Which studio produced the Despicable Me and Minions films?

Illumination produced the Despicable Me and Minions films. The company is an American animation studio founded by producer Chris Meledandri and partnered with Universal Pictures, which distributes its releases.

The first Despicable Me arrived in 2010 and introduced Gru, his three adopted daughters, and the yellow Minions who serve as his comic henchmen. The Minions became so popular that they later received their own feature films, beginning with Minions in 2015 and continuing with Minions: The Rise of Gru in 2022.

A common mix-up is confusing Illumination with Universal Pictures. Universal distributes the films and owns Illumination’s parent company, NBCUniversal, while Illumination is the studio responsible for developing and producing the animated franchise. Another detail readers often ask about is the animation itself: Illumination’s films have largely been animated by its Paris-based production operation, formed through its relationship with Mac Guff.