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There's more to Gru and his Minions than meets the eye! Join us as we count down the sneaky adult humor, clever references, and hidden details that only grown-ups are likely to catch in the "Despicable Me" franchise! From spy film homages to real-life financial crises, this beloved animated series has plenty of jokes flying right over kids' heads!
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00:00Trying out this new invention of mine. I'll call it sticky fingers or smart goo.
00:07I haven't quite landed on the name yet.
00:10Welcome to Ms. Mojo.
00:12And today we're counting down our picks for the 20 things that only adults pick up on in the Despicable
00:18Me franchise.
00:19Boop it up!
00:28Number 20. Jean-Claude is a reference to the voice actor.
00:33It's time for the next generation.
00:38Minions The Rise of Gru introduces us to a villain with a giant mechanical lobster claw for his right arm.
00:45Some younger viewers might pick up on the clever play on words in the name Jean-Claude,
00:50which ties the lobster claw into a French-sounding name.
00:54However, there's a deeper reference here that adults are more likely to catch.
00:57The name is also a nod to the man who voices the character, Jean-Claude Van Damme,
01:02the famous Belgian martial artist and action film star who rose to prominence in the late 80s and 90s.
01:17Number 19.
01:18Sid sounds very close to something else.
01:22Okay, play dead!
01:29Yay!
01:30It's safe to say plenty of young viewers laugh after seeing Agnes' pet baby goat poop on the floor in
01:36Despicable Me 4.
01:37For adults, Agnes' response might be considered even funnier.
01:41Although, it might go over young viewers' heads,
01:44especially if they haven't yet learned a certain swear word that starts with an S and ends with a T.
01:50Agnes emphasizes that she wanted Lucky to sit,
01:53highlighting just how close that word sounds to a word that describes what the goat actually did.
01:58It's not something you'd necessarily expect from a kids' movie.
02:01Lucky, sit!
02:05Aw, Lucky!
02:07I said sit!
02:08Number 18.
02:10The Bicentennial Billboard
02:18The opening shot of Minions' The Rise of Gru likely didn't fully register with most kids,
02:23but it might have brought back memories for older adults.
02:26It shows a billboard that reads Bicentennial 1976.
02:30This refers to the 200th birthday of the United States of America,
02:34which was a celebratory time filled with festivities.
02:37We lived in the year 75 and 76.
02:41And how did you live? How is life now?
02:43Well, I think it's very great.
02:44Because the movie takes us back to the mid-70s,
02:47it's filled with other pieces of nostalgia as well.
02:50We also see a rotary phone,
02:52which is like a foreign object to kids nowadays.
02:54Plus, adults are likely to notice the 1975 Jaws poster at the movie theater.
03:00All those details are great,
03:01but the Bicentennial reference is probably the least likely for kids to recognize.
03:06Number 17.
03:07The Realistic Depiction of Class Reunions
03:10What did you think, huh?
03:11I was going to look like a bored loser with a dead bod?
03:15Oops!
03:16Looks like you beat me too, you know?
03:20If you're an adult who's attended a class reunion,
03:22you know exactly what they can be like.
03:25The good, the bad, and the awkward.
03:27Even if you haven't,
03:28you probably get the idea of the uncomfortable,
03:30cringeworthy moments these events can bring.
03:33Despicable Me 4 does quite the solid job
03:35of capturing that classic reunion vibe,
03:38much of it coming through the interaction
03:40between Gru and Maxim Lemal.
03:42Oh, I don't know if you know,
03:44but I did manage to steal the moon.
03:46Really?
03:47You mean that moon?
03:52It's clear that these two were not exactly friends back in the day.
03:55There's also an awkward exchange between Gru
03:58and who Maxim calls the most popular girl in school.
04:01And of course,
04:02there's the inevitable comparison of who's become more successful.
04:06Kids won't fully get what's going on here,
04:08but adults definitely will.
04:09Maxime Lemal!
04:11What are you kidding me?
04:16Number 16.
04:17Gru's reminder of just how many milk options there are at the grocery store.
04:22There's my favorite husband.
04:25Did you remember to get the milk?
04:26First of all,
04:27the question,
04:27did you remember to get the milk,
04:29is a quintessential adulthood thing.
04:31That's exactly what Lucy asks Gru
04:33during a kitchen scene in Despicable Me 4.
04:36Younger fans of the franchise
04:37might not fully grasp Gru's response,
04:40but parents who do the grocery shopping surely will.
04:43The almond milk,
04:44soy milk,
04:44hemp milk,
04:45oat milk,
04:46goat milk,
04:46chocolate milk,
04:47half and half,
04:48powdered and of magnesia.
04:50Gru lists off a variety of milk options,
04:52and as adults,
04:53it hits just how relatable this really is.
04:56Not only when it comes to milk,
04:58but other grocery store items as well.
05:00Seriously, kids,
05:01the choices can be overwhelming at times.
05:03What about regular milk?
05:05No, they don't make that anymore.
05:07Number 15.
05:08Questionable banana placement.
05:10Blama.
05:11Hey, Jenny!
05:12Tu cafe le cordon?
05:13No problemo!
05:18The minions do all sorts of creative,
05:21unusual and unpredictable things.
05:24Using x-ray glasses is on that list.
05:26During a scene in Despicable Me 4,
05:29we get an x-ray image of a couple of the capsule-shaped fellas,
05:32and one of them appears to have something strange inside.
05:35A banana.
05:36Yes, as in the fruit.
05:38The randomness of this image might elicit laughs from younger viewers,
05:41but there's also a more adult way to interpret it,
05:44given what the banana can symbolize anatomically,
05:47and the controversial placement of it in this minion x-ray.
05:51Yeah, you get what we're saying.
05:53Ooh, classos.
05:57Hey, they lose him!
06:01Number 14.
06:02Moon inaccuracies.
06:04We are going to steal...
06:06Just for a fit.
06:09The moon!
06:12Okay, first off, let's acknowledge Despicable Me
06:15is an animated fictional franchise.
06:17Even so, there's a fair share of realistic elements to the film.
06:21However, the moon is certainly not one of those.
06:24Obviously, kids understand you can't just steal the moon.
06:27That's part of the absurdist yet appealing nature of the franchise.
06:30But on top of that,
06:32if you look at the franchise through an astrophysical lens,
06:35you'll probably notice some of the less obvious scientific issues
06:38that kids likely wouldn't pick up on.
06:50For one, the moon's gravity is incorrectly portrayed multiple times.
06:54Secondly, Gru's trip to the moon is ridiculously short.
06:58In reality, it takes days to get there, not minutes.
07:01Come on, get it right.
07:03Just kidding, obviously.
07:06Come on, come on!
07:11Number 13.
07:12The Meaning of Playing Records Backwards.
07:16Fly backwards.
07:18The Beatles were known for using backmasking in their music,
07:22embedding messages that can only be heard when a track is played backwards.
07:25The most infamous instance of this dates back to 1969,
07:30when supposed backmasked messages and other clues
07:33helped fuel the false Paul is Dead rumor.
07:36Paul is Dead went down in Beatle mythology
07:39as a popular delusional word-of-mouth phenomenon.
07:43Other famous bands like ELO and Led Zeppelin
07:46have also been accused of backmasking.
07:48Older viewers might notice that Minions' The Rise of Gru
07:51references this concept as Gru plays a record backwards
07:54in order to access a secret supervillain base.
07:57Welcome to the Sister Six.
08:02That is pretty.
08:04Whoa!
08:05And while we're on that musical note,
08:07another thing adults notice but kids likely don't
08:10is the film's throwback tunes,
08:12including Shining Star, Cecilia, and Funky Town.
08:15Won't you take me to Funky Town?
08:19Won't you take me to...
08:21Funky Town?
08:22Number 12.
08:24Dance Dance Revolution.
08:31Released in 1999,
08:33this rhythm-based game became a classic.
08:36Not only did DDR become known for its entertainment value,
08:39but also for its fitness appeal.
08:41Nowadays, the game is nostalgic for many adults.
08:44Watching Poppy Prescott and her cat dance on the platform
08:47in Despicable Me 4
08:48may have brought back good memories for adult viewers.
08:51And it's understandable if,
08:53after watching this scene,
08:54you wanted to get back on that dancing platform
08:56and get busy.
08:57But most kids, especially younger ones,
09:00would likely not make that DDR connection.
09:11Number 11.
09:12Lucy Downing 2 Alcoholic Beverages
09:15Needless to say,
09:17Perry and I are no longer welcome on the island of Oahu.
09:21True story.
09:23Honey.
09:24Oh, thank goodness.
09:25While it's not explicitly stated,
09:27we can infer that there are adult beverages involved in Despicable Me 4.
09:31Well, at least adults would likely draw that conclusion.
09:35Young viewers might just view them as fruity juice beverages of sorts.
09:39We're specifically referring to a country club scene involving Lucy and Patsy.
09:43Grew interrupts because the kids are in trouble.
09:46Lucy then downs both her drink and Patsy's in all of two seconds.
09:50Adult viewers will pick up on what's really going on here,
09:53including what Lucy is consuming and the potential effects that could come of it.
09:58Number 10.
09:59Grew's finances make no sense.
10:02When it comes to Grew's business model, we have some questions.
10:06How does a middle-aged homeowner pay the bills through villainy,
10:09let alone finance a massive underground lab
10:12staffed by an army of diminutive yellow wage workers?
10:15I've been crunching some numbers,
10:18and I really don't see how we can afford this.
10:21Sure, the Bank of Evil extended the baddie credit in the past,
10:24but how did he pay off those loans?
10:26I have been working on something very big.
10:31Something that will blow this pyramid thing out of the water.
10:35In the franchise's first film,
10:37the Bank's director states most of Grew's sinister plots never turned a profit.
10:42Let's say this apple is you.
10:44If we don't start getting our money back.
10:49Get the picture?
10:50It doesn't take a genius like Dr. Nefario,
10:53who Grew presumably pays or shares back-end with,
10:56to figure out something doesn't add up.
10:59Clearly, the villain must be running an elaborate pyramid scheme,
11:02and we don't mean the kind that involves stealing assets to famous to fence.
11:06Number 9.
11:07The Mona Lisa and Starry Night in the Girls' Room
11:10Even the best art appraisers sometimes get duped by a deft forgery.
11:15In fact, some of the masterpieces hanging in the world's most famous museums
11:19might actually be cheap knockoffs.
11:22Outrage in Egypt tonight,
11:24as it was discovered that the Great Pyramid of Giza had been stolen
11:27and replaced by a giant inflatable replica.
11:30The franchise's CGI artists made an oblique reference to this conspiracy theory
11:35by hiding two very recognizable paintings in the background of Grew's home.
11:40Hanging on the wall of his adoptive daughter's room
11:42is Leonardo da Vinci's grinning gal, the Mona Lisa.
11:45Will you read us a bedtime story?
11:51No.
11:53Pretty please.
11:54The physical appearance of the please makes no difference.
11:58It is still no.
11:59Funnier still,
12:01Vincent Van Gogh's Starry Night sits wedged in a corner
12:04next to a barrel of toxic waste.
12:06While eagle-eyed folks can definitely spot these visual gags,
12:10such subtle humor is what makes this a movie the whole family can enjoy.
12:14Oh, and there's probably something in your closet.
12:18Number 8.
12:20Grew does little to hide that he's a villain.
12:22An evil genius should have both the means and motive
12:25to keep their nefarious doings under wraps,
12:28but that's not how Grew rolls.
12:30When we meet the villain,
12:32he gives a sad child a balloon,
12:33but then promptly pops it just to laugh at the kid's misery.
12:47That's a bold move.
12:49However,
12:49he soon draws even more heat by freezing customers at a coffee shop
12:53before stealing one of their orders.
13:01These crimes could land Grew behind bars for decades.
13:05It seems even dumber when you consider how easy he'd be to identify
13:09due to the giant car, weird house, and penchant for black threads.
13:13Sorry to bother you, Mr. Perkins,
13:16but I figured that you would want to see this.
13:20Number 7.
13:22The city is probably not a fan of Grew's house.
13:25What's scarier than a supervillain or evil bank?
13:28The answer?
13:29A homeowner's association with an axe to grind.
13:31Listen close, you little punk.
13:33When I get in there,
13:35you are in for a world of pain.
13:37Oh, I'm really scared.
13:40On Grew's street,
13:41all the houses look the same except for his.
13:44While other homes have white walls and orange roofs,
13:47the villain's domicile is dark maroon.
13:50Grew's dead lawn also contrasts with the vibrant green ones of his neighbors.
13:55Further,
13:56the creepy crib towers over every other building.
13:59Okay, here we are.
14:01Home sweet home.
14:05So, this is like your house?
14:08The house likely violates any number of municipal ordinances,
14:11and that's not including the massive subterranean munitions factory or rocket launch pad.
14:17No doubt the city gets loads of complaints,
14:19but Grew does more than break building codes.
14:22He threatens to kill his neighbor's dog,
14:24something that could easily land him in hot water with local authorities.
14:29Ha ha ha ha ha!
14:31I'm joking!
14:32Although it is true!
14:346. Minions as Oompa Loompas
14:37Grew's lovable army of squat sicko-fants
14:40not only helped their evil master steal the moon,
14:43but they also stole the hearts of young viewers around the world.
14:55These lemon-like lackeys became integral to the franchise's success,
14:59even going on to helm their own film.
15:02However, according to a 2013 article in the LA Times,
15:06the flamboyant flunkies weren't in the initial draft of the script for Despicable Me.
15:14The film's directors drew inspiration from a variety of pop culture touchstones
15:18to generate the minions.
15:20Willy Wonka's wee workers, the Oompa Loompas, were one influence,
15:24while the pint-sized desert scavengers from a galaxy far, far away,
15:28the Jawas were another.
15:36For adults, this instant nostalgia factor adds to the appeal of these lovable, pill-shaped scamps.
15:435. Gru's car insurance must be through the roof
15:47Modern life can be annoying, especially if you're in traffic,
15:51hunting for parking, or getting tailgated by an overcompensating maniac.
15:55We've all wished we could dole out vigilante justice,
15:59but life doesn't work that way.
16:01That is, unless you're a supervillain.
16:03And I will be the greatest villain of all time!
16:09Part of Gru's appeal for adults stems from the power fantasy
16:13of annihilating life's stressors.
16:15The Gru-mobile is a prime example.
16:18Covered in armor, two stories tall and powered by a rocket,
16:22this blacktop behemoth is a tank and sports car rolled into one.
16:28While great for a movie, in real life,
16:30Gru would be buried in insurance premiums
16:33and damage claims from his questionable parking skills.
16:36Still, that doesn't mean stressed-out adults
16:39can't indulge in a little vicarious vehicular schadenfreude.
16:43Life is full of disappointments.
16:45For some people.
16:484. The Minions Are Speaking a Real Language
16:52The Minions' unique way of speaking helped endear them to children around the world.
16:57Part polyglot tongue, part gibberish,
16:59the language holds many surprising secrets older viewers can appreciate as well.
17:04For instance, the fictitious patois borrows words and phrases from many real languages.
17:09Of course, Minionese features English words such as banana and potato.
17:14Banana.
17:15Banana!
17:18From Russian, the fictional tongue gets the word da, meaning yes.
17:23It also uses the Chinese word for cheers,
17:25the Spanish word for wedding,
17:27and the Indonesian phrase meaning thank you.
17:34Many other languages are also sampled,
17:37though sometimes words are tweaked just a bit.
17:40A nod to this linguistic depth comes in Despicable Me 3
17:43when Gru tries to speak the language,
17:45much to the amusement of his underlings.
17:57The Minion Economy Doesn't Make Much Sense
18:00Minions evolved from single-cell organisms
18:03with a biological imperative to follow the biggest bad.
18:07They're all different, but they all share the same goal.
18:11To serve the most despicable master they could find.
18:15Instinct could explain their support for Gru,
18:18but he clearly pays his peons.
18:20In the first film,
18:22one Minion seems genuinely saddened to learn there won't be raises.
18:26No, no raises.
18:27You're not going to get any raises.
18:30This begs so many questions.
18:32Does Gru pay cash?
18:33If not, do Minions have bank accounts?
18:36Do they have social security cards?
18:38Do they pay taxes?
18:39Rent and meals appear to be covered by their employer,
18:42so what do they buy?
18:43When Gru sends Minions shopping,
18:45their confusion implies a lack of experience.
18:56Later, the Minions crowdfund Gru's Rocket.
18:59They hold up cash, a wallet, and even a gold watch.
19:03For grown-ups, being a Minion might not seem half bad.
19:06Number 2.
19:07The Bank of Evil Has Some Real-Life Roots
19:09Most people worry about having enough money,
19:12so seeing a supervillain deal with the same problem can be cathartic.
19:16So all I need is money from the bank to build a rocket.
19:20And then the moon is ours.
19:23This is why the Bank of Evil makes such a good antagonist.
19:27This diabolical financial institution might not be real,
19:30but its inspiration is far from fiction.
19:33You've been at this for far too long, with far too little success.
19:38We're going to put our faith, our money, into a, well, a younger villain.
19:44It hides behind a customer-friendly facade,
19:47which is true of many actual predatory lenders.
19:50Lining its entrance are statues of men being crushed by huge columns,
19:54an ominous, if apt, metaphor for the burden of debt.
19:57Below the bank's front doors, a sign reads,
20:00Formerly Lehman Brothers.
20:02Most kids won't get this reference to the global financial services firm
20:06that helped cause the subprime mortgage crisis,
20:09but those who lived through the resultant economic downturn certainly will.
20:13I give you the opportunity of a lifetime and you just blow it!
20:161. References to classic spy films
20:19The franchise's creatives clearly love old James Bond movies
20:23and other popular spy stories.
20:26They hide many easter eggs and homages to such classics
20:29that most kids won't recognize.
20:31He punched my shark!
20:34First and foremost, Gru bears a striking resemblance
20:38to 007's arch-nemesis, Ernst Stavro Blofeld.
20:42You only live twice, Mr. Bond.
20:44This isn't surprising since Blofeld is one of the most parodied characters in history,
20:48having also inspired Dr. Evil from Austin Powers,
20:52Dr. Claw from Inspector Gadget, and many others.
20:55Further, Gru's faithful tech guy, Dr. Nefario,
20:59was inspired by Q, Bond's ever-reproachful gadget purveyor.
21:03And here, of course, is the new weapon you ordered.
21:10No, no, no, no. I said dart gun.
21:13Not...
21:14Okay.
21:15Oh, yes.
21:17Because I was wondering, under what circumstances would we use this?
21:21For the way Gru moves, animators drew from the performance of Peter Sellers
21:25in the Pink Panther films, as well as others.
21:28These callbacks offer nostalgia for older viewers,
21:30as well as big laughs for everyone.
21:33Which part of the Despicable Me franchise made you feel old?
21:37Let us know in the comments.
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