I recently took my three-year-old son out for a big afternoon at the movies to catch Minions & Monsters. We opted for the full IMAX experience at our local AMC, and from a pure sensory standpoint, it absolutely delivered. The animation was jaw-droppingly crisp, the colors practically leaped off the massive screen, and the audio design was incredibly immersive. For a toddler, it was a total sensory paradise. He had an absolute blast, completely locked into the visual spectacle from start to finish.

But as the parent sitting next to him, I was a bit underwhelmed by the movie.

The biggest hurdle for Minions & Monsters is the complete absence of the main Despicable Me cast. Without Gru, the girls, or a traditional human anchor to ground the narrative, we’re left with ninety minutes of pure Minion chaos. And while those yellow henchmen are fantastic in short bursts or as comedic relief, asking them to carry a feature-length film entirely on their own is a tall order.

Remember, these characters don’t actually speak a real language. Relying entirely on slapstick, gibberish, and physical comedy works wonders for a 20-minute short or a subplot, but over a full runtime, the joke starts to wear thin. It becomes a bit of a chore to remain fully engaged by a plot that has to convey everything through high-pitched squeaks and pantomime.

Don’t get me wrong—it was a fun, ambitious experiment. If the box office numbers hold up, this will almost certainly spin off into its own sub-franchise. But as a standalone piece of storytelling, it just proves that the core Despicable Me films are far more enjoyable, emotionally grounded, and ultimately rewatchable. Go for the IMAX spectacle if you have little ones, but don’t expect it to match the charm of the original series.

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