Minions & Monsters: James's Elevator Pitch, John Powell BTS Featurette

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Posted in: Illumination, Movies, Universal | Tagged: Minions & Monsters

Minions & Monsters: James's Elevator Pitch, John Powell BTS Featurette

Illumination has released a clip from Minions & Monsters featuring James giving Goomi his elevator pitch, and a BTS featurette spotlighting John Powell's score.

Published Sun, 28 Jun 2026 14:37:08 -0500
by Kaitlyn Booth
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Article Summary

  • Illumination has unveiled a new Minions & Monsters clip featuring James giving Goomi a fast, funny elevator pitch.
  • The latest Minions & Monsters footage leans into Hollywood movie magic and the film’s playful, original premise.
  • A new behind-the-scenes featurette spotlights John Powell’s Minions & Monsters score and his creative approach.
  • Minions & Monsters opens in theaters on July 1, 2026, as one of Illumination’s biggest animated releases of the summer.

Minions & Monsters is probably going to be one of the bigger movies of the summer, and that's saying something because this summer is packed with a lot of big releases. People love those minions, and in terms of premises, this might be the best one Illumination has come up with so far, and by far the most original as well. Or maybe it's just one that appeals to me because a riff on The Artist with a tiny Chtulu is the kind of weird that scratches some very specific itches for me. We see more movie magic in a recently released clip, with James giving Goomi the movie's elevator pitch. They don't call it that in the clip, but that's what it is.

An elevator pitch is a short summary or pitch of your story, something that is short and concise enough that it could be told to someone within the time you would spend with someone in an elevator. The giant movie nerd in me almost wishes they had called it that in the clip, but maybe that was leaning in too far. Illumination is also attempting to appeal to me specifically by bringing on John Powell to do the music. Powell is one of the modern-day powerhouses for lovers of movie soundtracks, and as someone who has wept through Test Drive many times, seeing him show up in the behind-the-scenes featurette for Minions & Monsters was wild.

Minions & Monsters: Summary, Cast List, Release Date

Fresh off the worldwide blockbuster success of summer 2024's funniest comedy, Despicable Me 4, Illumination expands its joyful animated universe with a riotous new chapter, featuring all-new characters, in the biggest global animated franchise in history: Minions & Monsters.

L-R: Photo credit: Illumination & Uni © Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved. | Illumination's Minions & Monsters, directed by Pierre Coffin. Photo credit: Illumination & Uni © Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.

This is the rambunctious, ridiculous, and totally true story of how the Minions conquered Hollywood, became movie stars, lost everything, unleashed monsters onto the world, and then banded together to try and save the planet from the mayhem they had just created.

The acclaimed voice cast includes Academy Award® winner Allison Janney, two-time Academy Award® winner Christoph Waltz, Academy Award® winner Jeff Bridges, two-time Academy Award® nominee Jesse Eisenberg, Zoey Deutch (Nouvelle Vague) and Academy Award® nominee and comedy iconoclast Trey Parker, co-creator of South Park. The cast also includes Saturday Night Live alum Bobby Moynihan and Phil LaMarr (Futurama, King of the Hill).

Minions & Monsters is directed by Academy Award® nominee Pierre Coffin, a director of the first three Despicable Me films and the first Minions film. Coffin has also provided the voice for the Minions since their film debut in 2010. The film is written by Brian Lynch (Minions, The Secret Life of Pets films) and Pierre Coffin and is produced by Illumination's Academy Award® nominated founder and CEO Chris Meledandri and by Bill Ryan (executive producer, The Super Mario Bros. Movie). The executive producer is Brian Lynch.

Center L to R: Dick, Ed, James, Henry and additional Minions in Illumination's Minions & Monsters, directed by Pierre Coffin. Photo credit: Illumination & Universal Pictures © Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.
L to R: James, Ed, Henry and Goomi in Illumination's Minions & Monsters, directed by Pierre Coffin. Photo credit: Illumination & Universal Pictures © Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.
L to R: Ed, James and Henry in Illumination's Minions & Monsters, directed by Pierre Coffin. Photo credit: Illumination & Universal Pictures © Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.

More than ten years after their creation, the Minions have become the most iconic animated characters of their generation. Globally recognized and beloved by fans of all ages, they have propelled Illumination's Despicable Me and Minions to a global box office of more than $5.6 billion. Minions & Monsters will be released in theaters on  July 01, 2026.

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