I remember saying banana in Pau, France in 2015, thinking I was gonna get maybe a Planet of the Apes or maybe Arrested Development knowing recognition. Instead, in that smaller company town, I heard “MINIONS!” and eons of giggles/laughter. Since then I understand the grasp those little fellows have on the world at large. And hey, for like the 7th or 8thish movie they’re featured in, Minions & Monsters at least feels like they’re not willing to go for the lazy jokes when they have every right to. Quite the opposite actually.
No Bob in this film, sorry to disappoint. Instead we’re pre-Bob, in the 1919 range. Our new minion (Pierre Coffin does the voices) duo in this one is James and Henry. Outcasts of their minion tribe, the pair find their dream to tell stories couldn’t be more alive when they end up in Los Angeles, where the moving picture has taken hold. After helping out their director buddy Max (Christoph Waltz), the moviemaker introduces James and Henry to the Bright Brothers (Jeff Bridges), who help the minions write and direct their monster movie. Literal in this case, as James summons Goomi (Trey Parker) from a monster book to help make even bigger monsters for their big picture.
The reason the minions went over like gangbusters in Pau, France was because they are the latest in a timeless art. Yes James and Henry loosely use Latin languages and English in doses, but broadly, their real language is that of Buster Keaton and the Three Stooges. Minions & Monsters literalizes that concept, Forrest Gumping our little yellow friends into the birth of cinema. The movie has a tour with references to Metropolis. Inside the action, we see many moments of minions going through Modern Times, The General, or Steamboat Bill classic cinema. Coffin makes it simple for everyone too if the stuff I mentioned was too “subtle,” presenting a companion of the minions called Dort, which may or may not be Gort’s Day the Earth Stood Still Brother as an example. I applaud the idea for sure: what a creative way to make kids interested in movie history through a thing they love right now. The more focused the example the better the references work: there’s a great Scooby Doo like chase across the studio that the minions prove is timeless – and funny – as ever. But even the surface level scratching of Minions at the dawn of Hollywood gives Minions & Monsters the creative juice it needs to propel the movie quickly through its less than 90 minute runtime.
As for the story/joke parts, James and Henry made a solid first feature. There’s nothing Earth shattering here. But that deliciously short runtime means we fly through the tale, taking the minions from point a to point b quickly so we can keep the kids locked into the movie. Every 10 minutes or so we’re in a new adventure, some working better than others. I’d almost prefer a vignette style story here, just running James and Henry through various famous movies and see how it goes. Because Pierre Coffin knows his target audience is likely 4-8 year olds, we have to get colorful monsters in there somewhere, which neuter any real stakes the movie wants to have as nothing can be too scary here. But why does that matter when a battalion of laser shooting minions come from outer space to take on an eyeballed globlular creature? Star Wars meets the Blob? No notes necessary.
I hope Minions & Monsters starts something special with our yellow guys. Pierre Coffin should just straight do the plots of famous movies from yesteryear, updating them with Henry, James, Bob, or whichever minions pop up to continue planting their great idea in little kids’ heads everywhere. Movies are fun, and they are eternal. Especially on that big screen, laughing with your best friends!