Minion Idol

The allure of pizza sees the Minions accidentally crash a singing competition (a la Australian Idol) in Despicable Me 3. Although initially hesitant, they eventually build up to a passionate “Minionese” rendition of The Major-General’s Song from The Pirates of Penzance. There are Minion pyramids, Minion Can-Can dancers and pink toilet paper streamers (because the Minions can’t resist a toilet joke). It epitomes the clueless confidence that makes Minions impossible not to love.

Boss troubles

Minions (2015) offers a glimpse into their history, answering questions like where they came from and what their purpose is. Apparently, it’s simply to serve the “most despicable master”, including a T. Rex, a Pharoah, a vampire and even Napoleon.

What these scenes ultimately remind us of, however, is that Minions don’t exactly bring their masters luck. Instead, they unintentionally cause each of their deaths, usually due to their utter lack of brain cells. Though they may not be the most skilled employees, their loyalty and desire for belonging are characteristics everyone can respect.

All-4-Minions

They can sing, dance and they’re loveable. In other words, the Minions were practically made to form a boy band.

Four of the little guys channel All-4-One at the end of Despicable Me 2 (2013), singing a rendition of I Swear at Gru and Lucy’s wedding. In their version, “I swear” becomes “underwear” – unsurprising given the Minions’ ongoing fascination with butts.

Although their sparkly all-white outfits and bedazzled berets are more Backstreet Boys than anything, they nail All-4-One’s pained lover vibe.

Shopping spree

One of the Minions’ first side-missions is to find a new unicorn toy (or “papoy” in Minionese) for young Agnes in Despicable Me (2010). Tim, Mark and Phil, three of the most notable Minions in the franchise, disguise themselves as a human family to blend in at the shopping mall.

However, they still stand out like little yellow thumbs (one of them only has one eye, after all). They wreak havoc on the store by launching a Coca-Cola bottle like a rocket and passionately singing Barry Manilow’s Copacabana on a karaoke machine. Clearly, Minions haven’t grasped the concept of “undercover”.

Their brains may not be high-functioning, but their hearts certainly are. Although they fail to buy a unicorn toy, they gift Agnes a makeshift one, made with a toilet brush and ice cream cone. It’s a sweet moment that epitomises the franchise’s overall message: something may be created to be bad, but there’s always space for good.

Despicable Me 4 is in cinemas now.

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