Minions & Monsters review: is it suitable for your child?

Story

Set in 1930s America, the story follows the Minions as they continue their search for the most evil boss on the planet. While looking for their next boss, Minions James and Henry (both voiced by Pierre Coffin) discover a passion for movies. This causes conflict with the other Minions, and the group splits as all the other Minions continue their search for a boss while James and Henry start a career as movie directors.

With the goal of making the scariest monster movie ever, James, Henry and their friend Ed (voiced by Pierre Coffin) begin the hunt for scary monsters to star in their film. After accidentally unleashing these monsters on the world, will James and his friends be able to save the city before it’s too late?

Themes

Monsters; aliens; villains and heroes; anti-heroes; morally grey characters; crime

Violence

Minions & Monsters has some violence. For example:

There’s a lot of slapstick, comic cartoon violence, including hitting, slapping and hurting other characters with various objects.
Several characters die in outrageous ways. These characters are villains, and their deaths are presented in a comic way.
A character steps on a Lego-type brick, before falling onto a sharp weapon and getting fire dropped on his head.
James shows his friends his art, but they roll their eyes and scoff at him.
A giant character crushes people’s houses for fun. No injury is shown.
Several characters yell at James in frustration.
Sharks eat a character.
A character is beheaded, but there’s no blood or gore, and it’s presented as a joke.
A giant panda crushes a character to death.
Characters punch, hit and slap each other in frustration.
Characters berate each other in gibberish.
A character throws a coffee on the floor in anger and berates James, saying that he can never win an Oscar and that they are fired.
Minions are attacked in a heavily choreographed fight scene.
A character smacks another in the face with a pillow.
Bombs go off like in an old war film. This is presented comically.
A character is hit very hard in the head with a pipe by accident, but they’re fine.
A male character is bullied by other characters, and they’re physically shoved around and berated.
A robot character threatens to kick a child but is stopped by a protester.

Sexual references

Minions & Monsters has some sexual references. For example:

A character sits on a stack of blocks that presumably go up his bottom, before he screams and falls down a cliff into a spiked pit. He’s later shown alive, but he’s covered in casts and in a wheelchair.
A female character says, ‘And look at this! Keanu Reeves’. She then throws herself at his model and growls seductively.
Characters go on several dates together, including to a fair, dinner and the pier.
A female character flirts with a robot character, calling him cute.

Alcohol, drugs and other substances

Minions & Monsters shows some use of substances. For example:

Characters pop champagne and drink it in celebration.
Characters drink alcohol on a date.

Nudity and sexual activity

Minions & Monsters has some nudity and sexual activity. For example:

The bare bottoms of non-human characters are shown in a comic way.
Minions’ bottoms are shown in a sauna.
A Minion grabs a woman suggestively, before making kissy faces at her.
Two Minions kiss dramatically on the lips.
A character pulls down another’s pants.
A Minion smacks a monster’s bottom.
A male character is shown in his underwear, drying himself off with a towel.

Product placement

The following products are displayed or used in Minions & Monsters:

Characters use Lego-like bricks.
When characters are touring Hollywood studies, there are references to several movies, including E.T., The Matrix, Star Wars and The Mummy.
George Lucas (as himself) is trapped in a box at a Hollywood studio.
James wins an Oscar, but it’s shaped like a banana.
The movie is marketed with a lot of merchandise.

Coarse language

Minions & Monsters has some coarse language and crude humour. For example:

There’s potty or crude humour throughout, often revolving around bottoms and comic nudity.
A very bossy Minion demands things of the others. The narrator introduces him by saying, ‘That’s Dick’.
When referring to the character named Dick, another character mutters ‘Ugh, Dick’, in a way that is clearly an adult joke.
A female character throws water in a male character’s face, calling him a ‘handsome bastard’.
There are insults including ‘stupids’ and ‘dork’.

Ideas to discuss with your children

Minions & Monsters is a silly, slapstick family animation. It’s short, fun and a bit goofy. Although it’s the next instalment in the Minions franchise, it can also easily be watched as a stand-alone movie.

Because of its violence, scary scenes and crude humour, Minions & Monsters is not suitable for children aged under 7 years. We recommend parental guidance for children aged up to 9 years.

These are the main messages from Minions & Monsters:

It’s important to follow your dreams.
It’s OK to rely on the people who love you when you’re facing adversity.

Values in Minions & Monsters that you could reinforce with your children include being a good friend, being loyal, and being true to yourself.

Minions & Monsters could also give you the chance to talk with your children about real-life issues and questions like the following:

James gets caught up in his dream of being a filmmaker and stops listening to what his friends want and need. You could talk about the importance of being kind to your friends and taking their feelings into account.
James stays true to himself and keeps having fun, even though the other Minions often make fun of him for dreaming of being an artist and filmmaker. What could James’ friends do differently? How would you support your friends in this situation?