Pierre Coffin, the French-Indonesian animator who has voiced the goggle-eyed Minions since their film debut in Despicable Me in 2010, has described the process as “painfully slow”. The 59-year-old director and voice artist explained to the Press Association that conveying emotions and actions without words requires meticulous effort.
Finding the Right Melody
“What I’m doing with the Minions’ voices is actually a painfully slow process of trying to find the right melody,” Coffin said. “I have to find the right rhythm, the right melody and the right emotional tone. I also need to give the character a prop or an action that reinforces what he’s saying.” He illustrated this with an example: “Maybe he’s holding a stick to show his authority, and then another character grabs it away. Suddenly, without any dialogue, you understand that he’s losing control.” Coffin noted that there are “all these different layers of storytelling happening at once” and that “the first few attempts never work. Nobody understands what I’m trying to do, not even me.”
Writing and Directing Minions & Monsters
Coffin wrote and directed Minions & Monsters, the most recent computer-animated adventure in the Despicable Me universe. Set in 1920, 48 years before the events of the 2015 film Minions, it follows the Minions as they set out to make a monster movie in Old Hollywood. Coffin reprises his role as the voice of the Minions, alongside a cast including Trey Parker, Allison Janney, Christoph Waltz, Jesse Eisenberg, Jeff Bridges, Zoey Deutch, Bobby Moynihan and Phil LaMarr.
Although Coffin has been involved in all seven films, this was his first time writing one. He initially wanted to move on to other projects but was drawn to the idea. “I didn’t want to direct any more Minions movies because I’d already done about four. I asked Chris Meledandri, the producer, if I could work on something else, so I did,” he said. Then Meledandri pitched the concept: “I have this idea. I know you probably won’t want to do it, but it’s about Minions who want to make a movie, a monster movie. They accidentally summon a monster, and it becomes a problem because it wants to destroy the Minions, the Earth, the universe… you know.” Coffin was immediately excited by the filmmaking aspect and felt that being able to write the outline was “incredibly liberating”.
Success of the Franchise
The Despicable Me franchise is one of the highest-grossing of all time, including numerous short films, a television special, several video games and a theme park attraction. Coffin attributes the success to a large team of dedicated creatives. “These films take about three years to make, so they’re a huge personal investment,” he said. “There are around 300 people working on them, and I felt it was my responsibility to convince everyone that this one was special, that it wasn’t just going to be another Minions movie. Being able to write it myself gave me the freedom to make it something different.”
Appeal of the Minions
Coffin added that the appeal of the Minions lies in their emotional simplicity. “What I like about the Minions is that I feel there’s a soul inside each and every one of them. I feel like I understand why each character is the way they are, and I like that they can be endearing and true friends.” Minions & Monsters is in cinemas now.
