Despicable Me (film) in the context of "Minions (film)"

Illumination (formerly known as Illumination Entertainment) is an American animation studio founded by Chris Meledandri on January 17, 2007. It is a division of Universal Pictures, which itself is a division of Comcast through the Universal Filmed Entertainment Group, a unit of NBCUniversal; Illumination produces the films, while Universal finances and distributes them. The studio is best known for creating the Despicable Me, The Secret Life of Pets, and Sing franchises; the adaptations of Dr. Seuss' books The Lorax and How the Grinch Stole Christmas!; and Nintendo video games, starting with The Super Mario Bros. Movie. The Minions, characters from the Despicable Me series, are the mascots of the studio.

Illumination has produced 15 feature films, with an average gross of $711 million per film. Three of the studio's films—Minions (2015), Despicable Me 3 (2017) and The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)—are all among the 50 highest-grossing films of all time, with the latter having the highest-grossing opening for an animated film in its initial release; eight of their films are also among the 50 highest-grossing animated films. Its first film, Despicable Me, was released on July 9, 2010, and its latest film, Despicable Me 4, was released on July 3, 2024; their upcoming slate of films includes The Super Mario Galaxy Movie on April 3, 2026, and Minions 3 on July 1, 2026. Additionally, an untitled film is scheduled for release on April 16, 2027.

Despicable Me is an American media franchise created by Sergio Pablos, Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio. It centers on a supervillain turned secret agent named Gru, his adoptive daughters, Margo, Edith, and Agnes, and his yellow-colored Minions. The franchise is produced by Illumination and distributed by its parent company Universal Pictures.

The franchise began with the 2010 film of the same name, which was followed by three sequels, Despicable Me 2 (2013), Despicable Me 3 (2017), and Despicable Me 4 (2024) and two spin-off prequels, Minions (2015) and Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022). The franchise also includes many short films, a television special, several video games, and a theme park attraction.

This is a list of productions produced by Illumination (formerly known as Illumination Entertainment), an American film and animation studio based in Santa Monica, California, United States. This includes feature films, shorts, television specials, and digital series. As of 2025, Illumination has released 15 feature films, which were all distributed by Universal Pictures, with their first being Despicable Me on July 9, 2010, and their latest being Despicable Me 4 on July 3, 2024.

Their upcoming slate of films includes The Super Mario Galaxy Movie on April 3, 2026, and Minions 3 on July 1, 2026. In addition, an untitled film is slated to be released on April 16, 2027.

Minions 3 is an upcoming American animated comedy film produced by Illumination and distributed by Universal Pictures. It will be directed by Pierre Coffin based on a screenplay by Brian Lynch, and is the sequel to Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022), a prequel to Despicable Me (2010), the third film in the Minions film series, and the seventh entry overall of the Despicable Me franchise.

Minions 3 is scheduled to be released in the United States on July 1, 2026.