‘Despicable Me 4’
Illumination and Universal Pictures
Despicable Me 4 got the crowd going bananas over big moments at its French premiere during the Annecy Animation Festival.
Director Chris Renaud and co-director Patrick Delage took the stage Thursday to introduce the latest installment in Universal Pictures‘ popular film series. The franchise is clearly special to the nation; Delage is a French filmmaker, as is Pierre Coffin, who directed 2010’s initial Despicable Me movie with Renaud and continues to voice the mischievous Minions.
“I’m actually here thinking I’m hoping I don’t get emotional,” Renaud told the attendees. “About 14 years ago, my introduction to Annecy was premiering a film called Despicable Me, and the reaction Pierre Coffin, the other director, and I got in this room is something I’ll never forget and something I carry with me to this day. It’s always a thrill to be able to share our movies with such huge fans of animation who really understand what a precious and wonderful art form it truly is.”
The audience returned the appreciation, breaking out in loud applause during the film in response to a memorable scene featuring a Minion who is among a small group of scheming sidekicks dubbed the “Mega Minions” and imbued with superpowers. The crowd also clapped along to a musical number and cheered when certain characters made their entrances.
Despicable Me 4 hits theaters July 3 and focuses on the problems that Gru (voiced by Steve Carell) faces after he and his family welcome Gru Jr. Each of the films in the Despicable Me franchise and its Minions prequel series have screened at Annecy.
Despicable Me 4
Illumination and Universal Pictures
Renaud and Delage helmed Despicable Me 4 from a script by Mike White (Emmy-winning creator of The White Lotus) and Ken Daurio, who has a writing credit on every previous Despicable Me film.
Despicable Me 4′s voice cast includes Carell, Will Ferrell, Kristen Wiig, Sofía Vergara, Miranda Cosgrove, Joey King, Stephen Colbert, Chloe Fineman, Pierre Coffin and Steve Coogan. Chris Meledandri and Brett Hoffman serve as producers on the new movie.
Hailing from Illumination, the animated film follows 2017’s Despicable Me 3 and the 2022 spinoff feature, Minions: The Rise of Gru. Despicable Me 4 held its world premiere Sunday in New York City.
The Annecy Animation Festival runs through Saturday in Annecy, France. Notable events at this year’s festival have included debut screenings for such features as Paramount Pictures’ Transformers One and Warner Bros. Animation’s The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie.
