Pierre Coffin thought he was done with the Minions. After nearly two decades inside the “Despicable Me” universe — the highest-grossing animated franchise of all time, with more than $5.5 billion worldwide across six films — the French animator had earned the right to feel worn out. Coffin co-directed the first two “Despicable Me” films, then the two “Minions” spin-offs, and he voiced the yellow creatures in every single movie. By the end, he was exhausted.
“It’s a strange thing to spend 15 years making the same sounds over and over,” Coffin says, slumping into a chair at a Beverly Hills hotel. “I would go into the booth and just make nonsense noises for hours. My throat would hurt. My brain would hurt. But the audience kept wanting more.”
So when Illumination CEO Chris Meledandri approached him about a third “Minions” film, Coffin said no. Instead, he pitched something else: a new franchise, one that would let him stretch out, make fun of Hollywood, and maybe — just maybe — show he could do more than gibberish.
The Pitch That Changed Everything
Coffin’s idea: “Minions & Monsters,” a meta-comedy set inside a Hollywood animation studio where a group of bumbling monsters — voiced by the likes of Awkwafina, Keegan-Michael Key, and John Cleese — accidentally create a hit show about cute yellow critters. “It’s basically my life,” Coffin says with a shrug. “I wanted to make something that felt honest about what it’s like to work in this industry. The ego, the panic, the insanity of trying to make people laugh.”
The film follows a cynical director named Bruno (voiced by Key) who is forced to reboot a failing monster series. His solution: add a trio of tiny, squeaky creatures called the Squibbits — obvious stand-ins for the Minions. The Squibbits are adorable, inexplicable, and instantly beloved. Bruno becomes a star, but he also becomes a prisoner of his own creation.
“It’s a love letter to Hollywood, but also a middle finger,” Coffin says. “I’m not bitter. I’m just… aware.”
The Voice That Haunts Him
Coffin admits the Minions voice work still lingers. “Sometimes I’ll be at dinner with my wife, and a word will come out like a Minion. It’s embarrassing. She says I talk in my sleep as them.” For “Minions & Monsters,” Coffin only voiced one Squibbit — a small role — but the process still brought back memories. “I went into the booth and immediately my throat tensed up. It’s like a physical memory.”
The film’s humor, Coffin insists, is sharper than anything he’s done before. “The Minions are innocent. They don’t know they’re silly. But the Squibbits are aware. They’re manipulative. They have agendas. That’s funnier to me — comedy that’s more irreverent than some of the competition.”
“I wanted to make something that felt honest about what it’s like to work in this industry. The ego, the panic, the insanity.”
Why He Walked Away (and Came Back)
After “Minions: The Rise of Gru” in 2022, Coffin was ready to retire from animation. “I had nothing left. I was creatively bankrupt.” He spent a year in the south of France, painting landscapes and reading scripts. “I read a lot of terrible scripts. And I thought, ‘I can do better than this. Even if I fail, at least I’ll fail trying something different.’”
That something different is “Minions & Monsters,” which Coffin wrote and directed alone — no co-director. “I needed to prove to myself that I could make a movie without a safety net.” The result is a film that feels personal, messy, and occasionally brutal. An early scene features a producer pitching a sequel titled “Squibbits 4: The Search for More Money.”
“I’m not subtle,” Coffin says. “But why should I be? Subtlety is for dramas.”
The Reaction from Illumination
Meledandri, who has produced every film in the “Despicable Me” universe, was initially skeptical. “Chris said, ‘You want to make fun of the thing that made us billions?’ And I said, ‘Yes. That’s the only way it works.’” To Coffin’s surprise, Meledandri greenlit the project. “He’s smarter than I give him credit for. He knows that if you can’t laugh at yourself, someone else will.”
Early test screenings have been positive, though some parents have complained about the film’s PG-13 rating — a first for the franchise. “There’s a joke about a cocaine-covered agent,” Coffin says. “We had to cut it. But we kept the one about the studio executive with a gambling problem.”
The Future of the Minions
So what about the actual Minions? Coffin says he’s done. “I’ve given them everything. They’re in good hands with other directors. But I won’t voice them again. I can’t. My throat can’t take it.” He pauses, then laughs. “Also, I’m tired of being asked to do the voice at parties. It’s not a party trick. It’s a job.”
“Minions & Monsters” opens in theaters on July 4. Coffin hopes audiences will see it as more than just a cartoon. “It’s about the price of success. About making something you love and then watching it become something else. That’s the real horror story.”
He leans forward, suddenly serious. “I’m not saying I’m a genius. I’m just saying I’m honest. And honesty is the hardest comedy there is.”
