Summary
In the 2000s, the animation landscape was dominated by just two studios: Dreamworksand Pixar. Hand-animated films had all but vanished - CGI was the way of the future, and there was only room for two at the table. When Illumination was established in 2007, no one would have expected that the company would become an animation giant in its own respect.
Yet through the 2010s, as Dreamworks' fortunes plummeted, Illumination’s prospects grew bigger. The studio hit the jackpot with its Minion mascot - the little yellow gremlins became a cultural phenomenon of their own. While Illumination draws ire from many due to its overtly childish films, the studio is clearly here to stay. Here are some of Illumination’s best works.
8Sing
2016
Fable films are dime-a-dozen in animation, and Sing wasn’t going to impress anyone with its relatively basic CGI animation. Where the film succeeded was inits soundtrack:with over 60 songs performed diegetically in the film, it offered something for everyone.
Sing’s cast may be animals, but its heart is human. The film shines a light on how a creative competition can lead to burnout and exhaustion for its reluctant participants, and that art cannot be commodified. Sing itself proved to be a very valuable commoddity indeed for Illumination: it launched a billion-dollar franchise.
7Minions: The Rise Of Gru
2022
Though best remembered today for the Gentleminion TikTok trend, Minions: The Rise of Gru was a fairly fun movie in its own right. It was delayed for over two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but by July 2022 Illumination was finally ready to inflict Minions upon the world once more.
A prequel to the Despicable Me series that made Illumination an animation powerhouse, Minions: The Rise of Gru chronicles how the villainous hero got his start. Truth be told, it’s more Despicable Me than Minions, but the latter title had more brand recognition by that point.
6Hop
2011
Hop was not a critical success, and it didn’t make that much money by Illumination standards either. Its humour was seen as dated and cynical in 2011, imitating other live-action animation hybrid movies.
Everything is cyclical, however, and Hop might be a bigger success if it came out today: where it had once seemed like a tryhard movie, it now feels like an irreverent adventure that’s more fun than even its own writing team intended it to be. James Mardsen gives his all in a role that many felt was unbecoming of him, and his character’s motivations in the movie turn it into meta method acting.
5Despicable Me
2010
Illumination’s debut sent the studio straight to the top, and with good reason. Despicable Me is a well-made movie. With no past laurels for Illumination to rest on, the studio was able to craft a movie where every element felt fresh and original: dictated to tell a good story, rather than to prove marketable.
Despicable Me is still fun to watch today, particularly with family. There are few to no pop culture callbacks, something that Dreamworks had begun to lean on heavily by this point, resulting in the studio being outpaced by Illumination’s more sincere storytelling.
4Minions
2015
Thebest mascot designsare simple ones, and the Minions, who look for all the world like Tic-Tacs in overalls, couldn’t possibly get any simpler. These little yellow gremlins became so popular that they soon branched out from the Despicable Me series to star in their own feature film.
Minions is a strange movie, but just like Bee Movie before it, it has become enduringly popular due to the ridicule and internet memes it spawns. In a vacuum, it’s a fairly decent film with good animation and a few laughs, but the legacy makes the movie what it really is.
3Despicable Me 2
2013
Despicable Me 2 is a time capsule of early 2010s culture. The grit and edginess of the 2000s was fading in favour of lighter, softer and more colourful media with an ironic underbelly. Despicable Me 2 is a perfect representation of this new era, featuring Pharrell Williams' Happy and releasing alongside a tie-in iPad running game.
Despicable Me 2 focused on life after villainy: Gru has to find new ways to make money while raising his daughter and searching for love. The film has heart, and is the best entry in the Despicable Me series.
2The Lorax
2012
The Lorax was a much-needed breath of fresh air. Previous adaptations of Dr. Seuss books had often catered to adults rather than families, often leaning on vulgarity. In contrast, The Lorax was family-friendly while still being funny enough for adults.
The rounded character designs are faithful to the books, and the story is conveyed well, with some catchy songs sprinkled in. Danny DeVito voices the titular Lorax, and the film - released during the height of the 3D fad - advertises itself as Tree-D. you may’t beat that.
1The Super Mario Bros. Movie
2023
The Super Mario Bros. Movie had everything stacked against it: video game fans didn’t like the cast, and film audiences didn’t like Illumination. Its financial success was assured, but to have any staying power, the Super Mario Bros. Movie needed to be good.
The movie defied all odds and proved to be a refreshing, well-paced, and catchy adventure that was surprisingly faithful to the source material. If you like video games, you’ll like the Super Mario Bros. Movie. If you don’t like video games, you’ll still like the Super Mario Bros. Movie. That’s as successful asany game adaptationcan hope to be.
