16 years ago, Illumination Entertainment was founded by Chris Melendandri, being the
first major animation studio to truly shake up the industry since Dreamworks. In that time,
the studio has certainly made a name for itself - for better or for worse. But even with its
reputation of producing mid films, there are still a few gems amongst all the Minions merch.
With the Super Mario Bros Movie released,
and everyone talking about it… We want to take a look at how it stacks up against
the studio’s library. Is it the best Illumination film yet? Let’s find out.
I’m Kyle with WickedBinge, and this is Illumination Movies: Worst to Best.
Now, as the title says, we’re going to be ranking all 13 Illumination movies,
including the recent Super Mario Brothers Movie. So,
obviously, spoilers ahead for the entire Illumination catalog.
At dead last, we have (at the time of writing) Illumination’s only live-action/animated hybrid
movie, Hop. Yeahhh, if you’ve seen our other Illumination videos, you likely aren’t that
surprised to see this movie at the bottom of the Minion-colored barrel when it comes to this
studio’s films. Overall, there is very little to praise about this film. Because this was a hybrid
film made in the 2010s, the animation ranges from tolerable to looking very dated. The humor is
really only appealing to young audiences, save for a reference to Knight Rider of all things,
and while that isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it sure doesn’t make the film any easier to watch.
The main character, E.B., is your standard kids movie protagonist at best and incredibly
annoying and unlikable at his worst, while the other characters like Mr. Bunny and Fred
feel very much by-the-numbers. While the film’s villain, Carlos, is pretty alright,
his role in the story comes with some pretty questionable implications as many have pointed
out, so even the film’s so-called ‘best’ element can leave a bad taste in your mouth.
With so little to actually enjoy about this film, it really couldn’t be put any higher.
For our runner-up in terms of worst Illumination film, we just had to go with the Lorax. Now,
in comparison to Hop, there’s actually quite a lot of good with the Lorax. The animation is
bright and fun, the songs are catchy (if a bit annoying), and both Ed Helms and Danny DeVito
give great vocal performances as the Onceler and the Lorax respectively. Unfortunately,
for as much as some people may find this film and certain elements of it to be a guilty pleasure,
it just can’t be ignored just how much this film butchers the original book’s message,
boiling it down to something very simple and basic instead of something introspective and
thought-provoking. Outside of the Onceler and the Lorax, the other characters are very archetypal
and don’t leave much of an impression. Much of the movie’s humor is also pretty lame if we’re being
honest, and while it can still have its moments of being cute or fun, that really only takes you so
far when the core of the movie feels like it’s been sanitized in order to be more marketable.
Moving up the list, we have The Secret Life of Pets 2. While perhaps not as insulting as “Hop”
or “The Lorax”, many consider the Secret Life of Pets series to be just a bit on the dull side
of things. Like with many other Illumination films, the Pets sequel ended up leaning into
the vignette style of story, featuring three different adventures. But as cute as these
pet-filled adventures might have seemed, there’s not much about them that stands out. Honestly,
the most noteworthy aspect of the film is its villain, Sergei, simply because of how dark he
is as a cruel and abusive circus owner. Outside of that, the various arcs and stories of the pets
come off as fairly basic and, at times, a bit boring. Occasionally, there is a bit of fun to
be had, such as with Snowball pretending to be a superhero or Gidget pretending to be a cat,
but it’s hard to imagine very many audience members over the age of ten being interested
in this sort of stuff. Again, nothing wrong with movies specifically made for kids,
but if you’re asking for our opinion, we just see it as “harmless yet bland”.
Switching back to Dr. Seuss for a moment, we’re ranking the Grinch next. Although this movie
is a bit more in-line with a traditional Suess adaptation, that perhaps may be the biggest point
against it. Because there’s nothing truly awful or meme-able or even particularly outrageous about
this film, it comes off as fairly unremarkable and forgettable. Many audience members have even
compared it to tofu, mainly due to the Grinch himself being so un-Grinch-like when compared
to other incarnations of the character. The movie also has a ton of padding and filler leading up to
the Grinch’s big holiday heist, further making it seem unnecessary. However, to the film’s credit,
we will say that the animation and lighting in it is absolutely gorgeous. This combined with all
the holiday sweetness and wholesomeness within it has managed to charm some audience members,
with the ending even making some people cry in some cases. It may not be the most
interesting holiday film out there, but we can certainty understand why it still has its fans,
even if it’s not as remarkable as the Chuck Jones or Jim Carrey versions of the Grinch tale.
Managing to be just a bit better than its sequel,
next is the Secret Life of Pets. Let’s address the elephant in the room: yes, in some ways,
the film is pretty much just the first Toy Story - from the two new roommates who don’t get along
due to one of them being jealous and possessive of their shared owner, to the journey trying to
find their way home. But while it does take away from the film’s sense of originality,
the likable cast of characters still manages to provide the film with enough positives to
keep it out of the very bottom. Sure, they may be a bit simple and cliche, but even simple and
cliche characters can still be enjoyable. The film’s humor and emotional scenes are also a
bit on the simple side of things, but can still be effective nonetheless. After all, who doesn’t
like watching cute animals go around and do cute animal things? Add in the fact that the story
feels a bit more focused than the sequel’s story, and you’ve got a solid start to a franchise.
Next up, we have the first Sing movie. Like with “Pets”, this is an ensemble film. But while the
character types are very familiar, it's easy to understand why many people who watch this
movie walk away with either one character as their favorite, either because they relate to
them or because they simply like their story. Though they may not be the most fleshed out,
there are some good arcs here that are enjoyable to see play out. The whole ‘liar revealed’ thing
with Buster may be a bit frustrating, but at the very least it isn’t dragged out. Furthermore,
the various performances of the film - especially in the finale - truly are
its highlight. Overall, it just manages to hit that ‘popcorn entertainment’ sweetspot,
being simple and fun without being boring. Even if it is predictable in a sense,
the characters and their individual stories are enjoyable enough that we’re able to overlook that.
Landing right in the middle of Illumination’s catalog is Despicable Me 3. Right from the start,
it seemed like this movie had a bit of an uphill battle, given that it was going with the “long
lost twin brother” storyline, which many were rolling their eyes at when they first saw the
trailer. Unfortunately, Dru wasn’t able to win too many fans over through the film proper, still
coming off as more of a cliche trope than an actual lovable and endearing character.
The film itself had a very ‘TV show-esque’ story due to so many of the characters being separated,
and some audiences felt that it was a wasted opportunity to not have Gru be more tempted about
his brother offering him a chance to be a villain again. We may love Good Guy Gru just fine, but it
would’ve been an interesting conflict to see him torn between wanting to have fun as a villain and
wanting to do what was best for his family. But despite the film’s more underwhelming elements,
some have still been able to find plenty to laugh at and enjoy in this movie. Even its goofy
80s’-themed villain has some fans! Although it’s without a doubt the weakest Despicable Me film so
far, it still manages to stand head and shoulders above a good chunk of Illumination’s other films.
Sticking with the Despicable Me franchise for a bit, next is the first Minions movie. Although
some may see this movie as “minion overload”, being the point where the little yellow tic-tacs
officially wore out their welcome, we feel that this movie is still an enjoyable adventure that
isn’t as annoying as some may claim. Sure, the charm may have been worn down a bit, but the core
trio of Kevin, Stuart and Bob still works well enough when the focus is on them. The film also
brings in fun new concepts, such as Villain Con, and features a stylish late-60s aesthetic that
further adds to the fun. It can be pretty wacky at times, but in our opinion it never goes TOO far
with the wackiness, allowing it to remain amusing at the very least instead of agitating. Of course,
you can’t forget the film’s best element, that being the delightfully wicked Scarlet Overkill and
her husband, Herb. They’re a fun villain couple, something we hadn’t gotten in the franchise yet,
who add not only a lot of enjoyment but also a lot of action and tension to the film. They aren’t the
best written villains, admittedly, nor is this even the best Minions movie, but we feel there’s
still enough here to like and laugh at that it justifies its spot in the upper half of our list.
Ranking just a notch or two above its contemporaries,
we have Despicable Me 2. Being Illumination’s first sequel film,
it admittedly was no “Shrek 2” in terms of sequel quality. It’s story can be a bit on the weak side,
and some may roll their eyes a bit at all the spy stuff. There have also been complaints about
the movie meandering a bit, not having as strong of a story as it could have
had. But for all its technical faults, the movie was still successful in other ways. New
characters like Lucy and El Macho quickly gained fans while much of what made the first Despicable
Me good - such as the silly humor and the adorable moments within the Gru family - were still present
enough for the movie to remain satisfying. There are still some flaws that keep it from being a
perfect sequel, like the previously mentioned spy elements and the focus being just a bit
more on romance than on family, but we still find it to be pretty enjoyable nonetheless.
Just outside our Top 3, we’re going to rank the spectacular Sing 2. By this point, Illumination
has seemed to master the art of putting on a flashy and memorable ‘show’ of sorts - and
this movie is the perfect representation of that. Sure, you could argue that the story
and the characters feel just as shallow and trope-filled as they were in the first movie,
and you certainly wouldn’t be wrong. But because everything feels so much bigger and fun and even
dramatic in some cases, it’s easier to ignore the film’s weaker story elements and just enjoy the
ride. The set-pieces are amazing, the songs are total showstoppers, more of the jokes hit, and
even the villain - Jimmy Crystal - has his moments of being truly intimidating! All in all, while you
won’t find anything too deep or thought-provoking in this film, it’s still an incredibly fun time.
Earning our Bronze Medal, we have Minions: The Rise of Gru. Many were excited to see Gru return
to being a villain, to the point of being willing to sit through Minion shenanigans to see it. And,
judging by the reviews, not too many were disappointed. Seeing Gru be a kid villain
and eventually bond with his evil idol, Wild Knuckles, was the highlight of the film for many,
being both sweet and fun to watch. Between the character’s design and Steve Carrell’s
vocal performance, you can’t help but be endeared to the little (bad) guy. But even
if you’re only interested in the Gru stuff, the Minion stuff isn’t all that bad either! Kevin,
Bob and Stuart are all once again in top form, and while the other Minions may see him as annoying,
Otto ends up being a pretty enjoyable character too!
Seeing the Minions’ journey to rescue their ‘Mini Boss’ is a fun one that, due to its fast-paced
nature, never becomes too boring or annoying, culminating in an action-packed climax. Really,
the only complaint we’ve seen is that the Vicious 6 are all completely flat villains
who barely have any character to them, and while that’s indeed true, they still manage
to be serviceable threats who don’t take away from how enjoyable this prequel is overall.
For our second place winner, we’re giving that honor to Illumination’s most recent
film - The Super Mario Bros. Movie. While maybe just a bit overhyped in retrospect,
the Mario movie is still an incredibly fun time with some great action sequences,
a ton of laughs and even some heart here and there. Nearly all the characters are
portrayed perfectly both by the script and by their voice actors - yes, even Chris Pratt.
It’s also just a fun adventure that feels like something straight out of the games. The film’s
music is fantastic and Mario and Luigi’s brotherly relationship, despite only really being focused
on at the start and end of the film, is also really wholesome and fun to watch. However,
many fans have agreed that the pacing in the film was just too fast and that
it probably could’ve used an extra 15-20 mins of runtime. Without this extra time,
some of the arcs like Mario and Donkey Kong’s rivalry-turned-friendship, their relationship
with their dads and Luigi learning to be brave feel undercooked. Speaking of Green Mario,
many also felt disappointed with his lack of screentime, being stuck in a cage for a good
chunk of the film. But while these flaws are a bit disappointing, they don’t take away from an
enjoyable time. And if you’re a Nintendo fan already, the movie is definitely a home run.
Another point for Good Video Game to Movie adaptations! And, hey,
we’ve seen quite a few animated movie sequels lately that are better than
the original… so if they cook up a sequel, maybe it’ll be a 10/10.
Finally, the movie we feel is the Best Illumination film just so happens to be
the original Despicable Me. Sometimes, you just can’t beat your first attempt. It’s the one that
started it all, and it’s the one that many feel still has the most heart, the tightest story and
the most well-earned character arcs of all Illumination’s films - not to mention some
jokes that still manage to make people laugh and a climax that goes from being tense and
action-filled to incredibly sweet and wholesome. Watching Gru bond with the girls is without
a doubt a true highlight to the film and it’s an element that is very well done, while Vector - for
many fans - is one of the best and most hilarious Illumination villains. Now, we still can’t call
it a completely flawless film. Being made in 2010, the animation has obviously aged quite
a bit. We’re also sure that many would roll their eyes at the film’s occasional use of toilet humor.
But while those things may have aged the movie a bit, the fact that many still consider it one of
Illumination’s best films proves just how well it's been able to stand the test of time. It
was the film that started it all, and we’re happy to call it the best Illumination film
so far - though we do hope that a new Illumination film will someday top it.
But let us know in the comment section if you agree with our results,
and tell us what we should cover next! Remember to hit that notification bell
and binge more of our videos. But most importantly, stay wicked!