List of Illumination productions
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is a list of productions produced by Illumination (formerly known as Illumination Entertainment), an American film and animation studio based in Santa Monica, California, United States. This includes feature films, shorts, television specials, and digital series. As of 2026, Illumination has released 16 feature films, which were all distributed by Universal Pictures, with their first being Despicable Me on July 9, 2010, and their latest being The Super Mario Galaxy Movie on April 1, 2026.
Their upcoming slate of films includes Minions & Monsters on July 1, 2026. In addition, an untitled film is slated to be released on April 16, 2027.
Feature films
All films are distributed by Universal Pictures unless noted otherwise.
Released
| Title | Release date | Director(s) | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Executive producer(s) | Co-production with | Animation service(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Story | Screenplay | |||||||
| Despicable Me | July 9, 2010 | Chris Renaud Pierre Coffin |
Sergio Pablos | Cinco Paul Ken Daurio |
Chris Meledandri Janet Healy John Cohen |
Sergio Pablos Nina Rowan |
N/a | Mac Guff |
| Hop | April 1, 2011 | Tim Hill | Cinco Paul Ken Daurio |
Chris Meledandri Michele Imperato Stabile |
John Cohen | Relativity Media | Rhythm & Hues | |
| N/a | Brian Lynch | |||||||
| The Lorax | March 2, 2012 | Chris Renaud Co-director: Kyle Balda |
Based on the book by Dr. Seuss |
Chris Meledandri Janet Healy |
Audrey Geisel Cinco Paul Ken Daurio |
N/a | Illumination Mac Guff Mac Guff[1] | |
| Cinco Paul Ken Daurio | ||||||||
| Despicable Me 2 | July 3, 2013 | Chris Renaud Pierre Coffin |
N/a | Illumination Mac Guff | ||||
| Minions | July 10, 2015 | Pierre Coffin Kyle Balda |
Brian Lynch | Chris Renaud | ||||
| The Secret Life of Pets | July 8, 2016 | Chris Renaud Co-director: Yarrow Cheney |
Cinco Paul Ken Daurio Brian Lynch |
N/a | ||||
| Sing | December 21, 2016 | Garth Jennings Co-director: Christophe Lourdelet |
Garth Jennings | |||||
| Despicable Me 3 | June 30, 2017 | Pierre Coffin Kyle Balda Co-director: Eric Guillon |
Cinco Paul Ken Daurio |
Chris Renaud | ||||
| The Grinch | November 9, 2018 | Scott Mosier Yarrow Cheney |
Based on the book by Dr. Seuss |
Latifa Ouaou Audrey Geisel Chris Renaud | ||||
| Michael LeSieur Tommy Swerdlow | ||||||||
| The Secret Life of Pets 2 | June 7, 2019 | Chris Renaud Co-director: Jonathan del Val |
Brian Lynch | Brett Hoffman | ||||
| Sing 2 | December 22, 2021 | Garth Jennings Co-director: Christophe Lourdelet |
Garth Jennings | Dana Krupinski | Illumination Studios Paris | |||
| Minions: The Rise of Gru | July 1, 2022 | Kyle Balda Co-directors: Brad Ableson Jonathan del Val |
Matthew Fogel | Chris Meledandri Janet Healy Chris Renaud |
Brett Hoffman | |||
| Brian Lynch | N/a | |||||||
| The Super Mario Bros. Movie | April 5, 2023 | Aaron Horvath Michael Jelenic Co-directors: Pierre Leduc Fabien Polack |
Based on the video games by Nintendo |
Chris Meledandri Shigeru Miyamoto |
Brett Hoffman Bill Ryan Yusuke Beppu |
Nintendo | ||
| Matthew Fogel | ||||||||
| Migration | December 22, 2023 | Benjamin Renner Co-director: Guylo Homsy |
Mike White | Chris Meledandri | Joy Poirel | N/a | ||
| Benjamin Renner | N/a | |||||||
| Despicable Me 4 | July 3, 2024 | Chris Renaud Co-director: Patrick Delage |
Mike White Ken Daurio |
Chris Meledandri Brett Hoffman | ||||
| N/a | ||||||||
| The Super Mario Galaxy Movie | April 1, 2026 | Aaron Horvath Michael Jelenic Co-directors: Pierre Leduc Fabien Polack |
Based on the video games by Nintendo |
Chris Meledandri Shigeru Miyamoto |
Brett Hoffman Bill Ryan Yusuke Beppu |
Nintendo | ||
| Matthew Fogel | ||||||||
Upcoming
| Title | Release date | Director(s) | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Co-production with | Animation service | Production status | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Story | Screenplay | ||||||||
| Minions & Monsters | July 1, 2026 | Pierre Coffin | Brian Lynch Pierre Coffin |
Chris Meledandri Bill Ryan |
N/a | Illumination Studios Paris | Completed | [2][3] | |
| The Secret Life of Pets 3 | TBA | Chris Meledandri | In development | [4] | |||||
| Sing 3 | [5] | ||||||||
| Untitled Barbie film | TBA | Based on the toys by Mattel |
TBA | Mattel Studios | TBA | [6] | |||
Short films
| Title | Release date | Distribution/Co-production with | Director(s) | Animation service | Released with | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home Makeover | December 14, 2010 | Universal Studios Home Entertainment | Samuel Tourneux and Kyle Balda | Mac Guff | Despicable Me | Home video release |
| Orientation Day | ||||||
| Banana | ||||||
| Brad & Gary[7][8][9] | July 1, 2011 | Universal Pictures | Pierre Coffin | N/a | Theatrical release | |
| Phil's Dance Party | March 23, 2012 | Universal Studios Home Entertainment | Chris Bailey | Rhythm & Hues | Hop | Home video release |
| Wagon Ho! | August 7, 2012 | Universal Studios Home Entertainment Dr. Seuss Enterprises |
Kyle Balda | Illumination Mac Guff | The Lorax | Home video release |
| Forces of Nature | ||||||
| Serenade | ||||||
| Puppy | December 10, 2013 | Universal Studios Home Entertainment | Yarrow Cheney and Bruno Dequier | Despicable Me 2 | ||
| Panic in the Mailroom | Fabrice Joubert and Mark O'Hare | |||||
| Training Wheels | Eric Favela and Régis Schuller | |||||
| Cro Minion | December 8, 2015 | Didier Ah-Koon and Régis Schuller | Minions | |||
| Competition | Julien Soret and Kyle Balda | |||||
| Binky Nelson Unpacified | Fabrice Joubert and Brian Lynch | |||||
| Mower Minions | July 8, 2016 | Universal Pictures | Bruno Chauffard and Glenn McCoy | The Secret Life of Pets | Theatrical release/Home video release | |
| Norman Television | December 6, 2016 | Universal Pictures Home Entertainment | Habib Louati and Boris Jacq | Home video release | ||
| Weenie | Kyle Balda, Ken Daurio and Cinco Paul | |||||
| Gunter Babysits | March 21, 2017 | Adrien Borzakian and Eric Favela | Sing | |||
| Love at First Sight | Benjamin Le Ster and Matthew Nealon | |||||
| Eddie's Life Coach | Scott Mosier and Guylo Homsy | |||||
| The Secret Life of Kyle | December 5, 2017 | Bruno Chauffard and Glenn McCoy | Despicable Me 3 | |||
| Yellow is the New Black | November 9, 2018 | Universal Pictures | Serguei Kouchnerov and Fabien Polack | The Grinch | Limited theatrical release/Home video release | |
| The Dog Days of Winter | November 23, 2018 | NBCUniversal Television Distribution Dr. Seuss Enterprises |
Habib Louati and Thierry Noblet | Trolls Holiday | Television release | |
| The Grinch | Home video release | |||||
| Santa's Little Helpers | February 5, 2019 | Universal Pictures Home Entertainment | Derek Drymon and Bruno Chauffard | |||
| Super Gidget | August 27, 2019 | Glenn McCoy and Boris Jacq | The Secret Life of Pets 2 | |||
| Minion Scouts | Guy Bar'ely and Frank Baradat | |||||
| Minions & Monsters | June 11, 2021 | NBCUniversal Syndication Studios | Jed Diffenderfer and Chloé Lesueur | Minions: The Rise of Gru | Television release/Home video release | |
| For Gunter's Eyes Only | March 29, 2022 | Universal Pictures Home Entertainment | David Pellé and David Feiss | Illumination Studios Paris | Sing 2 | Home video release |
| Animal Attraction | Damien Bapst and Fabrice Joubert | |||||
| Post Modern Minion | September 6, 2022 | Bastien Laurent and Matthew Nealon | Minions: The Rise of Gru | |||
| Penglai[10] | September 16, 2022 | Universal Pictures | Momo Wang | One and All Animation Studio | N/a | Limited theatrical release |
| Mooned | December 22, 2023 | Jonathan del Val | Illumination Studios Paris | Migration | Theatrical release/Home video release | |
| Fly Hard | February 27, 2024 | Universal Pictures Home Entertainment | Hélène Galtier and Elisabeth Patte | Home video release | ||
| Midnight Mission | Céline Allegre and Guylo Homsy | |||||
| Game Over and Over | September 24, 2024 | Christophe Delisle, Christophe Lourdelet and Ludovic Roz | Despicable Me 4 | |||
| Benny's Birthday | Chris Allison and Olivier Luffin | |||||
| Sing: Thriller | October 16, 2024 | Netflix Universal Pictures |
Garth Jennings | N/a | Streaming release[11] |
Compilations
| Title | Release date | Distribution | Animation service | Streaming service | Shorts included | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minions & More 1 | September 20, 2022 | Universal Pictures | Illumination Studios Paris | Netflix |
| ||
| Minions & More 2 | November 8, 2022 |
|
Television specials
| Title | Release date | Distribution | Animation service | Network | Shorts included |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minions Holiday Special | November 27, 2020 | NBCUniversal Television Distribution | Illumination Mac Guff | NBC |
|
Series
Web series
| Title | Premiere date | End date | Networks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday Morning Minions | June 5, 2021 | March 5, 2022 | Facebook YouTube |
| Who's Who? | July 13, 2023 | August 3, 2023 | TikTok YouTube |
| Bones Story[12] | TBA | TBA |
Unproduced films
| Title | Description |
|---|---|
| Emily the Strange | Since 2000, Rob Reger has been trying to make a feature film adaptation of Emily. In 2005, Fox Animation went to make a live action/animated feature film,[13] with Chris Meledandri and John Cohen producing it.[14] Mike Richardson, of Dark Horse Entertainment, came on board as a producer in 2008.[15] The same year it was unofficially reported that the film moved to Universal Studios' owned Illumination Entertainment, along with the studio's founders, Meledandri and Cohen.[16] In September 2010, Universal Studios acquired the rights to the comic, and the actress Chloë Grace Moretz was cast in the role of Emily.[17] Melisa Wallack, who wrote the script for Mirror Mirror, was hired to write the adaptation in the following year in August.[18] Two months later it was confirmed that the film was indeed in the works at Illumination Entertainment.[19] Kealan O'Rourke was brought to rewrite the film's script.[20] By December 2016, Universal abandoned the project, and Dark Horse Entertainment and Amazon Studios were in negotiations to make an animated film.[21] In October 2024, Warner Bros. Pictures Animation and Bad Robot announced their collaboration on a full-length animated feature based on Emily the Strange. The film’s screenplay is being developed by Pamela Ribon, as Bad Robot will produce the film, with Reger serving as executive producer alongside Trevor Duke-Moretz.[22] |
| Flanimals | An animated feature film based on the book series was in production at Illumination by April 2009. Series creator Ricky Gervais was set to be the executive producer and also lend his voice to the lead character, while Matt Selman (The Simpsons) wrote the script,[23] but the project was later removed from the development schedule.[24] |
| Where's Waldo? | In June 2009, Universal and Illumination acquired the rights to turn Where's Waldo? into a live-action film, was to be produced by Chris Meledandri with Classic Media's (now DreamWorks Classics) executive producer Eric Ellenbogen,[25] but the project was later cancelled, after DreamWorks Animation bought Classic Media in 2012.[26] |
| Untitled cryptozoology film | In December 2009, Illumination was producing an animated film based on a pitch by actor-comedian Jack Black and Jason Micallef on cryptozoology, which is the study of legendary creatures whose existence has never been confirmed (i.e. the Loch Ness Monster or Bigfoot). Black intended to produce the film alongside Ben Cooley and Chris Meledandri through his production company Electric Dynamite. Additionally, Black did not intend to provide a voice for the characters as he did with DreamWorks Animation's Kung Fu Panda.[27] |
| Curious George | By July 2010, Illumination was developing a live-action animated film based on the titular monkey, with Larry Stuckey writing the script,[28] but in November 2015 the film project was cancelled.[29] |
| Pluto | In October 2010, Illumination Entertainment and Tezuka Productions jointly announced to develop a live-action/animated film of the Japanese manga series Pluto.[30] |
| The Addams Family | In 2010, Universal and Illumination acquired the underlying rights to the Addams Family drawings.[31] The film was planned to be a stop-motion animated film based on Charles Addams's original drawings. Tim Burton was set to co-write and co-produce the film, with a possibility to direct.[32] By July 2013, the film was cancelled; had been made, this would have been Illumination's first stop-motion animated film.[26] Eventually, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer picked up rights to the film and an animated film was released in 2019, with Sausage Party directors Greg Tiernan and former DreamWorks Animation staff member Conrad Vernon to direct.[33] Universal handled the international distribution rights for the film, as well as physical home media worldwide distribution rights. |
| UglyDolls | In May 2011, Illumination acquired the rights to Uglydolls to make an animated feature film,[34] but the project never came to fruition. An animated film based on the toy series became the first family and animation project produced by STX Films[35] and was released in May 2019.[36] |
| Gospel for Teens | In August 2011, Universal and Illumination acquired the rights to make a live-action film based on the 60 Minutes segment Gospel for Teens. Todd Black was set to produce under his Escape Artists company, with Stephen Belber penning the script.[37] |
| Dr. Seuss biopic | In October 2011, it was announced that Illumination and Johnny Depp's Infinitum Nihil would co-produce a live-action biopic of Dr. Seuss, with Depp slated to produce and possibly star.[38] |
| Woody Woodpecker | By November 2011, Universal and Illumination planned a Woody Woodpecker feature film. John Altschuler and Dave Krinsky (King of the Hill) were in talks to develop a story,[39] but in July 2013, Illumination canceled the project.[40] The film was eventually released as a live-action/CGI hybrid film in 2017. |
| The Cat in the Hat | In March 2012, following the financial success of The Lorax, the animated film adaptation of the book of the same name, Universal and Illumination announced plans to produce an animated adaptation based on The Cat in the Hat.[41] Rob Lieber was set to write the script, with Chris Meledandri as producer, and Audrey Geisel as the executive producer, but the project never came into fruition.[42] By January 2018, Warner Animation Group (now Warner Bros. Pictures Animation) was in development of an animated Cat in the Hat film as part of a creative partnership with Seuss Enterprises, which is set to be released in 2026.[43] |
| Clifford the Big Red Dog | In May 2012, Universal and Illumination began to develop a live-action/animated feature film based on the eponymous book series. Matt Lopez was hired to write the script, while Chris Meledandri and Deborah Forte were attached to produce the film.[44] In July 2013, Illumination dropped the project.[26] Paramount Pictures later acquired the rights to develop the film, which was eventually released on November 10, 2021, following a number of delays due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.[45][46][47] |
| Lockwood & Co.: The Screaming Staircase | The film rights of The Screaming Staircase, the first book in the Lockwood & Co. series by Jonathan Stroud, were acquired in December 2012 by Illumination and Universal, making this the first live-action project for the former. The film, titled Lockwood & Co.: The Screaming Staircase, was to be produced by Chris Meledandri.[48] However, in September 2017 it was announced that Big Talk Productions had optioned the rights to Lockwood & Co., with plans to adapt it into a television series.[49] In December 2020, the show was announced to be going to Netflix, adapted by Joe Cornish.[50] Filming began on the Lockwood & Co. television series in the week following 5 July 2021,[51] and it premiered on 27 January 2023.[52] |
| Johnny Express | In 2015, Universal and Illumination planned to adapt the South Korean CGI animated short into a feature-length animated film.[53][54] |
| Untitled Pharrell Williams project | In 2018, it was reported that a original project with Pharrell Williams was being worked on, being "made from scratch".[55] Nothing materialized, and six years later, an unrelated animated project starring Williams, Piece by Piece was released by Universal, though LEGO versions of Kevin, Stuart, and Bob from the Despeciable Me franchise make cameo appearances in the film. |
| Big Tree | In 2022, Universal and Illumination planned to develop a movie in co-production with Steven Spielberg's own Amblin Entertainment an animated feature based on Brian Selznick's novel of the same name, which was inspired by an idea from both Spielberg and Meledandri. Nothing was materialized as of 2026.[56] |
Reception
Box office performance
| Film | Budget | North America | Overseas gross (unadjusted) |
Worldwide gross (unadjusted) |
Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opening | Gross (unadjusted) | |||||
| Despicable Me | $69 million | $56.3 million | $251.6 million | $291.6 million | $543.2 million | [57] |
| Hop | $63 million | $37.5 million | $108.5 million | $75.8 million | $184.4 million | [58] |
| The Lorax | $70 million | $70.2 million | $214.4 million | $134.8 million | $349.2 million | [59] |
| Despicable Me 2 | $76 million | $83.5 million | $368.1 million | $602.7 million | $970.8 million | [60] |
| Minions | $74 million | $115.7 million | $336.0 million | $823.4 million | $1.159 billion | [61] |
| The Secret Life of Pets | $75 million | $104.4 million | $368.4 million | $525.9 million | $894.3 million | [62] |
| Sing | $35.2 million | $270.4 million | $363.8 million | $634.2 million | [63] | |
| Despicable Me 3 | $80 million | $72.4 million | $264.6 million | $770.2 million | $1.034 billion | [64] |
| The Grinch | $75 million | $67.6 million | $271.5 million | $255.4 million | $527.8 million | [65] |
| The Secret Life of Pets 2 | $80 million | $46.7 million | $159.2 million | $287.2 million | $446.4 million | [66] |
| Sing 2 | $85 million | $22.3 million | $162.8 million | $245.6 million | $408.4 million | [67] |
| Minions: The Rise of Gru | $80–100 million | $107.0 million | $370.3 million | $569.9 million | $940.5 million | [68][69][70] |
| The Super Mario Bros. Movie | $100 million | $146.4 million | $574.9 million | $785.9 million | $1.360 billion | [71] |
| Migration | $72 million | $12.5 million | $127.6 million | $172.9 million | $300.5 million | [72][73] |
| Despicable Me 4 | $100 million | $75.0 million | $361.0 million | $611.0 million | $972.0 million | [74][75] |
| The Super Mario Galaxy Movie | $110 million | $131.7 million | $419.0 million | $548.0 million | $967.0 million | [76][77] |
Critical and public response
| Film | Critical | Public | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic | CinemaScore | |
| Despicable Me | 80% (201 reviews)[78] | 72 (35 reviews)[79] | A[80] |
| Hop | 24% (140 reviews)[81] | 41 (23 reviews)[82] | A−[83] |
| The Lorax | 53% (155 reviews)[84] | 46 (30 reviews)[85] | A[86] |
| Despicable Me 2 | 75% (184 reviews)[87] | 62 (39 reviews)[88] | A[80] |
| Minions | 55% (222 reviews)[89] | 56 (35 reviews)[90] | A[80] |
| The Secret Life of Pets | 71% (239 reviews)[91] | 61 (39 reviews)[92] | A−[93] |
| Sing | 71% (187 reviews)[94] | 59 (37 reviews)[95] | A[86] |
| Despicable Me 3 | 58% (194 reviews)[96] | 49 (37 reviews)[97] | A–[80] |
| The Grinch | 59% (197 reviews)[98] | 51 (32 reviews)[99] | A−[100] |
| The Secret Life of Pets 2 | 60% (164 reviews)[101] | 55 (26 reviews)[102] | A−[93] |
| Sing 2 | 72% (137 reviews)[103] | 49 (28 reviews)[104] | A+[105] |
| Minions: The Rise of Gru | 69% (185 reviews)[106] | 56 (41 reviews)[107] | A[108] |
| The Super Mario Bros. Movie | 59% (287 reviews)[109] | 46 (53 reviews)[110] | A[111] |
| Migration | 73% (103 reviews)[112] | 56 (25 reviews)[113] | A[114] |
| Despicable Me 4 | 55% (166 reviews)[115] | 52 (36 reviews)[116] | A[117] |
| The Super Mario Galaxy Movie | 42% (189 reviews)[118] | 37 (45 reviews)[119] | A-[120] |
