CinemaCon attendees got an extended clip from Illumination’s Despicable Me 4 at Universal’s presentation Wednesday in Las Vegas.
In it, Gru (Steve Carell) teams with the villainess Poppy (Joey King) to steal a honey badger from a castle/private school. Two Minions and Gru’s baby son Junior are in tow. Calamity ensues as the honey badger awakes and creates havoc, with Gru getting hit in the butt with a tranquilizer shot.
Illumination Boss Chris Meledandri introduced the clip today at the Caesars Colosseum, thanking exhibitors for the sleeper success of his animation studio’s Migration ($293 million in box office).
“In case of any doubt, our commitment to produce original animation film remains steadfast,” said Meledandri.
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This latest Despicable Me installment in the multibillion-dollar grossing franchise hits domestic theaters on July 5. Following the 2022 summer blockbuster of Illumination’s Minions: The Rise of Gru, which earned almost $1 billion worldwide, the animated franchise now begins a new chapter as Gru and Lucy (Kristen Wiig) and their girls — Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), Edith (Dana Gaier) and Agnes (Madison Polan) — welcome a new member to the Gru family: Gru Jr., who is intent on tormenting his dad.
Gru also faces a new nemesis in Maxime Le Mal (Will Ferrell) and his femme fatale girlfriend Valentina (Sofia Vergara), and the family is forced to go on the run.
The film features new characters voiced by King (Bullet Train), Stephen Colbert (The Late Show with Stephen Colbert) and Chloe Fineman (Saturday Night Live).
Pierre Coffin returns as the iconic voice of the Minions, and Steve Coogan returns as Silas Ramsbottom.
Despicable Me 4 is directed by a co-creator of the Minions, Chris Renaud (Despicable Me, The Secret Life of Pets), and is produced by Meledandri and Brett Hoffman.
The film is co-directed by Patrick Delage (animation director on Sing 2 and The Secret Life of Pets 2), and the screenplay is by The White Lotus creator Mike White and Despicable Me veteran Ken Daurio.