New Minions film heads to 1920s Hollywood in franchise refresh

Illumination's latest Minions film is going back to 1920s Hollywood, a departure that French animator Pierre Coffin hopes will freshen a long-running animated franchise that has grown into one of Universal's biggest film, theme-park and merchandising brands.

When Illumination animation studio CEO Chris Meledandri pitched the animated prequel comedy “Minions & Monsters,” Coffin immediately looked for ways to expand the story.

"It was just me trying to make everything more interesting to me because I didn't want to do another 'Minions' movie," Coffin told Reuters.

The initial concept for the film, which debuts in theaters on Wednesday, featured the fictional yellow, pill-shaped creatures — the Minions — embarking on a search for monster masters.

But Coffin saw an opportunity to add a more distinctive setting.

"I came up with the idea of, like, 'Oh, wouldn't it be cool to have it happen in the '20s in Hollywood, in the '20s, because that would give them a great backdrop,'" Coffin recalled.

The combination of Meledandri's producing vision and Coffin's creative input ultimately led to "Minions & Monsters" being set in 1920, 48 years before the events depicted in the 2015 film "Minions."

The Minions franchise grew out of the successful 2010 animated film "Despicable Me," which went on to spawn three sequels and three spinoff prequels, all distributed by Universal.

Beyond the screen, the franchise has also inspired Minion-themed rides, dining experiences, merchandise and meet-and-greets at Minion Land in Universal Studios parks in Orlando and Los Angeles.

Daniel Loria, senior vice president of content strategy and editorial director at Boxoffice Pro, forecasts the full five-day opening weekend will generate between $80 million and $95 million at the box office, making it the top film of the weekend.

In "Minions & Monsters," the story follows the Minions as their search for a monster master evolves into an unexpected venture — making a monster movie of their own in Old Hollywood.

The film's voice cast includes Coffin as the Minions alongside Allison Janney, Jeff Bridges, Jesse Eisenberg, Zoey Deutch and Bobby Moynihan.

Eisenberg said that although the film is aimed at younger audiences, it offers something for viewers of all ages.

"My kid was laughing at all the kid things, but then I found myself just really admiring the old film references," Eisenberg said.

For Deutch, the enduring appeal of the Minions lies in their universal charm — their mix of cuteness, humor and oddness, combined with their unique language known as Minionese.

While she acknowledged not speaking the language herself, Deutch said she admires content creators who have mastered it. Also nicknamed Banana language, Minionese incorporates words and phrases from real-world languages.

"You see some of these influencers who sing in Minionese," Deutch said.

"There's one girl who I am dying to meet. She is a genius. She put together a dictionary of this, she can speak it, and she's so funny. She puts videos together and sings," Deutch added.

-Reporting by Danielle Broadway and Rollo Ross; Editing by Howard Goller/Reuters