The Minions are back in the 70s-fueled trailer for Minions: The Rise of Gru

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Over the past decade, the DESPICABLE ME/MINIONS franchise has grown into a hugely succesfful series, grossing $3.7 billion worldwide. Illumination has released the full-length trailer for MINIONS: THE RISE OF GRU, which serves as both a prequel to the DESPICABLE ME series as well as a sequel to 2015's MINIONS. Taking place in the 1970s, the film follows the 12-year-old Gru (Steve Carell) auditioning to join the Vicious 6, a supervillain supergroup which consists of Belle Bottom (Taraji P. Henson), Jean Clawed (Jean-Claude Van Damme), Nunchuck (Lucy Lawless), Svengeance (Dolph Lundgren), and Stronghold (Danny Trejo). Naturally, things don't go as planned and Gru and his Minions are soon on the run after stealing something precious to the Vicious 6.

MINIONS: THE RISE OF GRU also stars Alan Arkin as Wild Knuckles, the former leader of the Vicious 6, as well as Russell Brand as Dr. Nefario, an aspiring mad scientist, Michelle Yeoh as Master Chow, an acupuncturist with mad Kung Fu skills, and Julie Andrews as Gru’s maddeningly self-absorbed mom.

The official synopsis for MINIONS: THE RISE OF GRU:

This summer, from the biggest animated franchise in history and global cultural phenomenon, comes the untold story of one 12-year-old’s dream to become the world’s greatest supervillain, in Minions: The Rise of Gru. 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.

MINIONS: THE RISE OF GRU will hit theaters on July 3, 2020.