Despicable Me 4 is the latest installment in the hit animated franchise and is sure to be one of the biggest new movies of 2024, especially for younger viewers (or anyone who loves the Minions' antics).
Although Illumination has put out two Minions movies in recent years, there hasn't been a new mainline DM movie since Despicable Me 3 arrived in 2017. But Despicable Me 4 sees Gru returning for "an exciting, bold new era of Minions mayhem", according to the studio.
This time around, the supervillain-turned-Anti-Villain League agent faces a new foe who's escaped from custody. With Maxime Le Mal out for revenge, and his entire family's lives at stake — including new arrival, baby Gru Jr. — Gru takes them all on the run.
Here's what we know about Despicable Me 4 right now.
Despicable Me 4 release date
Despicable Me 4 will hit theaters on Wednesday, July 3, 2024.
What's the Despicable Me 4 plot?
Despicable Me 4 sees the reformed supervillain Gru facing a new threat, one that puts his whole family in danger.
The full synopsis reads: "In the first Despicable Me movie in seven years, Gru, the world’s favorite supervillain-turned-Anti-Villain League-agent, returns for an exciting, bold new era of Minions mayhem in Illumination’s Despicable Me 4.
"Following the 2022 summer blockbuster phenomenon of Illumination’s Minions: The Rise of Gru, which earned almost $1 billion worldwide, the biggest global animated franchise in history now begins a new chapter as Gru (Oscar nominee Steve Carrell) and Lucy (Oscar nominee 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 faces a new nemesis in Maxime Le Mal (Emmy winner Will Ferrell) and his femme fatale girlfriend Valentina (Emmy nominee Sofia Vergara), and the family is forced to go on the run. "
Despicable Me 4 cast
The Despicable Me 4 voice cast includes a host of famous faces. You can't have a new Despicable Me movie without the voice of Gru on hand, so obviously Steve Carrell is lending his voice to the character once again.
In addition to Carrell, the Despicable Me 4 returning cast also includes:
- Kristen Wiig as Gru's wife, Lucy
- Miranda Cosgrove as Margo
- Dana Gaier as Edith
- Madison Polan as Agnes
- Steve Coogan as Silas Ramsbottom
- Pierre Coffin as the voice of the Minions.
There's also a ton of new characters stepping into the frame this time around.
Gru's new nemesis, Maxime Le Mal, is voiced by Will Ferrell, while Le Mal's femme fatale girlfriend Valentina is portrayed by Sofia Vergara.
Plus, new, as-yet-unrevealed characters will be voiced by Stephen Colbert, Joey King and Chloe Fineman.
Is there a Despicable Me 4 trailer?
The official Despicable Me 4 trailer has arrived, and it shows us the new threat that Gru, his family and the Minions face this time around. And, of course, the minions look to be ready to cause more chaos as they do their best to help the boss. Check the trailer out below:
The minions also made an appearance in a Super Bowl 2024 ad for the new movie, which reveals a shocking truth about AI art: Gru's chaotic crew are the ones behind it all.
Minions movies in order
As we mentioned, Despicable Me 4 is the first movie in the main Despicable Me franchise, but there have also been two movies primarily focused on the yellow mascots' antics: Minions and Minions: The Rise of Gru.
In release date order, they are:
- Despicable Me (2010)
- Despicable Me 2 (2013)
- Minions (2015)
- Despicable Me 3 (2017)
- Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022)
- Despicable Me 4 (2024)
Want to watch the movies in chronological order? Then you'll need to follow the overarching story across the franchise a little bit differently, as Minions 2 tells the story of how a young Gru became a supervillain. You can find the chronological order below:
- Minions (2015)
- Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022)
- Despicable Me (2010)
- Despicable Me 2 (2013)
- Despicable Me 3 (2017)
- Despicable Me 4 (2024)
