“For me, what defines the [‘Despicable Me’ and ‘Minions’] world is that it is animated and it allows us to get away with what we get away with,” said Chris Renaud.
The filmmaker of Despicable Me, Chris Renaud, intends to maintain his lack of plans for a live-action Minions film.
Given Disney’s success with the Minions, the director was recently asked if he would ever be interested in seeing them transition from animation to live-action in an interview with Film Hounds magazine.
“God, I hope not. That’s my answer,” Renaud said in response. “I mean if there were conversations like that, I haven’t been privy to them. But for me, what defines the world is that it is animated and it allows us to get away with what we get away with. Like locking a minion in the vending machine, or you know, blowing up Gru (Steve Carell) when he attacks Vector (Jason Segel). These are cartoon ideas, like what would have been in a Bugs Bunny cartoon.”
God, I hope not. That’s how I respond,” Renaud remarked. “I mean, I haven’t been privy to any talks like that. But the fact that the world is dynamic and that we can get away with what we do is, in my opinion, what makes it what it is. Something like, you know, blowing up Gru (Steve Carell) when he assaults Vector (Jason Segel), or trapping a minion in the vending machine. These concepts are genuinely cartoonish; they resemble something from a Bugs Bunny cartoon.
“I think doing a live-action version just makes it become something completely different,” he went on. Not enticing to me. However, like I said before, who knows what may occur. That’s just how I feel.
Renaud returned to direct the most recent Despicable Me 4 after directing the previous two Despicable Me movies in 2010 and 2013, respectively. Additionally, he produced the films Minions (2015) and Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022). The franchise has achieved a noteworthy milestone by surpassing the $5 billion mark in worldwide ticket sales thanks to the most recent chapter, which debuted in theaters in July. This is an accomplishment no other cartoon property has made.
The plans for Minions 3, which is scheduled to open in cinemas on June 30, 2027, were also revealed by Illumination and Universal last month. Pierre Coffin is going to be directing.
Renaud, however, is not the only well-known figure in animation who has no intention of joining the live-action bandwagon anytime soon. Pete Docter, the chief creative officer of Pixar, expressed his disapproval of the concept to Time magazine in June, just before the release of the movie Inside Out 2, which broke records.
Docter stated of live-action, “No, and this might bite me in the butt for saying it, but it sort of bothers me.” “I enjoy creating films that are distinctive and different. I don’t find it that fascinating to recreate.
A live-action rat movie “would be tough,” the Pixar executive said, citing the 2007 film Ratatouille (a fan movement sought to star Josh O’Connor in a live-action remake). “So much of what we create only works because of the rules of the [animated] world,” the senior said.
“So, you think, ‘Wait a second,’ when a human walks inside a floating house. Remain still. Houses weigh a ton. How is the home being lifted by balloons? Docter went on, bringing up Up from 2009. But, you may say, “Okay, I’ll buy it,” if you have a cartoon character that just stands there in your home. Our created worlds simply aren’t very translatable.
