‘Despicable Me 4’ Trailer: Our First Look At The Return Of Animation’s Most Lucrative Box Office Franchise

It’s been seven years since grown-up Gru and his crew have graced the big screen, but animation’s most popular villain is back in the first trailer for Illumination’s Despicable Me 4, coming to theaters on July 3 from Universal Pictures.

In theatrical terms, no animated franchise has made more money than Despicable Me. Between the main films and its Minions spinoffs, the property has grossed $4.6 billion at the global box office. The franchise’s last feature, Minions: The Rise of Gru, was one of 2022’s biggest commercial hits, grossing $934 million and becoming a cultural phenomenon thanks to the #GentleMinions meme. Few films on the 2024 theatrical calendar feel as much of a lock as DM4.

Illumination hasn’t shared many details about the film yet, but here’s everything we know after this weekend’s trailer release:

• Despicable Me 4 is directed by longtime Illumination director Chris Renaud (Despicable Me, The Lorax, The Secret Life of Pets) and co-directed by Patrick Delage (animation director Sing, The Secret Life of Pets) from a screenplay by Emmy-winning White Lotus writer Mike White and Despicable Me franchise veteran Ken Daurio. Illumination CEO Chris Meledandri and Brett Hoffman produce.
• Illumination’s synopsis reads: “Gru and Lucy and their girls – Margo, Edith, and Agnes – welcome a new member to the Gru family, Gru Jr., who is intent on tormenting his dad. Gru faces a new nemesis in Maxime Le Mal and his femme fatale girlfriend Valentina, and the family is forced to go on the run.”
• The film’s voice cast features Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Pierre Coffin, Miranda Cosgrove, Steve Coogan, Chris Renaud, and Dana Gaier, joined by newcomers Will Ferrell, Joey King, Sofia Vergara, Stephen Colbert, Chloe Fineman, and Madison Polan.