Despicable Me 4 facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Despicable Me 4 |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Chris Renaud |
| Produced by |
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| Written by |
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| Starring | |
| Music by | Heitor Pereira Pharrell Williams |
| Editing by | Tiffany Hillkurtz |
| Studio | Illumination |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
| Release date(s) | June 9, 2024 (Jazz at Lincoln Center) July 3, 2024 (United States) |
| Running time | 94 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $100 million |
| Money made | $986.7 million |
Despicable Me 4 is a fun animated comedy film that came out in 2024. Chris Renaud directed it, and Mike White and Ken Daurio wrote the story. The movie was made by Illumination and released by Universal Pictures.
This film is the fourth main movie in the popular Despicable Me series. It's the sixth movie overall if you count the spin-offs. Many famous voices star in it, including Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Pierre Coffin, Joey King, Miranda Cosgrove, Stephen Colbert, Sofía Vergara, and Will Ferrell.
The story happens after Despicable Me 3 (2017). In this movie, Gru, who used to be a supervillain but is now a secret agent, has to move his family to a safe place. This is because his old enemy, Maxime Le Mal, wants revenge. At the same time, some of Gru's Minions get special superpowers from the Anti-Villain League (AVL). They become a superhero team called the Mega Minions.
Work on Despicable Me 4 started in 2017. The movie was officially announced in 2022. Heitor Pereira and Pharrell Williams returned to create the music and songs.
Despicable Me 4 first showed in New York on June 9, 2024. It was released in movie theaters in the United States on July 3, 2024. The film was very successful at the box office. It earned $986.7 million around the world, making it one of the highest-grossing films of 2024.
Contents
The Story of Gru's New Adventure
Gru, who is now a secret agent for the Anti-Villain League (AVL), went to a school reunion. There, he met Maxime Le Mal, an old classmate. Maxime believed Gru stole his talent show act a long time ago. During the reunion, Maxime showed that he had made himself stronger with parts from cockroaches. Gru had him arrested by the AVL.
Gru's Old Rival Returns
But Maxime escaped from prison with help from his own cockroach helpers. He wanted revenge on Gru. Maxime also had a new invention: a special ray gun that could turn people into part-cockroach creatures. He planned to use it on Gru's baby son, Gru Jr.
A few days later, Silas Ramsbottom, who had retired, visited Gru's family. He told them that Maxime had escaped. The AVL decided to move Gru's family to a safe house in another town. They would live under new names to stay hidden.
The Mega Minions and a New Home
Meanwhile, the AVL took most of the Minions. Silas chose five of them to get superpowers for a new project called the Mega Minions. However, this project was stopped quickly. The Mega Minions accidentally caused a lot of damage in a nearby city.
In their new fancy town, Gru and his family met their new neighbors, the Prescotts. The Prescotts had a teenage daughter named Poppy. Poppy was an aspiring villain and recognized Gru from his past as a supervillain. She threatened to tell everyone his secret unless he helped her. Poppy wanted to steal Lenny, the honey badger mascot from her school, Lycée Pas Bon.
A Daring Plan and a Rescue
With help from two Minions and Gru Jr., they successfully stole Lenny. But they didn't know that Lenny's collar had a tracking device. The school's principal, Übelschlecht, saw Gru on security cameras. She contacted Maxime to tell him where Gru was.
The next day, Gru and Lucy were playing tennis with Poppy's parents. Poppy was watching the girls and Gru Jr. Principal Übelschlecht visited the safe house to ask about Gru. Poppy quickly left with Lenny. Gru and Lucy rushed home after Margo warned them. They fought Übelschlecht. Lucy also called the AVL, who brought the Mega Minions back to stop Maxime.
During the chaos, Gru Jr. left the house. Maxime and his clever girlfriend, Valentina, spotted and kidnapped him. Lucy and the girls stayed to handle Übelschlecht. Gru decided to save his son with Poppy's help.
Using a flying car, Gru and Poppy chased Maxime's ship. Poppy helped Gru get onto the ship. Gru took control of the ship, causing it to crash into a building that was still being built. Maxime revealed he had tricked Gru Jr. and changed him into a part-cockroach creature. They fought Gru. Gru was hurt and almost fell off the building. But his encouraging words helped Gru Jr. break free from Maxime's influence. Gru Jr. then attacked Maxime. Gru punched Maxime off the building. The Mega Minions arrived and further harmed Maxime. The AVL then arrested Maxime and Valentina.
Gru was reunited with Lucy and the girls. Gru Jr. finally called Gru "Dada." The family returned to their original home. Dr. Nefario reversed Gru Jr.'s transformation. Later, Gru visited Maxime in an AVL prison. They talked and made up. The rivals then performed the song "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" for the other prisoners. Poppy was accepted into Lycée Pas Bon.
Meet the Voices Behind the Characters
Many talented actors lent their voices to the characters in Despicable Me 4:
- Steve Carell as Gru, the former supervillain who is now an AVL agent.
- Kristen Wiig as Lucy Wilde, an AVL agent and Gru's wife.
- Will Ferrell as Maxime Le Mal, a French-accented, cockroach-themed supervillain and Gru's old school rival.
- Tara Strong as Gru Jr., Gru and Lucy's baby son.
- Joey King as Poppy Prescott, a girl who wants to be a supervillain and looks up to Gru.
- Stephen Colbert as Perry Prescott, Poppy's father and Gru's new neighbor.
- Chloe Fineman as Patsy Prescott, Poppy's mother.
- Sofía Vergara as Valentina, Maxime's clever girlfriend.
- Miranda Cosgrove as Margo, the oldest of Gru and Lucy's three adopted daughters.
- Dana Gaier as Edith, the middle of Gru and Lucy's three adopted daughters.
- Madison Polan as Agnes, the youngest of Gru and Lucy's three adopted daughters.
- Steve Coogan as Silas Ramsbottom, the retired director of the Anti-Villain League.
- Chris Renaud as Principal Frau Übelschlecht, the elderly principal of Lycée Pas Bon.
- Pierre Coffin as the Minions, Gru's loyal yellow helpers.
Other voices included John DiMaggio as Karl, the bus driver. Laraine Newman voiced Melora, a salon customer. Brad Ableson was Sensei O'Sullivan, the karate teacher. Romesh Ranganathan voiced Dr. Nefario, Gru's scientist friend.
Some villains from past movies also made cameo appearances. These included Vector, El Macho, and Balthazar Bratt. Their voices were from old recordings.
How the Movie Was Made
Creating the Story and Characters
Work on Despicable Me 4 started in September 2017. Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio, who wrote many Despicable Me movies, wrote early versions of the script. The movie was officially confirmed in February 2022. Chris Renaud directed it, and Mike White wrote the story. The filmmakers wanted to make the story stronger. They had ideas like Gru's family needing witness protection and Gru's old rival from high school.
An idea for Mega Minions was first thought of for Despicable Me 2 (2013). It was brought back for Despicable Me 4. The creators looked at superhero teams like the Fantastic Four and the movie The Incredibles (2004) for inspiration. To make the Mega Minions special, Renaud added the Minions' funny and sometimes clumsy traits to them.
Bringing Characters to Life
Many of the characters from earlier films had their computer models updated for this movie. For example, Fred McDade, who hadn't been seen since the second movie, was completely rebuilt. His old character model was too outdated. There's a scene where Poppy plays an arcade game. This scene actually started as a test for her character's animation. The filmmakers liked it so much that they put it in the final movie.
The Music of Despicable Me 4
In March 2024, it was announced that Heitor Pereira would compose the film's music. He had worked on previous movies in the series. Pharrell Williams also returned to help with the music and write new songs. The official soundtrack was released on June 27, 2024.
Spreading the Word: Marketing and Release
Trailers and Fun Promotions
The first trailer for the movie was released on January 28, 2024. It played during the NFL playoff games. The trailer featured popular songs like "Sweet Child O' Mine" and "Maneater." It showed the challenges of Gru's new baby, Gru Jr., and introduced Will Ferrell's character, Maxime Le Mal. Another trailer was shown during Super Bowl LVIII on February 11, 2024. It had Jon Hamm narrating and included funny moments with Ferrell and Steve Carell.
The second trailer came out on May 7, 2024. This trailer showed more of the Mega Minions. It also featured one of Pharrell Williams' new songs. Viewers saw the powerful, and sometimes messy, results of the Minions getting superpowers. Journalists noted that Maxime and Valentina seemed like very dangerous villains for Gru to face.
In June 2024, Illumination released a funny teaser for the film. It was a parody called the Megaverse. It joked about making many movies and shows starring the Mega Minions for 100 years.
When and Where It Was Released
Despicable Me 4 first showed at the Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City on June 9, 2024. It also had a special showing at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival on June 13, 2024. The movie was released in theaters across the United States on July 3, 2024.
Watching at Home
Universal Pictures Home Entertainment released Despicable Me 4 for digital download on September 10, 2024. It became available on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray, and DVD on September 24, 2024. These home versions included behind-the-scenes videos, deleted scenes, and two short films.
The movie became available to stream on NBCUniversal's Peacock streaming service on October 31, 2024. It will also be available on Netflix starting February 28, 2025.
Awards and Recognition
Despicable Me 4 received several nominations and awards. Its theme song, "Double Life," was nominated for an award for Original Song in an Animated Film. Habib Louati won an Annie Award for his amazing storyboarding work. The film was also nominated for Best Animated Film at the 52nd Saturn Awards. It was nominated for Best Movie for Families at the 2025 Movieguide Awards.
At the 2025 Kids' Choice Awards, the film received four nominations. These included Favorite Animated Movie, Favorite Male Voice for Carell and Ferrell, and Favorite Female Voice for Wiig. However, it did not win these awards.
Viewership
According to data from Showlabs, Despicable Me 4 was a popular movie on Netflix in the United States. It ranked fourth during the week of February 24–March 2, 2025.
