Illumination (company)

Illumination (formerly named Illumination Entertainment) is an American film and animation studio founded by Chris Meledandri in 2007 and owned by Universal Pictures,[4][5][6] a division of NBCUniversal, which is itself a division of Comcast. Meledandri produces the movies while Universal finances and distributes all the films.[5] The studio is responsible for the Despicable Me and The Secret Life of Pets film series and the film adaptations of Dr. Seuss’ books The Lorax and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. The Minions, characters from the Despicable Me series, are the studio's mascots.

Illumination

Formerly	Illumination Entertainment (2007-2017)
Type	Division
Industry	Animation Motion pictures
Founded	2007 (2007)
Founder	Chris Meledandri
Headquarters	Santa Monica, California , U.S.
Key people	Chris Meledandri (CEO)[1] Keith Feldman (COO)[2]
Products	Animated films
Owner	NBCUniversal (Comcast)
Number of employees	100 (2016)[3]
Parent	Universal Pictures
Subsidiaries	Illumination Mac Guff
Website	Official website

Illumination has produced 10 feature films, with its latest release being The Secret Life of Pets 2, with an average gross of $695.4 million per film. The studio's highest-grossing films are Minions, which has grossed $1.159 billion worldwide, Despicable Me 3, $1.034 billion and Despicable Me 2, $970.8 million. All three are among the 50 highest-grossing films of all time, and six of their films are among the 50 highest-grossing animated films.

History

Meledandri left his post as President of 20th Century Fox Animation and Blue Sky Studios in early 2007. While at those companies he supervised or executive-produced movies including Ice Age, Ice Age: The Meltdown, Robots and Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who!. After leaving, he founded Illumination Entertainment. By 2008, a deal was announced positioning Illumination Entertainment as NBCUniversal's family entertainment arm that would produce one to two films a year starting in 2010. As part of the deal, Illumination retains creative control and Universal exclusively distributes the films.[7] During the summer 2011, Illumination acquired the animation department of the French animation and visual effects studio Mac Guff, which animated Despicable Me and Dr. Seuss' The Lorax, and formed Illumination Mac Guff.[8][9][10]

Meledandri prefers to keep Illumination adhering to a low-cost model, recognizing that "strict cost controls and hit animated films are not mutually exclusive". In an industry where film expenses often exceed $100 million, Illumination's first two releases were completed with significantly lower budgets, considering Despicable Me's $69 million budget and Hop's $63 million budget. One way the company sustains a lean financial model is by employing cost-conscious animation techniques that lower the expenses and render times of its computer graphics.[11]

Not unlike Pixar, in its early days Illumination depended on a core group of directors and writers to create its films. The directors of Despicable Me, Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud, also directed or co-directed Dr. Seuss' The Lorax, Despicable Me 2, Minions, The Secret Life of Pets, and Despicable Me 3. Screenwriters Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio (who had written Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who for Meledandri at Fox) wrote or co-wrote Despicable Me, Hop, Dr. Seuss' The Lorax, Despicable Me 2, The Secret Life of Pets, and Despicable Me 3, while screenwriter Brian Lynch wrote or co-wrote Hop, Minions, and The Secret Life of Pets.

On August 22, 2016, NBCUniversal acquired competing studio DreamWorks Animation, appointing Meledandri to oversee both studios.[12][13][14]

Projects

The studio's first film, Despicable Me, was released on July 9, 2010 and was commercially successful, earning $56 million on its opening weekend, and going on to ticket sales of $251 million domestically and $543 million worldwide. Illumination's second film was the live action/CGI hybrid Hop (2011), which has a $37 million opening, and ended up with $108 million domestically and $183 million worldwide. An adaptation of Dr. Seuss' The Lorax, debuted on March 2, 2012, earning $70 million on its opening weekend, and with eventual totals of $214 million in the US market and $348 million worldwide. The studio's first sequel, Despicable Me 2, opened in the United States on July 3, 2013, earning over $970 million worldwide,[15] becoming the second highest-grossing 2013 animated film and breaking a record as the most profitable Universal Studios film in its 100-year history.[16] The spin-off to Despicable Me, titled Minions, was released on July 10, 2015,[17] and grossed over $1 billion worldwide.

The Secret Life of Pets was released on July 8, 2016.[18] Directed by Chris Renaud and Yarrow Cheney, the film would earn $104 million in its opening weekend, $368 million domestically, and $875 million worldwide. Sing, a comedy written and directed by Garth Jennings, was released on December 21, 2016.[19] It was the first movie for the studio to have a Christmas release. The film would earn $56 million in its first 5 days, grossing $270 million stateside and $634 million worldwide. It also holds the record for the highest-grossing film not to ever be at #1 in its run. Despicable Me 3 was released on June 30, 2017, and became the 2nd film to earn $1 billion for the studio, and set a record for the highest theater count ever with 4,536 theaters in its 2nd week. The second film from Illumination based on a Dr. Seuss book, Dr. Seuss' The Grinch, was released on November 9, 2018, and is directed by Scott Mosier and Yarrow Cheney from an adaptation by Michael LeSieur and Tommy Swerdlow.[19] The Secret Life of Pets 2, the sequel to 2016's The Secret Life of Pets, was released on June 7, 2019.

On May 19, 2011, Illumination announced that it would be working with Universal Studios to create Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem, a 3-D ride at Universal Parks & Resorts in Orlando, Hollywood, and Osaka.[20] The ride officially opened on July 2, 2012 in Orlando, in Hollywood on April 12, 2014, and in Osaka on April 21, 2017.

Upcoming projects

Future projects include Minions: The Rise of Gru set for July 2, 2021 and Sing 2 set for December 22, 2021.[21] After that, release dates have been set aside for three more films whose titles have not been announced: July 1, 2022, December 21, 2022 and June 30, 2023.[22] Other films the studio has in development include Despicable Me 4 and an animated film based on the Mario franchise as a collaboration with Nintendo. In January 2018, then-Nintendo President Tatsumi Kimishima stated that, if plans go smoothly, a Mario movie could happen by 2020.[23][24][25] On January 31, 2018, Nintendo announced during a fiscal meeting that they are partnering with Illumination on a movie starring Mario, which will be co-produced by Chris Meledandri and Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto.[26] On November 6, 2018, Illumination announced that the Mario film could be released by 2022.[27] Also, Illumination is working with frequent collaborator and musician Pharrell Williams on an original animated film that will be "made from scratch".[27]

Filmography

Feature films

Further information: List of Illumination films

Released films

#	Title	Release date	Distributor/Co-production with	Animation service(s)	Budget (millions)	Gross	Rotten Tomatoes	Metacritic
1	Despicable Me	July 9, 2010	Universal Pictures	Mac Guff	$69	$543 million	81%	72
2	Hop^[S]	April 1, 2011	Universal Pictures Relativity Media	Rhythm and Hues	$63	$184 million	25%	41
3	The Lorax	March 2, 2012	Universal Pictures	Illumination Mac Guff	$70	$348 million	53%	46
4	Despicable Me 2	July 3, 2013			$76	$970 million	75%	62
5	Minions	July 10, 2015			$74	$1.159 billion	55%	56
6	The Secret Life of Pets	July 8, 2016			$75	$875 million	73%	61
7	Sing	December 21, 2016				$634 million	72%	59
8	Despicable Me 3	June 30, 2017			$80	$1.034 billion	58%	49
9	The Grinch	November 9, 2018			$75	$511 million	60%	51
10	The Secret Life of Pets 2	June 7, 2019			$80	$433 million	60%	55

^S Combines live-action with animation.

Upcoming films

#	Title	Release date	Distributor/Co-production with	Animation service(s)	Ref(s)
11	Minions: The Rise of Gru	July 2, 2021	Universal Pictures	Illumination Mac Guff	[28][29][30][21]
12	Sing 2	December 22, 2021			[31][32][22][21]
13	Untitled animated Mario film	2022	Universal Pictures Nintendo	TBA	[27][24][23][25][26]

Short films

#	Title	Release date	Distribution/co-production with	Animation service(s)	Release with	Notes
1	Home Makeover	December 14, 2010	Universal Pictures Home Entertainment	Mac Guff	Despicable Me	Home video release
2	Orientation Day
3	Banana
4	Brad & Gary[33][34][35]	July 1, 2011	Universal Pictures	Illumination Mac Guff	N/A	Theatrical release
5	Phil's Dance Party	March 23, 2012	Universal Pictures Home Entertainment	Rhythm and Hues	Hop	Home video release
6	Wagon Ho!	August 7, 2012		Illumination Mac Guff	The Lorax
7	Forces of Nature
8	Serenade
9	Puppy	December 10, 2013			Despicable Me 2
10	Panic in the Mailroom
11	Training Wheels
12	Cro Minion	December 8, 2015			Minions
13	Competition
14	Binky Nelson Unpacified
15	Mower Minions	July 8, 2016	Universal Pictures		The Secret Life of Pets	Theatrical release
16	Norman Television	December 6, 2016	Universal Pictures Home Entertainment			Home video release
17	Weenie
18	Gunter Babysits	March 21, 2017			Sing
19	Love at First Sight
20	Eddie's Life Coach
21	The Secret Life of Kyle	December 5, 2017			Despicable Me 3
22	Yellow is the New Black	November 9, 2018	Universal Pictures		Dr. Seuss' The Grinch	Theatrical release
23	The Dog Days of Winter	November 23, 2018	NBCUniversal Television Distribution		Trolls Holiday	Television release
24	Santa's Little Helpers	February 5, 2019	Universal Pictures Home Entertainment		Dr. Seuss' The Grinch	Home video release
25	Super Gidget	August 27, 2019			The Secret Life of Pets 2
26	Minion Scouts

Miscellaneous work

Title	Release date	Notes
Despicable Me Minion Mayhem	2012	Theme park ride at several Universal Studios parks and resorts. Co-production with Universal Creative and Reel FX Creative Studios
The Secret Life of Pets: Off the Leash!	2020	Theme park ride at several Universal Studios parks and resorts. Co-production with Universal Creative

Accolades

Academy Awards

Year	Film	Category	Recipient(s)	Result
2013	Despicable Me 2	Best Animated Feature	Chris Renaud, Pierre Coffin & Chris Meledandri	Nominated
		Best Original Song	"Happy" – Pharrell Williams

Golden Globe Awards

Year	Film	Category	Recipient(s)	Result
2010	Despicable Me	Best Animated Feature Film	Chris Renaud and Pierre Coffin	Nominated
2013	Despicable Me 2
2016	Sing		Garth Jennings
		Best Original Song	"Faith" – Ryan Tedder, Stevie Wonder and Francis Farewell Starlite

Annie Awards

Year	Film	Category	Recipient(s)	Result
2010	Despicable Me	Best Animated Feature	Chris Meledandri, Janet Healy and John Cohen	Nominated
		Voice Acting in a Feature Production	Steve Carell
		Character Design In an Animated Film	Carter Goodrich
		Directing in a Feature Production	Chris Renaud and Pierre Coffin
		Music in a Feature Production	Pharrell Williams and Heitor Pereira
		Production Design in a Feature Production	Yarrow Cheny and Eric Guillon
2011	Hop	Character Animation in a Live Action Production	Andrew Arnett
2012	Dr. Seuss' The Lorax	Character Design in an Animated Feature Production	Eric Guillon, Yarrow Cheney and Colin Stimpson
		Music in an Animated Feature Production	John Powell, Ken Daurio and Cinco Paul
2013	Despicable Me 2	Best Animated Feature	Chris Meledandri and Janet Healy
		Best Animated TV/Broadcast Commercial	Despicable Me 2	Won
		Voice Acting in a Feature Production	Steve Carell	Nominated
			Kristen Wiig
			Pierre Coffin
		Character Animation in an Animated Feature Production	Jonathan Del Val
		Character Design In an Animated Film	Eric Guillon
		Directing in a Feature Production	Chris Renaud and Pierre Coffin
		Music in a Feature Production	Pharrell Williams and Heitor Pereira
		Production Design in a Feature Production	Yarrow Cheny and Eric Guillon
		Storyboarding in an Animated Feature Production	Eric Favela
2015	Minions	Outstanding Achievement in Animated Effects in an Animated Production	Frank Baradat, Antonin Seydoux, Milo Riccarand and Nicolas Brack
		Voice Acting in a Feature Production	Jon Hamm
			Pierre Coffin
		Outstanding Achievement in Production Design in an Animated Feature Production	Eric Guillon
		Character Design In an Animated Film
		Outstanding Achievement in Character Animation in a Feature Production	Hichem Arfaoui
		Storyboarding in an Animated Feature Production	Habib Louati
2016	The Secret Life of Pets	Character Design in an Animated Feature Production	Eric Guillon
		Music in an Animated Feature Production	Alexandre Desplat
	Sing		Joby Talbot
2017	Despicable Me 3	Best Animated Feature	Chris Meledandri and Janet Healy
		Animated Effects in an Animated Production	Bruno Chauffard, Frank Baradat, Nicolas Brack and Milo Riccarand
		Character Design in an Animated Feature Production	Eric Guillon
2018	Dr. Seuss' The Grinch	Music in an Animated Feature Production	Danny Elfman and Tyler, The Creator
		Storyboarding in an Animated Feature Production	Habib Louati
		Editorial in an Animated Feature Production	Chris Cartagena
2019	The Secret Life of Pets 2	Voice Acting in a Feature Production	Jenny Slate
		Editorial in an Animated Feature Production	Tiffany Hillkurtz

BAFTA Awards

Year	Film	Category	Recipient(s)	Result
2010	Despicable Me	Best Animated Film	Chris Renaud and Pierre Coffin	Nominated
2013	Despicable Me 2
2015	Minions		Pierre Coffin and Kyle Balda

Critics' Choice Awards

Year	Film	Category	Recipient(s)	Result
2010	Despicable Me	Best Animated Film	Chris Renaud and Pierre Coffin	Nominated
2013	Despicable Me 2	Best Animated Film
		Best Original Song	"Happy" – Pharrell Williams
2017[36]	Despicable Me 3	Best Animated Film	Pierre Coffin and Kyle Balda
2018	Dr. Seuss' The Grinch		Scott Mosier and Yarrow Cheney

Producers Guild of America Award

Year	Film	Category	Recipient(s)	Result
2010	Despicable Me	Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Picture	Chris Meledandri, Janet Healy and John Cohen	Nominated
2013	Despicable Me 2		Chris Meledandri and Janet Healy
2015	Minions
2016	The Secret Life of Pets
2017	Despicable Me 3
2018	Dr. Seuss' The Grinch

Visual Effects Society

Year	Film	Category	Recipient(s)	Result
2013	Despicable Me 2	Outstanding Visual Effects in an Animated Feature	Chris Meledandri, Janet Healy, Chris Renaud and Pierre Coffin	Nominated
2017	Despicable Me 3		Pierre Coffin, Chris Meledandri, Kyle Balda and Eric Guillon
		Outstanding Animated Character in an Animated Feature	Eric Guillon, Bruno Dequier, Julien Soret, Benjamin Fournet for "Bratt"
		Outstanding Created Environment in an Animated Feature	Axelle De Cooman, Pierre Lopes, Milo Riccarand, Nicolas Brack for "Hollywood Destruction"
		Outstanding Model in a Photoreal or Animated Project	Eric Guillon, Francois-Xavier Lepeintre, Guillaume Boudeville, Pierre Lopes for "Dru's Car"
		Outstanding Effects Simulations in an Animated Feature	Bruno Chauffard, Frank Baradat, Milo Riccarand, Nicolas Brack
2018	Dr. Seuss' The Grinch	Outstanding Visual Effects in an Animated Feature	Pierre Leduc, Janet Healy, Bruno Chauffard, Milo Riccarand
		Outstanding Animated Character in an Animated Feature	David Galante, Francois Boudaille, Olivier Luffin, Yarrow Cheney for Dr. Seuss' The Grinch
		Outstanding Created Environment in an Animated Feature	Loic Rastout, Ludovic Ramiere, Henri Deruer, Nicolas Brack for Whoville
		Outstanding Effects Simulations in an Animated Feature	Eric Carme, Nicolas Brice, Milo Riccarand for Snow, Clouds and Smoke

See also

• Illumination Mac Guff
• DreamWorks Animation
• Universal Animation Studios
• List of DreamWorks Animation productions
• List of Universal Pictures theatrical animated features
• List of unproduced Universal Pictures animated projects
• List of animated feature films of the 2010s
• List of highest-grossing animated films of the 2010s

References

1. Gaita, Paul (December 5, 2017). "Illumination's Chris Meledandri Melds Together Cinematic Art and Cutting-Edge Technology". Variety. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
2. Lang, Brent (March 5, 2020). "Illumination Taps Keith Feldman as COO (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
3. Richford, Rhonda (December 9, 2016). "An Inside Look at Illumination's 24/7 Operation, From L.A. to Paris". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
4. Debruge, Peter (July 17, 2013). "Illumination Chief Chris Meledandri Lines Up Originals for Universal". Variety. Retrieved September 13, 2013.
5. Kilday, Gregg (December 9, 2016). "Illumination's Chris Meledandri Talks Success Secrets, Rumors He'll Head DreamWorks". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 22, 2017.
6. "Why Illumination Entertainment Is One Of The Most Innovative Companies Of 2017". Fast Company. February 13, 2017. Retrieved February 11, 2017.
7. Fleming, Michael (March 6, 2008). "Meledandri, Universal team on deals". Retrieved July 10, 2016.
8. Fleming, Mike (November 14, 2011). "Universal Pictures Buys Paris Animation Unit For Chris Meledandri's Illumination". Deadline. Retrieved November 15, 2011.
9. "ILLUMINATION MAC GUFF (PARIS 15) Chiffre d'affaires, résultat, bilans sur SOCIETE.COM - 533478434". www.societe.com. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
10. Keslassy, Elsa (December 12, 2011). "Universal benefit in Mac Guff accord". Variety. Retrieved December 17, 2011.
11. Barnes, Brooks (April 3, 2011). "For Illumination Entertainment, Animation Meets Economic Reality". The New York Times. Retrieved June 15, 2011.
12. "Comcast's NBCUniversal buys DreamWorks Animation in $3.8-billion deal". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
13. "NBCUniversal Unveils New DreamWorks Annimation Senior Management". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 3, 2016.
14. McNary, Dave (August 22, 2016). "Comcast Completes $3.8 Billion Purchase of DreamWorks Animation". Variety. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
15. "Despicable Me 2 (2013)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
16. Szalai, Georg (July 31, 2013). "NBCUniversal CEO: 'Despicable Me 2' Will Be Most Profitable Film in Universal's History". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 31, 2013.
17. Fleming, Mike (February 11, 2013). "Sandra Bullock To Voice Super-Villain In 'Minions' Spinoff For Illumination/Universal". Deadline. Retrieved February 12, 2013.
18. Shaw, Lucas (February 12, 2013). "Universal Dates Mystery Illumination Movie for 2015". The Wrap. Retrieved February 15, 2013.
19. "'Despicable Me 3′ Set For June 2017 Release; 'Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas' Arrives Five Months Later". Deadline. January 15, 2014. Retrieved January 16, 2014.
20. Vary, Adam B. (May 19, 2011). "Universal Parks announces new 'Despicable Me' ride, and a major face-lift for 'Spider-Man'". EW.com. Retrieved June 15, 2011.
21. Tartaglione, Nancy (April 1, 2020). "'Minions: The Rise Of Gru', 'Sing 2' Set New 2021 Release Dates; 'Wicked' Still Brewing Slot". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
22. Yee, Lawrence (February 2, 2017). "Illumination, Universal Add Four More Animated Films to Slate". Variety. Retrieved February 2, 2017.
23. Pallotta, Frank (November 14, 2017). "'Super Mario Bros.' animated movie in the works at Illumination Entertainment". CNNMoney. Retrieved November 14, 2017.
24. "'Super Mario Bros.' Movie in the Works at Illumination Entertainment". Collider. November 14, 2017. Retrieved November 14, 2017.
25. "Super Mario Movie in the Works From Despicable Me Studio". Slashfilm. November 14, 2017. Retrieved November 14, 2017.
26. Nintendo of America (January 31, 2018). "Nintendo and Illumination are partnering on a movie starring Mario, co-produced by Shigeru Miyamoto and Chris Meledandri!". Retrieved February 1, 2018.
27. Lang, Brent (November 6, 2018). "Inside Illumination's Plans for Animated 'Super Mario Bros.' Movie". Variety. Retrieved November 6, 2018.
28. Kroll, Justin (January 25, 2017). "'Sing 2' Set for Christmas Day 2020 Release". Variety. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
29. Hipes, Patrick (May 21, 2019). "'Minions' Sequel Gets A Title; Movie Release Date Is In 2020". Deadline. Retrieved May 27, 2019.
30. McClinkton, Pamela (March 19, 2020). "Universal Delays 'Minions: The Rise of Gru' Early July Release". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
31. McNary, Dave (October 14, 2015). "Three Untitled Illumination Movies Get Dates Through 2020". Variety. Retrieved October 15, 2015.
32. "Exhibitor Relations Co. on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved June 6, 2019.
33. "Brad & Gary". Seattle International Film Festival. Archived from the original on February 22, 2013. Retrieved February 3, 2013.
34. "Brad & Gary". IMDb. Retrieved February 3, 2013.
35. King, Susan (February 2, 2013). "40th Annie Award nominees and winners list". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 3, 2013.
36. "Critics' Choice Awards 2018: Complete List of Movie and TV Nominations". E! News. December 6, 2017. Retrieved December 6, 2017.

External links

• Official website
• Illumination Mac Guff official website
• Illumination on IMDb
• Illumination Entertainment at the Big Cartoon DataBase