What was the first feature film in the Despicable Me franchise?

The first feature film in the Despicable Me franchise was Despicable Me.

Released in 2010, the animated film introduced Gru, his three adopted daughters, the Minions, Dr. Nefario, and a world of comic supervillains. Its story follows Gru’s plan to steal the Moon and his gradual change after adopting Margo, Edith, and Agnes as part of that scheme.

Despicable Me was produced by Illumination Entertainment and distributed by Universal Pictures. It was directed by Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud, with Steve Carell voicing Gru. The film’s success established the franchise before the sequels and the Minions spin-offs were made.

The title is sometimes used casually for the entire series, but it specifically identifies the 2010 original. Minions, released in 2015, is a spin-off and prequel rather than the franchise’s first feature.