Story
Minions is the latest movie from the Despicable Me franchise. It’s about the lives of minions Kevin, Bob and Stuart (all voiced by Pierre Coffin) before they met Gru.
Kevin, Stuart, Bob and the other minions were born to serve an evil master. When they find themselves alone in an icy cave without anyone to serve, the minions get depressed. Kevin recruits Bob and Stuart to go out into the world and find a new evil boss.
Luckily, the first ever female super-villain, Scarlett Overkill (Sandra Bullock), is looking for new henchmen. But will the minions have what it takes to win the job?
Themes
Violence
Minions has some violence. For example:
- A caveman punches a monkey.
- Napoleon gets shot by a cannon. His soldiers carry swords and guns
- A hitchhiking family robs a bank with guns and grenades.
- A minion shoots a gun at the police.
- The henchmen fight each other to get Scarlett’s attention.
- The minions are given a lava gun and a mind control weapon to ‘take out’ the guards at a palace.
- They also hit the guards with sticks.
- The queen at the palace punches a minion.
- Scarlett tries to attack and kill the minions with guns, bombs, missiles and other weapons.
- Scarlett shoots a missile at Kevin. He eats it and then they both explode. For a moment it looks like Kevin is dead. Bob cries. Kevin eventually returns, but this scene might upset some children.
Content that may disturb children
Under 5
In addition to the violent scenes mentioned above, Minions has some scenes that could scare or disturb children under five years. For example:
- The minions are sent to the dungeon to be tortured. There are medieval torture devices in the dungeon, but the minions aren’t harmed.
- The minions get depressed when they have no-one to serve. Their depression might be confronting and upsetting for young children.
- There is a scary clown and a scary bear, which try to chase and kill the minions.
- An evil villain wears a scary mask and carries a chainsaw.
- Throughout the movie there are lots of explosions, which might frighten children.
- A machine turns Kevin into a giant, and he goes stomping around London.
From 5-8
Children in this age group might also be scared or disturbed by the scenes mentioned above.
From 8-13
Nothing of concern
Over 13
Nothing of concern
Sexual references
Minions has some sexual references. For example:
- Scarlett and her husband Herb flirt with each other a lot, and Scarlett calls Herb a ‘fox’.
- The minions watch a dating game on television.
- One of the minions tries to flirt with a fire hydrant.
Alcohol, drugs and other substances
Minions shows some use of substances. For example, the queen drinks beer in a pub.
Nudity and sexual activity
Minions shows some nudity and sexual activity. For example:
- The mind control weapon makes the palace guards strip down to their underwear and slap each other on the bottom.
- Twice the audience is shown the minions’ bottoms. The first time is when Kevin is getting into a hot tub and he’s wearing a G-string. The second time is when a minion is coming out of the ocean.
Product placement
Minions is part of the Despicable Me franchise. Merchandise associated with Minions and other movies in the franchise is being marketed to children.
Coarse language
Minions has some mild coarse language and insults.
Ideas to discuss with your children
Minions is a funny animated movie that will delight children and adults. It features characters first seen in Despicable Me.
This movie is most suitable for children aged over eight years, because there are violent scenes involving guns, bombs, grenades, and explosions. There are also some scary characters. Because of these violent and scary elements, Minions isn’t recommended for children under five years. We also recommend parental guidance for children aged 5-8 years, particularly those who might be disturbed by the violent and scary elements.
The main message from this movie is to follow your dreams.
Values in this movie that you could reinforce with your children include loyalty and determination.
This movie could also give you the chance to talk with your children about real-life issues like the consequences of violence, crime and hurting or being unkind to people to get what you want.