‘Minions & Monsters’ delivers mayhem for all

In an unusual sequence of events, South Africans got to see the new Minions animated movie on the big screen before Americans. Minions & Monsters released in South African cinemas last Friday (26 June 2026), ahead of the US release earlier this week (1 July).

While the Minion stars of the past films are Kevin, Stuart and Bob, along with some other notable Minions, the main characters in Minions & Monsters are James and Henry, best friends who have a knack for getting into trouble. The movie returns to a pre-Gru time when the Minions, as creatures who strive to work for an evil villain, or, as they refer to it, “Big Boss”, are searching for a new boss after a series of unfortunate events have led to the death of a string of bosses.

However, their uncanny ability to misread and ruin situations, which could be attributed to a lack of intelligence or sheer dumb luck, has left them with no prospects. After unexpectedly interrupting the filming of a movie, the Minions find themselves with new jobs as actors. When their circumstances change again, one of them, Dave, has an idea to direct his own movie, with nearly earth-ending consequences. Thankfully, a new friend, found by less cinematically inclined Minions, lends a hand.

Minions & Monsters is directed by Pierre Coffin and Patrick Delage. Coffin’s previous work in the franchise includes Despicable Me (2010), Despicable Me 2 (2013) and Minions (2015), while Delage directed Despicable Me 4 (2024). Pierre Coffin is also the writer. Together, they bring long-standing franchise experience into the seventh movie in the overall franchise, and the third in the Minions movie series, after Minions (2015) and Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022).

The Despicable Me movies follow the story of Gru (Steve Carell), Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), Edith (Dana Gaier Ellis) and Agnes (Elsie Fisher in the first two, Nhev Scharrel in the third, and Madison Skyy Polan in the fourth), who are joined by Lucy (Kristen Wiig) from the second movie onwards. In the branch-off movies, Minions follows the story of, as the name implies, the Minions themselves in a pre-Gru time when they worked for a different boss, Scarlet Overkill (Sandra Bullock), and Minions: The Rise of Gru follows the story of Gru as a child who yearns to become an evil villain.

Minions all look similar, with yellow skin, blue overalls, glasses and minimal hair, and they all speak the same language, Minionese, a made-up language which includes some real words from English, French, Italian, Korean and Spanish. However, slight distinctions such as height, size, having one or two eyes, and some distinctive personality traits make it possible to tell the main characters apart, despite most of the background Minions blurring together. The origin of their outfit choice is finally set out in Minions & Monsters, along with the problematic nature of their lack of comprehension of certain English words.

Although the movie seems a bit chaotic at times, an innovative and meta storyline, along with some adult humour, makes it enjoyable for the whole family, while maintaining the PG rating. The movie is kept short and sweet, with a runtime of 90 minutes, making it suitable even for younger children who get fidgety during longer movies.