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Illumination Entertainment (or simply Illumination) is an American film and animation studio founded by Chris Meledandri in 2007. It is owned by Meledandri and Universal Pictures, a division of NBCUniversal, which is itself a division of Comcast. Meledandri produces the movies while Universal finances and distributes all the films. The studio is best known for its Despicable Me franchise, and has also produced the films The Secret Life of Pets and Sing. The Minions, characters from the Despicable Me films, are the studio's official mascots.
Illumination has produced eight feature films, beginning with Despicable Me (2010) and its most recent being Despicable Me 3 (2017). The studio's highest-grossing films are Minions (2015), which has grossed $1.159 billion worldwide, Despicable Me 3 (2017), $1.033 billion, and Despicable Me 2 (2013), $970.8 million. All three are among the 50 highest-grossing films of all time, and six of the studio's films are among the 50 highest-grossing animated films of all time, with Minions being the second all-time highest.
History[]
Meledandri left his post as President of 20th Century Fox Animation and Blue Sky Studios in early 2007, where he had supervised or executive produced films including Ice Age (2002), its sequel Ice Age: The Meltdown (2006), Robots (2005), and Horton Hears a Who! (2008). After leaving, he founded Illumination Entertainment. By 2008, a deal was announced positioning Illumination as NBCUniversal’s family entertainment arm within its feature animation group (alongside Universal Animation Studios) would produce one to two films a year starting in 2010. Like Universal Animation, Illumination retains creative control and Universal exclusively distributes the films.
To maintain the separation of Illumination and Universal Animation despite their now common ownership and management, Universal Animation founder Michael Wildshill "drew a hard line" that each studio was solely responsible for its own projects and would not be allowed to borrow personnel from or lend tasks out to the other. Wildshill said that he and the staff "make sure the studios are quite distinct from each other. We don’t want them to merge; that would definitely be the wrong approach. Each should have its own personality." During the summer 2011, Illumination acquired the animation department of the French animation and visual effects studio Mac Guff, which animated Despicable Me (2010) and The Lorax (2012), and formed Illumination Mac Guff.
On August 22, 2016, NBCUniversal acquired competing studio DreamWorks Animation, appointing Meledandri to oversee both studios.
Process[]
Meledandri is determined to keep his company adhering to a low-cost model, recognizing that "strict cost controls and hit animated films are not mutually exclusive". In an industry where movie expenses often exceed $100 million, Illumination's first two releases were completed with significantly lower budgets, considering Despicable Me's $69 million budget and the $63 million budget of Hop. One way the company sustains a lean financial model is by employing cost-conscious animation techniques that lower the expenses and render times of its computer graphics.
For its creative team, Illumination often uses the same core of creators. Despicable Me and Despicable Me 2 were directed by Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud; Coffin went on to direct Minions and Despicable Me 3 respectively, while Renaud directed The Lorax and The Secret Life of Pets, respectively. Screenwriters Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio wrote Illumination's first four films (Despicable Me, Hop, The Lorax, Despicable Me 2) as well as The Secret Life of Pets and Despicable Me 3. Brian Lynch has written Hop, Minions, and The Secret Life of Pets.
Projects[]
The studio's first film Despicable Me, starring Steve Carell, was released on July 9, 2010 and was a smash hit, earning $56 million on its opening weekend and going on to earn $543 million worldwide.
Illumination's second film was the live action/CGI hybrid Hop (2011), starring Russell Brand and James Marsden. The film opened to a much bigger than expected $37 million opening, and ended up with $108 million domestically and $183 million worldwide.
In 2012, an adaptation of Dr. Seuss' The Lorax debuted, earning $70 million on its opening weekend, and eventually found its way to $214 million stateside and $348 million worldwide.
The studio's first sequel Despicable Me 2 opened in the United States on July 3, 2013, earning worldwide over $964 million, becoming the second highest-grossing 2013 animated film and breaking a record as the most profitable Universal Studios film in its 100-year history.
The Despicable Me spin-off Minions was released on July 10, 2015 and grossed over $1 billion worldwide.
The Secret Life of Pets was released on July 8, 2016. Directed by Chris Renaud and Yarrow Cheney, the film would earn $104 million in its opening weekend, $368 million stateside, and $875 million worldwide.
Sing, a comedy written and directed by Garth Jennings, was released on December 21, 2016. It was the first movie for the studio to have a Christmas release. The film would earn $56 million in its first 5 days, grossing $270 million stateside and $634 million worldwide. It also holds the record for the highest grossing film not to ever be at #1 in its run.
Despicable Me 3 was released on June 30, 2017, and became the 2nd film to earn $1 billion for the studio, and set a record for the highest theater count ever with 4,536 theaters in its 2nd week. Dr. Seuss' The Grinch, Illumination's second film based on a Dr. Seuss book, is scheduled for release on November 9, 2018, and is being directed by Peter Candeland and Yarrow Cheney from a screeplay by Michael LeSieur.
Other future projects are The Secret Life of Pets 2, Minions 2, and Sing 2, and will be followed by four more untitled films. Other films in development include Despicable Me 4.
In May 2011, Illumination announced that it would be working with Universal Studios to create Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem, a 3-D ride at Universal Studios in Orlando, Hollywood, and Osaka. The ride officially opened on July 2, 2012 in Orlando, Hollywood on April 12, 2014, and Osaka on April 21, 2017.
In November 2017, the Wall Street Journal reported Illumination was teaming up with Nintendo to make an animated Mario film. In January 2018, Nintendo President Tatsumi Kimishima stated that, if plans go smoothly, a Mario movie could happen by 2020. On January 31, 2018, Nintendo of America announced on Twitter that it is partnering with Illumination on a movie starring Mario, co-produced by Shigeru Miyamoto and Chris Meledandri.
Related companies[]
Illumination has a close relationship with its much older sister studio Universal Animation Studios, which is owned by the same company that owns Illumination. As a result, they often share common ownership and senior management with each other.
Filmography[]
Feature films[]
- Further information: List of Illumination films
Released films[]
| # | Title | Release date | Budget | Box office | RT | MC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Despicable Me | July 9, 2010 | $70 million | $543.1 million | 81% | 72 |
| 2 | Hop[S] | April 1, 2011 | $63 million | $184.0 million | 25% | 41 |
| 3 | Dr. Seuss' The Lorax | March 2, 2012 | $70 million | $348.8 million | 53% | 46 |
| 4 | Despicable Me 2 | July 3, 2013 | $76 million | $970.8 million | 73% | 62 |
| 5 | Minions | July 10, 2015 | $74 million | $1.159 billion | 56% | 56 |
| 6 | The Secret Life of Pets | July 8, 2016 | $75 million | $875.5 million | 74% | 61 |
| 7 | Sing | December 21, 2016 | $632.2 million | 73% | 59 | |
| 8 | Despicable Me 3 | June 30, 2017 | $80 million | $1.033 billion | 59% | 49 |
- SCombines live-action with animation.
Upcoming films[]
| # | Title | Release date |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | Dr. Seuss' The Grinch | November 9, 2018 |
| 10 | The Secret Life of Pets 2 | June 7, 2019 |
| 11 | Minions 2 | July 3, 2020 |
| 12 | Sing 2 | December 25, 2020 |
| 13 | Untitled films | July 2, 2021 |
| 14 | July 1, 2022 | |
| 15 | December 21, 2022 | |
| 16 | June 30, 2023 |
Films in development[]
| Title |
|---|
| Despicable Me 4 |
| Untitled Mario remake film[R] |
- RNot produced, but released by Illumination under its label.
Direct-to-video films[]
| # | Title | Release date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Despicabopolis (co-production with Universal Animation Studios) | March 20, 2018 |
Short films[]
| # | Title | Release date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Home Makeover | December 14, 2010 |
| 2 | Orientation Day | |
| 3 | Banana | |
| 4 | Brad & Gary | 2011 |
| 5 | Phil's Dance Party | March 23, 2012 |
| 6 | Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem | July 2, 2012 |
| 7 | Wagon Ho! | August 7, 2012 |
| 8 | Forces of Nature | |
| 9 | Serenade | |
| 10 | Puppy | December 10, 2013 |
| 11 | Panic in the Mailroom | |
| 12 | Training Wheels | |
| 13 | Cro Minion | December 8, 2015 |
| 14 | Competition | |
| 15 | Binky Nelson Unpacified | |
| 16 | Mower Minions | July 8, 2016 |
| 17 | Norman Television | December 6, 2016 |
| 18 | Weenie | |
| 19 | Gunter Babysits | March 21, 2017 |
| 20 | Love at First Sight | |
| 21 | Eddie's Life Coach | |
| 22 | The Secret Life of Kyle | December 5, 2017 |
Franchises[]
| Title | Release date |
|---|---|
| Despicable Me | 2010–present |
| Minions | 2015–present |
| The Secret Life of Pets | 2016–present |
| Sing |
Accolades[]
Academy Awards[]
| Year | Film | Category | Winner/Nominee(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Despicable Me 2 | Best Animated Feature | Chris Renaud, Pierre Coffin & Chris Meledandri | Nominated |
| Best Original Song | "Happy" – Pharrell Williams |
Golden Globe Awards[]
| Year | Film | Category | Winner/Nominee(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Despicable Me | Best Animated Feature Film | Chris Renaud and Pierre Coffin | Nominated |
| 2013 | Despicable Me 2 | |||
| 2016 | Sing | Garth Jennings | ||
| Best Original Song | "Faith" – Ryan Tedder, Stevie Wonder and Francis Farewell Starlite |
Annie Awards[]
| Year | Film | Category | Winner/Nominee(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Despicable Me | Best Animated Feature | Chris Meledandri, Janet Healy and John Cohen | Nominated |
| Voice Acting in a Feature Production | Steve Carell | |||
| Character Design In an Animated Film | Carter Goodrich | |||
| Directing in a Feature Production | Chris Renaud and Pierre Coffin | |||
| Music in a Feature Production | Pharrell Williams and Heitor Pereira | |||
| Production Design in a Feature Production | Yarrow Cheny and Eric Guillon | |||
| 2011 | Hop | Character Animation in a Live Action Production | Andrew Arnett | |
| 2012 | The Lorax | Character Design in an Animated Feature Production | Eric Guillon, Yarrow Cheney and Colin Stimpson | |
| Music in an Animated Feature Production | John Powell, Ken Daurio and Cinco Paul | |||
| 2013 | Despicable Me 2 | Best Animated Feature | Chris Meledandri and Janet Healy | |
| Best Animated TV/Broadcast Commercial | Despicable Me 2 | Won | ||
| Voice Acting in a Feature Production | Steve Carell | Nominated | ||
| Kristen Wiig | ||||
| Pierre Coffin | ||||
| Character Animation in an Animated Feature Production | Jonathan Del Val | |||
| Character Design In an Animated Film | Eric Guillon | |||
| Directing in a Feature Production | Chris Renaud and Pierre Coffin | |||
| Music in a Feature Production | Pharrell Williams and Heitor Pereira | |||
| Production Design in a Feature Production | Yarrow Cheny and Eric Guillon | |||
| Storyboarding in an Animated Feature Production | Eric Favela | |||
| 2015 | Minions | Outstanding Achievement in Animated Effects in an Animated Production | Frank Baradat, Antonin Seydoux, Milo Riccarand and Nicolas Brack | |
| Voice Acting in a Feature Production | Jon Hamm | |||
| Pierre Coffin | ||||
| Outstanding Achievement in Production Design in an Animated Feature Production | Eric Guillon | |||
| Character Design In an Animated Film | ||||
| Outstanding Achievement in Character Animation in a Feature Production | Hichem Arfaoui | |||
| Storyboarding in an Animated Feature Production | Habib Louati | |||
| 2016 | The Secret Life of Pets | Character Design in an Animated Feature Production | Eric Guillon | |
| Music in an Animated Feature Production | Alexandre Desplat | |||
| Sing | Joby Talbot | |||
| 2017 | Despicable Me 3 | Best Animated Feature | Chris Meledandri and Janet Healy | |
| Animated Effects in an Animated Production | Bruno Chauffard, Frank Baradat, Nicolas Brack and Milo Riccarand | |||
| Character Design in an Animated Feature Production | Eric Guillon |
BAFTA Awards[]
| Year | Film | Category | Winner/Nominee(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Despicable Me | Best Animated Film | Chris Renaud and Pierre Coffin | Nominated |
| 2013 | Despicable Me 2 | |||
| 2015 | Minions | Pierre Coffin and Kyle Balda |
Critics' Choice Awards[]
| Year | Film | Category | Winner/Nominee(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Despicable Me | Best Animated Film | Chris Renaud and Pierre Coffin | Nominated |
| 2013 | Despicable Me 2 | Best Animated Film | ||
| Best Original Song | "Happy" – Pharrell Williams | |||
| 2017 | Despicable Me 3 | Best Animated Film | Pierre Coffin and Kyle Balda |
Kids' Choice Awards[]
| Year | Film | Category | Winner/Nominee(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Despicable Me | Favorite Animated Movie | Won | |
| Favorite Buttkicker | Steve Carell | Nominated | ||
| 2012 | The Lorax | Favorite Voice From an Animated Movie | Taylor Swift | Nominated |
| 2013 | Despicable Me 2 | Favorite Animated Movie | Nominated | |
| Favorite Voice From an Animated Movie | Steve Carell | Nominated | ||
| Miranda Cosgrove | Won | |||
| 2015 | Minions | Favorite Animated Movie | Nominated | |
| Favorite Voice From an Animated Movie | Sandra Bullock | Nominated | ||
| 2016 | The Secret Life of Pets | Favorite Animated Movie | Nominated | |
| Favorite Voice From an Animated Movie | Kevin Hart | Nominated | ||
| Favorite Villain | Won | |||
| Most Wanted Pet | Won | |||
| Sing | Favorite Animated Movie | Nominated | ||
| Favorite Voice From an Animated Movie | Reese Witherspoon | Nominated | ||
| Most Wanted Pet | Nominated | |||
| 2017 | Despicable Me 3 | Favorite Animated Movie | Nominated |
Producers Guild of America Award[]
| Year | Film | Category | Winner/Nominee(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Despicable Me | Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Picture | Chris Meledandri, Janet Healy and John Cohen | Nominated |
| 2013 | Despicable Me 2 | Chris Meledandri and Janet Healy | ||
| 2015 | Minions | |||
| 2016 | The Secret Life of Pets | |||
| 2017 | Despicable Me 3 |
Gallery[]
Posters[]
Logos[]
Trivia[]
- The Minions are Illumination's mascot.
- Despicable Me is popular for using the theme song for the 1968 MGM movie 2001: A Space Odyssey and the opening theme for the original 1967 Columbia Pictures version of Casino Royale.
- Illumination has not yet made a G-rated production, as every one of its feature films so far has been rated PG by the MPAA (as of the short film Mower Minions).
- Starting with Despicable Me 3, the company is referred to as Illumination in their logo and marketing.
See also[]
- Illumination Mac Guff
- Universal Animation Studios
- DreamWorks Animation
- Blue Sky Studios
- List of unproduced Universal Pictures animated projects
External links[]
- Official website
- Illumination Entertainment on Wikipedia
- Illumination Entertainment on Internet Movie Database
- Illumination Entertainment at the Big Cartoon DataBase
- Official YouTube channel
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