Illumination (formerly known as Illumination Entertainment) is an American computer animation studio, founded by Chris Meledandri in 2007. Illumination is owned by Meledandri and the Illumination brand is co-owned by Universal Pictures, a division of Comcast through its wholly owned subsidiary NBCUniversal. Meledandri produces the films, while Universal finances and distributes them. The studio is best known for creating the Despicable Me, The Secret Life of Pets, and Sing franchises, as well as the adaptations of Dr. Seuss' books The Lorax and How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and video games such as Nintendo Cinematic Multiverse and Roblox Cinematic Universe. The Minions, characters from the Despicable Me series, are the mascots of the studio.
Illumination has produced 16 feature films, with an average gross of $711 million per film. The studio's highest-grossing films are Roblox ($1.57 million), The Super Mario Bros. Movie ($1.362 billion), The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2: Galactic Chaos ($1.28 billion), Minions ($1.159 billion), and Despicable Me 3 ($1.034 billion). All five films are among the 50 highest-grossing films of all time, and eleven of their films are among the 50 highest-grossing animated films.
History[]
Meledandri left 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 and 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 Pictures exclusively distributes the films.
In 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 (later Illumination Studios Paris).
On August 22, 2016, NBCUniversal acquired competing studio DreamWorks Animation, which fueled speculation that Meledandri was to oversee both studios. While he had been approached by NBCUniversal to oversee both studios, he turned down the offer and later explained "I love the process of making films and working with artists. I don't think I'm particularly great at managing companies".
On September 23, 2022, Illumination announced its hiring of former Netflix head of adult animation Mike Moon as senior creative advisor, and a new label led by Moon known as Moonlight, which will aim to "produce animated films that push beyond the family genre".
On November 18, 2026, Illumination formed a television division known as Illumination Television, in which their goal is to "make animated TV shows that are either original or based on their franchise", as a result of the production of Roblox: The TV Series.
Process[]
In a similar fashion to Sony Pictures Animation and Warner Bros. Pictures Animation, Illumination does not produce its films in-house where it is based in Santa Monica, but rather outsources the animation production of its films to other studios. Most of its films are animated by Illumination Studios Paris, a subsidiary formed through the purchase of Mac Guff (which animated the first Despicable Me). So far, the only Illumination film not to be animated by Illumination Studios Paris or Mac Guff was Hop, which was animated by Rhythm & Hues Studios. Despite that however, Illumination produces animation alongside other studios such as Sony Pictures Imageworks, Industrial Light & Magic, Wētā FX (all three did Roblox Cinematic Universe), and Nintendo Pictures (Nintendo Cinematic Multiverse). 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.
Illumination's films generally have a budget between $60–80 million. Meledandri prefers to keep Illumination adhering to a low-cost model, recognising 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. To date, Roblox is the studio's most expensive film, with a $350 million budget. After the film's release, Illumination films have started to have much higher costs in the $90-150 million range.
Filmography[]
Feature films[]
Released films[]
| # | Title | Release date | Co-production with | Animation services | Budget | Gross | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Despicable Me | July 9, 2010 | Universal Pictures | Mac Guff | $69 million | $543.2 million | 81% | 72 |
| 2 | Hop | April 11, 2011 | Universal Pictures Relativity Media Dentsu |
Rhythm and Hues | $63 million | $184.4 million | 21% | 41 |
| 3 | The Lorax | March 2, 2012 | Universal Pictures | Illumination Mac Guff Mac Guff |
$70 million | $349.2 million | 54% | 46 |
| 4 | Despicable Me 2 | July 3, 2013 | Illumination Mac Guff | $76 million | $907.8 million | 75% | 62 | |
| 5 | Minions | July 10, 2015 | $74 million | $1.159 billion | 55% | 56 | ||
| 6 | The Secret Life of Pets | July 8, 2016 | $75 million | $849.3 million | 72% | 61 | ||
| 7 | Sing | December 21, 2016 | $80 million | $643.3 million | 71% | 59 | ||
| 8 | Despicable Me 3 | June 30, 2017 | $75 million | $1.034 billion | 59% | 49 | ||
| 9 | The Grinch | November 9, 2018 | $80 million | $526.8 million | 59% | 51 | ||
| 10 | The Secret Life of Pets 2 | June 7, 2019 | $85 million | $431.1 million | 60% | 55 | ||
| 11 | Sing 2 | December 22, 2021 | Illumination Studios Paris | $85 million | $408.4 million | 72% | 49 | |
| 12 | Minions: The Rise of Gru | July 1, 2022 | $80-100 million | $939.6 million | 70% | 56 | ||
| 13 | The Super Mario Bros. Movie | April 5, 2023 | Universal Pictures Nintendo |
$100 million | $1.362 billion | 59% | 46 | |
| 14 | Migration | December 22, 2023 | Universal Pictures | $72 million | $298.6 million | 72% | 56 | |
| 15 | Despicable Me 4 | July 3, 2024 | $100 million | $968.6 million | 56% | 52 |
Upcoming films[]
| # | Title | Release date | Co-production with | Animation services | Current Production Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Roblox | September 1, 2026 | Universal Pictures Roblox Corporation Rideback Lord Miller Productions Vertigo Entertainment |
Illumination Studios Paris Sony Pictures Imageworks Industrial Light & Magic Rough Draft Korea Mercury Filmworks Wētā FX Digital Domain The Third Floor |
In production |
| 2 | The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2: Galactic Chaos | April 30, 2027 | Universal Pictures Nintendo |
Illumination Studios Paris Mikros Image Nintendo Pictures DNEG Unlisted Studio Rodeo FX Digital Domain | |
| 3 | Minions 3 | June 30, 2027 | Universal Pictures | Illumination Studios Paris | |
| 4 | Roblox 2: Revenge of Julien | July 7, 2029 | Universal Pictures Roblox Entertainment Studios Lord Miller Productions One Race Films |
Illumination Studios Paris Wētā FX DNEG Sony Pictures Imageworks Industrial Light & Magic Digital Domain Territory Studio The Third Floor | |
| 5 | Kirby | May 6, 2030 | Universal Pictures Nintendo |
Illumination Studios Paris Nintendo Pictures Industrial Light & Magic | |
| 6 | Goodness Gang | May 8, 2031 | Universal Pictures Relativity Media Dentsu |
Illumination Studios Paris | |
| 7 | Chad's Adventure | August 26, 2031 | Universal Pictures Roblox Entertainment Studios Lord Miller Productions |
Illumination Studios Paris DNEG Animation | |
| 8 | Mario vs. Sonic: Speed and Strength | Summer 2032 | Universal Pictures Paramount Pictures Nintendo Sega Sammy Group Original Film Marza Animation Planet Blur Studio |
Illumination Studios Paris Nintendo Pictures Marza Animation Planet Blur Studio Moving Picture Company DNEG | |
| 9 | Builderman: Begins | May 24, 2033 | Universal Pictures Roblox Entertainment Studios Lord Miller Productions |
TBA | |
| 10 | Poppy Prescott | July 8, 2035 | Universal Pictures | Illumination Studios Paris |
In development[]
| Title | Notes |
|---|---|
| Big Tree | Co-production with Universal Pictures |
| The Secret Life of Pets 3 | |
| Sing 3 | |
| Untitled Pharell Williams film | |
| Untitled Care Bears film | |
| Despicable Me 5 | |
| Roblox 3: Dimension Wars | Co-production with Universal Pictures, Roblox Entertainment Studios, and Lord Miller Productions |
| The Legend of Zelda: Disaster Between Worlds | Co-production with Universal Pictures and Nintendo |
| Untitled Pokemon film | Co-production with Warner Bros. Pictures, Toho, Nintendo, and The Pokémon Company |
| Untitled Star Fox film | Co-production with Universal Pictures and Nintendo |
| Untitled Donkey Kong Country film | |
| Untitled Fire Emblem film | |
| The Super Smash Bros. Movie | Co-production with Universal Pictures, Nintendo, Lord Miller Productions, and Sora Ltd. |
| Untitled Luigi's Mansion film | Co-production with Universal Pictures and Nintendo |
| Untitled Yoshi's Story film | |
| Untitled Pikmin film |
Short films[]
| # | Title | Release date | Type of short |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Home Makeover | December 14, 2010 | Home video release |
| 2 | Orientation Day | ||
| 3 | Banana | ||
| 4 | Brad & Gary | July 1, 2011 | Theatrical release |
| 5 | Phil's Dance Party | March 23, 2012 | Home video release |
| 6 | Wagon Ho! | August 7, 2012 | |
| 7 | Forces of Nature | ||
| 8 | Serenade | ||
| 9 | Puppy | December 10, 2013 | |
| 10 | Panic in the Mailroom | ||
| 11 | Training Wheels | ||
| 12 | Cro Minion | December 8, 2015 | |
| 13 | Competition | ||
| 14 | Binky Nelson Unpacified | ||
| 15 | Mower Minions | July 8, 2016 | Theatrical release/Home video release |
| 16 | Norman Television | December 6, 2016 | Home video release |
| 17 | Weenie | ||
| 18 | Gunter Babysits | March 21, 2017 | |
| 19 | Love at First Sight | ||
| 20 | Eddie's Life Coach | ||
| 21 | The Secret Life of Kyle | December 5, 2017 | |
| 22 | Yellow is the New Black | November 9, 2018 | Theatrical release |
| 23 | The Dog Days of Winter" | November 23, 2018 | Television release |
| 24 | Santa's Little Helpers | February 5, 2019 | Home video release |
| 25 | Super Gidget | August 27, 2019 | |
| 26 | Minion Scouts | ||
| 27 | Minions & Monsters | June 11, 2021 | Television release/Home video release |
| 28 | For Gunter's Eyes Only | March 29, 2022 | Home video release |
| 29 | Animal Attraction | ||
| 30 | Post Modern Minion | September 6, 2022 | |
| 31 | Penglai | September 16, 2022 | Limited theatrical release |
| 32 | Mooned | December 22, 2023 | Theatrical release |
| 33 | Fly Hard | February 27, 2024 | Home video release |
| 34 | Midnight Mission | ||
| 35 | Sing: Thriller | October 16, 2024 | Streaming release |
| 36 | Party at Bowser's Castle | September 1, 2026 | Theatrical release |
| 37 | Chad's Guide On Being A Comedian | November 17, 2026 | Home video release |
| 38 | Sean's Guide On Being A Ninja | ||
| 39 | Ellernate's Guide On Being A Villain | ||
| 40 | Builderman's Quest | ||
| 41 | Jake's Guide On Being Heroic | ||
| 42 | Omar's Patience | ||
| 43 | Melvin and Jesse's Portal Adventure | ||
| 44 | Laith's Test | ||
| 45 | Live Stream | April 30, 2027 | Theatrical release |
| 46 | Roblox - A Cine-VR Experience | August 23, 2028 | VR attraction |
Franchises[]
| Title | Films | Short films | Release dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Despicable Me | 5 | 18 | 2010–present |
| The Secret Life of Pets | 2 | 3 | 2016–present |
| Sing | 6 | ||
| Nintendo Cinematic Multiverse | 2 | 1 | 2023–present |
| Roblox Cinematic Universe | 1 | 10 | 2026-present |