Since 2010’s Despicable Me released and the world got “Happy” with the yellow, well-intentioned-yet-evil, indestructible minions, Illumination has gone on to make them the face of the studio. Beyond the usual merchandising, they’ve been part of each Despicable sequel, received a total of three features, and appeared in mini-movies, specials, and more. Frankly, there hasn’t been an adventure past the first outing in which the minions didn’t grate, their gags repetitious and low-hanging, *and yet* Minions & Monsters, solo-directed by Pierre Coffin (Despicable Me; Minions) and written by Coffin and Brian Lynch (Minions; The Secret Life of Pets films), perfectly utilizes these characters in an adventure that’s a love-letter to cinema. If you’ve yet to go on this particular Minion ride, the home release edition is available to enjoy in comfort alongside a series of featurettes, guides, and behind-the-scenes goodies to allow you to dive deep into the mouth of this monster tale.
If you’re interested in learning about Minions & Monsters in a spoiler-free capacity, head over to EoM founder Douglas Davidson’s initial theatrical release review. Going forward, there’re going to be spoilers about the monsters and the minions.
Separate from the tribe of minions who eventually meet and work with young Gru (voiced by Steve Carell), another tribe sought out their own “big boss.” After much trial and a great deal of error, the wandering minions not only stumbled onto the set of a Hollywoodland movie in the Roaring ‘20s, they tripped and fell into stardom, as well. For James (voiced by Coffin), this created the opportunity for to become the storyteller he always dreamed and it allowed him to do it alongside his best friend, Henry, and their friend, Ed (both also voiced by Coffin). For his first feature, James decides to go big and make a monster movie and, luckily, Ed still has the conjuring book from a prior big boss that has a potentially perfect one. What could possibly go wrong?
The following home release review is based on a 4K UHD Blu-ray combo retail copy provided by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment (UPHE).
As mentioned in my initial review, Minions & Monsters is intended for young audiences and, just like in the theater, this film killed at home with my 5- and 11-year-old. They both giggled and gasped their way through it, tickled by the ways in which the minions found and lost their various Big Bosses, and grew appropriately wary when Irene made her climatic appearance. When the credit gags were complete, the youngest ran off, but the eldest stayed to watch the bonus features, curious to see how Coffin and his team at Illumination France made the film. Again, this is a tip of the hat to the filmmakers for creating an adventure that nails their target, regardless of what the adults in the room think.
Another massive tip of the hat goes to the fact that this film pulls from source throughout cinema to craft the various vignettes that make up the whole. Unlike the stories in the main Despicable Universe, this story is less a singular tale and more one built around a series of events that collide in the conclusion — which is also very true of a number of classic black-and-white tales from the early days of movie-making. Seriously, the titular monsters don’t even start to make their appearance until about halfway through the 90-minute film. (It certainly helps that the entirety of Minions & Monsters is manufactured, a Kansas City Shuffle, if you will, as the movie we’re watching is actually a movie-within-a-movie, which is why this title is able to make so many hilarious references and get away with it.) Each sequence does provide a little something for the larger narrative, whether it’s establishing James’s creativity, the bond between James and Henry, the acquisition of the magical book that allows them to later call forth Goomi (voiced by Trey Parker), or the very means to defeat Irene in the big sci-fi climax. The best part of all of it is how these sequences lay the groundwork for parents to introduce other stories to their children. “Did you like the sequence where the minions interrupt the film shoot? Let’s check out The Great Train Robbery (1903).” “Wasn’t that sequence where the minions ride the gears of the machine funny? Let’s watch Modern Times (1936).” “The scene where the minions meet the wizard? How about we watch Fantasia (1940)?” “Did you enjoy robotic alien invader Dort (voiced by Jesse Eisenberg)? Let’s check out his cousin Klaatu in The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951).” The film opens with a sequence involving a tour guide leading a group through the various marvels of cinema — from films like Airplane! (1980) and The Matrix (1999) to filmmaker George Lucas (voiced by himself) on display in a glass box — so it shouldn’t surprise that the narrative itself is one giant reference to the stories that precede it. And yet, it does surprise, bringing with it waves of delight for aware audiences and a fantastic place to jump in for those who aren’t.
It’s still a Minions movie, so enjoyment will absolutely vary. It’s not necessarily the most original or innovative animated film of 2026, but it’s no slouch either.
The bonus features are, similarly, a mix of fascinating features, as-expected, and slightly disappointing marketing materials. The fascinating portions are in the 10-minute “Minions Take on Hollywood” and the four-minute “Hollywood Sound.” The first is Coffin, Lynch, and other members of the crew talking about the process of making the film, including a deep dive into the technical aspects of the animation process. Not only do you get a sense of the story ideation and creation, but a chance to learn about what they did to make this adventure as engaging as possible. Because this film is set in the 1920s, music and sound play big parts in the narrative, which is where “Hollywood Sound” comes in. This featurette is led by composer John Powell (Shrek; Wicked) who calls this his “most joyful and indulgent scores.” Mixed with final footage, we get behind-the-scenes looks at the orchestra making the music, as well as the usual interview materials with Coffin and Powell. The as-expected comes in the form of the six-minute “Movie-Making Minions Style,” the three-minute “How to Make Your Own Irene Blob Monster Slime,” and a 13-minute set of nine drawing how-to videos. Each of these seeks to bridge the gap between passive home viewer and active engager with the art of moviemaking. The first and second provide the materials list to make your own adventure and slime (respectively), while the third walks you through how to draw the various main figures of the film. If you’re looking for a way to take the fun of Minions & Monsters that your youngsters have and extend it, this is the way. The final featurette, “Casting Minions & Monsters,” runs just under 12 minutes and is just Coffin and others talking about the performances the cast provide against footage of them performing in a booth along with final footage. Unlike other animated titles receiving the home treatment, not a single member of the vocal cast gets a chance to speak on what they think of being involved. Speaking as someone who enjoyed what this cast of actors bring to their respective roles, it would’ve added depth to the featurette to have heard from them. The end result is a sense of absence and marketing rather than of really learning something.
Be advised that the 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and digital edition include all of the aforementioned supplemental materials. While this doesn’t make a massive difference for the Blu-ray and digital presentations, the fact that all the materials are included on the 4K UHD would be nerve-wracking except that UPHE uses a BD 100. This allows for the film to have all the space it needs without sacrificing a lot of quality. While there are moments where the film’s bitrate dips into the 50 Mbps range, much of the film is in the upper 70/low 80 Mbps, indicating a much higher quality 4K UHD presentation in both audio and video. What’s great about the 4K UHD presentation is the amount of additional detail one can notice, whether it’s the fabric tufts on the tunics the minions wear while working for the giant, the texture of the leather that makes up the binding on their headgear early in the film, the almost-cottony billowing of the green cloud as Goomi is called forth (almost spectral in nature), and, of course, Irene herself — gooey, slimy, and gelatinous in her entire clementine glory. Out of the available options at my disposal, the 4K UHD is absolutely the version I would watch for the additional detail, but the Blu-ray won’t disappoint either. It certainly didn’t with the kids.
A recommendation: watch the film with the subtitles on.
We do it because it makes it easier for our kids to follow along, but there are so many word-play-based jokes that you might miss via the vocal performance that the subtitles will help you catch. Command Zed, indeed!
A Minion movie is going to be a Minion movie, but Minions & Monsters is not only charming and fun, it’s positively joyful about the creative process. It certainly helps that the whole film is nothing more than a framework to hang a series of cinematic reference points on amid Dick jokes (no one’s calling him Richard), body humor gags, and general juvenile comedy. But whereas placing the minions front-and-center has its own point where they’re no longer funny, Coffin and Lynch have made something that even those of us reluctant to rewatch another moment of these silly dudes in overalls are asking the kids to let us know when they’re ready to watch again. Maybe when we’re done, we can watch Safety Last (1923) or City Lights (1931) or Casablanca (1942) or … .
Minions & Monsters Special Features:
* Minions Take on Hollywood (10:48)
* Casting Minions & Monsters (11:41)
* Hollywood Sound (4:26)
* How To Make Your Own Irene Blob Monster Slime (3:28)
* Movie-Making Minions Style (5:57)
* Nine (9) How To Draw Guides (12:50)
Available on VOD and digital August 11th, 2026.
Available on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD September 8th, 2026.
For more information, head to the official Illumination Minions & Monsters webpage.
To purchase, head to the official Universal Pictures Home Entertainment Minions & Monsters webpage.
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Categories: Films To Watch, Home Release, Recommendation
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