“Minions & Monsters” Opens Annecy Animation Film Festival Ahead of Global Release

Illumination’s latest animated feature, *Minions & Monsters*, will open the 2026 Annecy International Animation Film Festival on June 21. The film, directed by Academy Award-nominee Pierre Coffin, serves as the third installment in the Minions adventure series and the seventh entry in the *Despicable Me* franchise. A worldwide theatrical rollout is scheduled for July 1, 2026.

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The Minions characters debuted in 2010 with *Despicable Me*, co-created by Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud. Since then the franchise has expanded to seven films, generating a cumulative valuation of approximately $5.6 billion. Illumination’s relationship with the Annecy Festival dates to the world premiere of the original *Despicable Me* and has been renewed annually, culminating in the current opening slot for *Minions & Monsters*.

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• Pierre Coffin – Director, co-writer, and long-time voice performer for the Minions.

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• Chris Meledandri – Illumination founder and CEO, producer of the film.

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• Bill Ryan – Executive producer, known for *The Super Mario Bros. Movie*.

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• Brian Lynch – Co-writer, previously credited on *Minions* and *The Secret Life of Pets*.

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• Voice talent – Jeff Bridges, Jesse Eisenberg, Allison Janney, Christoph Waltz, Zoey Deutch, Bobby Moynihan, Trey Parker, and Coffin himself.

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• $5.6 billion total franchise revenue to date.

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• *Minions & Monsters* is the third Minions-focused sequel and follows *Minions: The Rise of Gru* (2022).

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• The film marks the seventh *Despicable Me* universe release, maintaining a release cadence of roughly one major title every two to three years.

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The opening slot at Annecy reflects Illumination’s long-standing partnership with the festival, which began with the world premiere of the original *Despicable Me*. The film’s extensive voice cast and continuation of a franchise valued at $5.6 billion underscore its commercial scale within the animation sector.

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Illumination announced that the film will debut at Annecy and subsequently launch worldwide on July 1. The studio highlighted the film’s premise as presented in the official synopsis and emphasized the continuation of a long-standing partnership with the festival. A first trailer was unveiled during the Super Bowl, and an extensive preview was presented at Cinemacon 2026.

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• “In an hour’s time or so, I’ll find out if I’m a film director,” — Pierre Coffin, interview with *Variety* (2026)

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• “rambunctious, ridiculous and totally true story,” — Official synopsis, Illumination (2026)

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Following its Annecy premiere on June 21, *Minions & Monsters* is scheduled for worldwide theatrical release on July 1, 2026, nine days later.

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