Movies & TV
Illumination Movies Tier List Maker
Rank Illumination movies, from Despicable Me and Minions to Sing, The Super Mario Bros. Movie and Migration.
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Meet every movie (15)
These 15 movies load into the maker above. Each write-up covers what the movie is and what to weigh when you rank it. Facts were last checked on .
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Despicable Me
The 2010 film that started the franchise created by Sergio Pablos. It centers on Gru, a supervillain turned secret agent, his adoptive daughters Margo, Edith and Agnes, and his yellow Minions.
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Hop
A 2011 Easter comedy directed by Tim Hill, mixing live action with animation. It stars James Marsden and Kaley Cuoco, and was produced by Universal Pictures, Illumination and Relativity Media.
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The Lorax
A 2012 animated musical fantasy comedy based on Dr. Seuss's 1971 children's book. Chris Renaud directed it, Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio wrote it, and Danny DeVito is in the voice cast.
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Despicable Me 2
The 2013 sequel, directed by Chris Renaud and Pierre Coffin and written by Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio. It is the second installment in the franchise, following the 2010 film.
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Minions
A 2015 prequel to Despicable Me directed by Pierre Coffin and Kyle Balda and written by Brian Lynch. It is the first Minions film and the third installment in the overall franchise.
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The Secret Life of Pets
A 2016 animated comedy directed by Chris Renaud and written by Brian Lynch, Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio. Louis C.K., Eric Stonestreet, Jenny Slate and Kevin Hart head the voice cast.
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Sing
A 2016 animated musical comedy written and directed by Garth Jennings. Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Seth MacFarlane and Scarlett Johansson lead a large voice cast.
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Despicable Me 3
A 2017 sequel directed by Pierre Coffin and Kyle Balda. It is the third main installment of the franchise and the fourth overall, once the Minions prequel is counted.
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The Grinch
A 2018 animated Christmas comedy based on Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas! Scott Mosier and Yarrow Cheney directed it, and Pharrell Williams narrates.
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The Secret Life of Pets 2
A 2019 sequel to The Secret Life of Pets, again directed by Chris Renaud and written by Brian Lynch. It is the second feature film in its franchise.
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Sing 2
A 2021 sequel written and directed by Garth Jennings, with McConaughey, Witherspoon, Johansson, Taron Egerton and Tori Kelly returning. It is the second film in the Sing franchise.
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Minions: The Rise of Gru
A 2022 film directed by Kyle Balda, and written by Matthew Fogel from a story by Fogel and Brian Lynch. It is the second Minions prequel and the fifth installment overall in the Despicable Me franchise.
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The Super Mario Bros. Movie
A 2023 adventure comedy based on Nintendo's Mario franchise, directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic and written by Matthew Fogel. Chris Pratt leads the voice cast.
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Migration
A 2023 animated adventure comedy directed by Benjamin Renner and written by Mike White. Kumail Nanjiani, Elizabeth Banks and Awkwafina are among the voices in this migrating-family story.
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Despicable Me 4
A 2024 film directed by Chris Renaud and written by Mike White and Ken Daurio. It is the fourth main installment in the Despicable Me franchise and the sixth overall.
Illumination Movies tier list questions
Which Illumination movies are on this list?
The list has 15 films from Illumination, from Despicable Me in 2010 to Despicable Me 4 in 2024. It includes the Minions spin-offs, Sing, The Secret Life of Pets and The Super Mario Bros. Movie.
How do the Despicable Me and Minions films fit together?
Minions (2015) is a prequel to Despicable Me, and Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022) is its second prequel. Counting both, Despicable Me 4 is the fourth main film and the sixth overall installment.
How should I rank Illumination movies?
Common criteria include humor, characters, music and rewatch value. Many people rank by franchise, since the Despicable Me, Minions, Sing and Pets films each have a distinct style.
Sources
Facts on this page were checked against these references on .