I finally buckled. After years of trying to avoid any new movie that features the annoying little yellow Tic Tac-looking, denim wearing Minion characters, something interesting happened to me while the new THE RISE OF GRU hit my eyeballs. By some miracle, this origin story of Gru (voiced by Steve Carell) and how his beloved Minions came to be has a lot of fun action and a real bigger heart than the previous DESPICABLE ME pictures. For more, read Ed Sum’s review here!
For whatever reason, THE RISE OF GRU checked quite a few boxes for me. The Minions themselves are far more reigned in and not constantly making as much noise as the first MINIONS. Time is more spread out to Gru and his upbringing, as well as a Kung-Fu teacher (voiced by Michelle Yeoh, who is on another hot streak this year). That or I finally JUST got their sense of humour in this one. It’s by far my favourite of the series.
About the 4k Release:
As expected, this is an absolute stunner on 4k Blu Ray. Universal has really provided a wonderful visual feast for the eyes. I saw this theatrically twice (once in 2D and once in 3D) and I think the 4k disc looks even BETTER than the theatrical presentation. Yeah, I went there! Even the Dolby Atmos soundtrack was pretty solid with a powerful bass presence throughout.
A Blu Ray is also included and also looks great on a few scenes I sampled, and contains more of the bonus features.
For the features, I loved the additional short films and added behind the scenes featurettes. For reference, the entire list of bonus features are included below.
- POST MODERN MINIONS (MINI MOVIE) – Experience one Minion’s rise and fall as an artistic genius when he sneaks into a 1970’s post-modern art gallery with a fellow Minion and unintentionally creates an explosive new art form that is declared by a snooty art critic as the greatest art he’s ever seen. When the critic moves onto the next new artist, our Minion tries everything to get back in the spotlight, which accidentally leads to his next unexpected career.
- MINIONS AND MONSTERS (MINI MOVIE) – Follow a newbie Minion as he joins three more experienced Minions in playing a 1970’s fantasy role-playing game. After struggling to gain the skills needed to master the game, the newbie unexpectedly rises to the occasion and saves the day, earning him the magical crown and the appreciation of his buddies.
- EXTENDED SCENE
- OUTTAKES
- CHARACTER PROFILES
- GRU
- WILD KNUCKLES
- BELLE BOTTOM
- MASTER CHOW
- THE VICIOUS 6
- BIKER
- GRU-VY ANIMATION – Join Steve Carell and the directors as they take us through the animation process. From Concept Art, through Storyboards and on to the Final Film, with every Gru-vy step in between explained in fun and fascinating detail.
- THE ’70S – FASHION, FOOD & FUNK – A behind the scenes look at the 1970’s through the lens of MINIONS: THE RISE OF GRU. From fashion to music, cultural phenomenon and back – the cast and filmmakers are bringing the 1970’s to a whole new generation.
- MINION MARTIAL ARTS – In this 1970s inspired martial arts movie throwback, we hear from the film’s directors about their inspiration, how they created authenticity in animation, the role the many martial artists in the cast played to bring it to life and how you teach a Minion to fight.
- HOW TO DRAW (& ANIMATE) WITH BRAD ABLESON – Co-director Brad Ableson shows us how to draw all of our favorite characters.
- MINION
- YOUNG GRU
- KUNG FU STUART
- LAIR FLAIR: MAKE YOUR OWN MINION HIDEOUT – The Minions aren’t the only ones who can build a secret lair — now you can, too! (And yours doesn’t have to be built under Gru’s bed.)
- THE LAIR
- DISCO BUBBLES
- JET PACK
- SUPER STYLE SHOP – The Minion uniform of overalls and goggles is timeless. Simple yet functional. But sometimes Minions have a casual day out and can abandon their work attire for something more fashionable. Here’s how can create fresh new fashion for YOUR Minions!
- BELL BOTTOMS AND BANDANA
- FRINGE VEST AND CHUNKY NECKLACE
Overall, MINIONS: THE RISE OF GRU is a stunner on Blu Ray and comes highly recommended. Thanks so much to Universal and Taro PR for sending along a copy for review!