It was only a matter of time, wasn’t it, but ‘Minions’ has made a billion dollars at the worldwide box office.

But what’s their appeal?

Officially, the ‘Despicable Me’ spin-off has taken $1,018,901,000 over the summer since its early July release and is the most successful in the franchise.

Success Story

The first ‘Despicable Me’ hit cinemas in 2010 and amassed a respectable $543 million, which was pretty good going considering it was a brand new, unheard of franchise hitting the animation scene. 2013 saw the release of ‘Despicable Me 2′. It quickly surpassed the original and took just under a billion dollars, with a total of $971 million, affirming it as one of the year’s biggest grossers.

Animation Wars

Like Pixar films, this franchise manages to appeal to a wide audience, but not quite in the same way. The likes of ‘Toy Story 3′ and ‘Up’ connected on a basic, visual gag level to small kids (bar that Married Life montage in the latter). ‘Despicable Me’ and its sequel appealed largely to the kiddies but provided enough jokes and silliness to appease many adults.

‘Minions’ hones in on the mega success of the first two and goes all-out to get children into cinemas, while retaining a fundamental cuteness that can not only entice adults, but encapsulate impressionable, developing children to engage with the on-screen action.

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The fact that its stars - Stuart, Kevin, and Bob - can barely utter a coherent word between them seems to have worked in the film’s favour. Not only do their funny sounding utterances make audiences of all ages laugh, it seems to resonate strongly with little kids, serving as a viable form of entertainment where developing minds can follow a simple, easy to understand narrative.

Summer holidays have always proven a good time to release movies aimed at bored kids who have driven parents up the wall for weeks on end, so is likely one reason for its July and August surge. And for adults who, admittedly, have no idea what they’re saying, the three dungaree-wearing misfits are amusing and visually adorable enough to capture their imaginations, too.

Story continues