Let’s be honest with each other, when [easyazon_link identifier=”B0046B8GEQ” locale=”US” tag=”tvovermind00a-20″]Despicable Me[/easyazon_link] first came out did you really think it would ever get to this level of popularity? No, neither did I. But somehow (cough, minions, cough cough) Gru and his bunch have outshone everyone else this year by becoming the absolutely most successful franchise in the world. The film has brought in roughly $3.52 billion worldwide. Take a moment to breathe and then read that again, because I did say BILLION. A billion isn’t as much as you might think, well it is, but not in terms of how much animated franchises have made in the past several years. Don’t forget there are a lot of movies that paved the way for Gru and his buddies before he was so intent on stealing the moon and then forming a family.
Let’s look at just a few of them shall we?
Shrek, [easyazon_link identifier=”B00J2PCCYQ” locale=”US” tag=”tvovermind00a-20″]Frozen[/easyazon_link], and Toy Story are top contenders.
Despite the fact that Despicable Me has overtaken them you need to remember that at one point [easyazon_link identifier=”B01E8CKGUE” locale=”US” tag=”tvovermind00a-20″]Shrek[/easyazon_link] was on everyone’s mind. He was the lovable ogre that somehow gained a following with millions upon millions of people seemingly overnight. And then with Frozen nearly 4 out of 5 little girls, and some older girls, wanted to be Elsa. Before either of those however [easyazon_link identifier=”B01FURLH40″ locale=”US” tag=”tvovermind00a-20″]Toy Story[/easyazon_link] was king when Woody and Buzz hit the scene with their epic feud turned friendship. A while before Gru came around these three top franchises were sitting high on the list and didn’t seem possible to top. Even at its current spot, which it has earned, Despicable Me 3 could easily be overcome with another breakout hit from one of the other franchises. Kids are always willing to move onto the next big thing after all.
Without the minions Gru might never have gained this big of a foothold.
Yes, [easyazon_link identifier=”B00BZWGN58″ locale=”US” tag=”tvovermind00a-20″]Gru[/easyazon_link] is the star of the main movies, but let’s not forget that people absolutely fell in love with the [easyazon_link identifier=”B00PHG4ZUI” locale=”US” tag=”tvovermind00a-20″]Minions[/easyazon_link]. You haven’t seen Gru being turned into pillows, bedding, Tic Tacs, Twinkies, or anything else even resembling something that people would want. In truth he’s kind of been the toy that everyone knows is there but is left alone because he’s not the yellow, pint-sized star of the show. The minions and their strange, pidgin language have become far more popular than Gru has ever been. Steve Carell is great as the voice of Gru and the girls are cute as buttons, but the minions are without a doubt the stars of the show and what everyone comes to see.
It is a little bit surprising to see that Despicable Me 3 has done so well largely because it seems to be building off a premise that has already been firmly grounded and needs to be allowed to rest. Yet for all that people do love it and we can’t really say much else except to offer a bit of congratulations and wonder just what will come along next that will top this experience for children. As adults we know it’s coming, just not when or how.
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