I think at Illumination we're very fortunate
to have a unique way of working.
Especially for the mini-movies.
Ah!
Whoa!
(GASPS) (GROWLING)
CHRIS RENAUD: Our artists are based in LA and in Paris.
So it's a great fusion of cultures.
HEALY: In France, there is a love of beauty.
And they work with a focus. I see that every day in our studio.
And from the American side, you're getting an experience level in animated features.
So you get the best of both worlds.
(SPEAKING MINIONESE)
(GRUNTS)
(GROANS)
The mini-movies for Despicable Me 2
are directed by first-time directors in our studios.
(SPEAKING MINIONESE)
PIERRE COFFIN: We used the mini-movies to discover new talent,
and to give them the opportunity to direct and have fun.
(LAUGHS)
I would love to do your idea of the card "Panic in the Mailroom".
(IMITATES MUSIC CUE)
MARK O'HARE: Fabrice and I are both directing Panic in the Mailroom.
And we've never met so we've only worked from Skype.
So it's actually quite fun.
We could even play in animation like he's trying to keep balance.
Yeah, definitely.
The difference in languages between Fabrice and I actually makes it better
because the minions also communicate beyond language.
(GROWLS) (SCREAMS)
(GASPS)
What we really liked for comedy
was the idea of a minion changing back and forth...
(EXCLAIMING)
...without even knowing it.
I think the Jekyll and Hyde type of story,
it reflects on two sides that we all try to balance in ourselves.
(LAUGHS)
One impact I like to have most is the unexpected.
I want you to be surprised.
So, okay, now the cats are coming.
The idea of the kittens came almost as a joke.
O'HARE: We were just sitting and thinking on Skype,
and it was one for those quiet moments,
and suddenly Fabrice goes...
In his French accent he said, "What about a kitty?"
(LAUGHING)
(MEWING)
I love cats. They're actually very fun to design and animate.
(SNEEZES)
(SIGHS) Huh?
The minion characters really lend themselves to the form of mini-movies.
What if minions are left to their own devices to invent something?
How would that go? Particularly if they're working with Agnes.
Ice cream!
The title Training Wheels, I feel like it grew organically.
The start of the idea was a vivid memory from my childhood.
I remember getting my training wheels off and I couldn't ride my bike.
Whoa!
I remember everything feels more dramatic when you're a child.
Stupid bike. (SNIFFLES)
(BOTH GRUNTING)
I go through the boards that we've talked about and we have so many ideas.
Yeah.
REGIS SCHULLER: The script was too long.
We had a lot of ideas and we had to keep just one,
which is Agnes wants an ice cream and that's it.
I can almost taste it.
You don't have the ice cream truck in Paris?
Yes. You don't know what you're missing.
From the design perspective, the bike concept,
it went through a lot of different phases before we got to the final bike.
SCHULLER: And it's funny because my little daughter saw the storyboard,
and she said, "I want this bike. I want this bike."
(BEEPS)
You get a glimpse of Agnes growing up a tiny bit.
We really wanted to give her a time to shine.
Whoa.
Early in the morning, I woke up and I just had this image in my head
of this minion walking a UFO.
It was so interesting and funny to me.
That was the spark of inspiration.
Hello.
I like the subtle balance between comedy...
(SPEAKING MINIONESE)
...and emotion.
Oh...
Our household was filled with all these strange animals.
And not all animals make good pets.
(SPEAKING MINIONESE)
(GROWLS)
CHENEY: And so, yeah, I can relate to wanting to play with animals
that really don't want anything to do with you.
From a design perspective, a ladybug's an insect that is very appealing.
So it has that going for it.
But also, it has a striking resemblance to a UFO.
İt is just one of the sweetest pieces of film that we've produced,
and watching that film evolve has been tremendously satisfying for all of us.
(SPEAKING MINIONESE)
(WHOOPING AND LAUGHING)
It's really wonderful to be able to guide this little movie
through the same process and with the same people as the big movies.
I always dreamed to be a director, and it was so exciting.
Working at Illumination has been one of the most unique,
fun and rewarding experiences I've ever had.
To be a director on that kind of project, yeah, I want to be
part of that adventure.
(ALL CHEERING)