For the past ten years, the Minions of Despicable Me have been a massive goldmine for the folks at Illumination. Now with its billion-dollar hit from 2015, it’s no surprise that the studio is getting another gibberish-filled misadventure this summer, one which also serves as a Gru-origin story. Behold, the first trailer for Minions: The Rise of Gru!

Following the events of the 2015 spinoff, this prequel to Despicable Me looks into Felonious Gru’s early years as the minions’ new leader, with an aspiration to become the next big supervillain. Here is the official synopsis:

In the heart of the 1970s, amid a flurry of feathered hair and flared jeans, Gru (Oscar® nominee Steve Carell) is growing up in the suburbs. A fanboy of a supervillain supergroup known as the Vicious 6, Gru hatches a plan to become evil enough to join them. Luckily, he gets some mayhem-making backup from his loyal followers, the Minions. Together, Kevin, Stuart, Bob, and Otto—a new Minion sporting braces and a desperate need to please—deploy their skills as they and Gru build their first lair, experiment with their first weapons and pull off their first missions. 

When the Vicious 6 oust their leader, legendary fighter Wild Knuckles (Oscar® winner Alan Arkin), Gru interviews to become their newest member. It doesn’t go well (to say the least), and only gets worse after Gru outsmarts them and suddenly finds himself the mortal enemy of the apex of evil. On the run, Gru will turn to an unlikely source for guidance, Wild Knuckles himself, and discover that even bad guys need a little help from their friends. 

Illumination

Speaking of the Vicious 6, this ragtag supergroup brings an all-star cast to the table, with Taraji P. Henson (Ralph Breaks the Internet) as Belle Bottom, Michelle Yeoh (Kung Fu Panda 2) as Master Chow, Jean-Claude Van Damme (Kung Fu Panda 2 and 3) as Jean Clawed, Lucy Lawless (Mosley) as Nunchuck, Dolph Lundgren (The Expendables) as Svengeance, and Danny Trejo (Storks) as Stronghold.

Along with Steve Carell reprising his role as young Gru, Russell Brand and Julie Andrews also return to voice Dr. Nefario and Gru’s self-absorbed mother respectively. Pierre Coffin once again provides the gibberish speech for the Minions.

Kyle Balda and Brian Lynch, co-director and writer of the first Minions movie respectively, return to serve their duties for the sequel. Balda is also collaborating alongside two co-directors, including Legends of Chamberlain Heights creator Brad Ableson and Illumination animator Jonathan del Val.

Not only is series regular Heitor Pereira also returning to compose the score, but the music will be accompanied by 70’s soundtrack arranged by Grammy-winning producer Jack Antonoff. Chris Meledandri, Janet Healy, and Chris Renaud serve as the film’s producers.

The Rise of Gru serves as the fifth movie in Illumination’s lucrative Despicable Me franchise. As what is currently the highest-grossing animated movie franchise ($3.7 billion in box office revenue), a major culprit to the success is all thanks to the yellow jibberish-speaking Tic Tac’s, who rose to become major (yet divisive) icons of pop culture. Their 2015 spinoff movie alone, despite middling reviews, hauled in a massive $1.15 billion worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing non-Disney animated feature.

With that said, Minions 2 indeed looks to be another guaranteed hit for Illumination. But whether or not it reaches the box office heights of the first movie remains to be seen. Illumination’s previous sequel The Secret Life of Pets 2 made less than half the first entry’s money, a disappointment by the studio’s standards. It could suggest audiences are getting weary of the standard Illumination formula, but with yellow beans that print gold, you can’t go wrong.

Minions: The Rise of Gru will infest North American cinemas on July 3, 2020, via Universal Pictures. Its release date will coincide with the tenth anniversary of the Despicable Me franchise.

Are you excited for more mayhem with the Minions, or are you dreading for the worst? Let us know in the comments!

Edited by: Kelly Conley