would fundamentally shape the face of the Despicable Me franchise going forwards. Stream on Peacock​​​​​​​

The Despicable Me franchise includes some of the most financially successful films of all time. To see our picks for the highest-grossing movie franchises of all time, check out our video below: