Founded just over a decade ago in 2007, Illumination studio stole hearts from the get-go with Despicable Me, which has spawned an entertainment empire including two movie sequels and a Minions spin-off for its ubiquitous endearing/annoying yellow boys.
The Minions, characters from the Despicable Me series, are the studio’s mascots.
Now, we’re ranking every Illumination movie by critics’ scores from best to worst!
TOC
Despicable Me (2010)
Tomatometer: 81% – Metascore: 72
Starring: Animation, Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Russell Brand, Julie Andrews
Directed By: Pierre Coffin, Chris Renaud
Despicable Me 2 (2013)
Tomatometer: 75% – Metascore: 62
Starring: Animation, Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Benjamin Bratt, Miranda Cosgrove
Directed By: Pierre Coffin, Chris Renaud
The Secret Life of Pets (2016)
Tomatometer: 72% – Metascore: 61
Starring: Animation, Louis C.K., Eric Stonestreet, Kevin Hart, Ellie Kemper
Directed By: Chris Renaud, Yarrow Cheney
Sing (2016)
Tomatometer: 71% – Metascore: 59
Starring: Animation, Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Seth MacFarlane, Scarlett Johansson
Directed By: Garth Jennings, Christophe Lourdelet
Sing 2 (2021)
Tomatometer: 71% – Metascore: 49
Starring: Animation, Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Scarlett Johansson, Taron Egerton
Directed By: Garth Jennings
Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022)
Tomatometer: 71% – Metascore: 56
Starring: Animation, Steve Carell, Taraji P. Henson, Michelle Yeoh, RZA
Directed By: Kyle Balda, Brad Ableson, Jonathan del Val
The Secret Life of Pets 2 (2019)
Tomatometer: 60% – Metascore: 55
Starring: Animation, Patton Oswalt, Kevin Hart, Harrison Ford, Eric Stonestreet
Directed By: Chris Renaud, Jonathan del Val
Despicable Me 3 (2017)
Tomatometer: 59% – Metascore: 49
Starring: Animation, Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Trey Parker, Miranda Cosgrove
Directed By: Kyle Balda, Pierre Coffin, Eric Guillon
Dr.Seuss’ The Grinch (2018)
Tomatometer: 59% – Metascore: 51
Starring: Animation, Benedict Cumberbatch, Cameron Seely, Rashida Jones, Pharrell Williams
Directed By: Yarrow Cheney, Scott Mosier
Minions (2015)
Tomatometer: 55% – Metascore: 56
Starring: Animation, Sandra Bullock, Jon Hamm, Michael Keaton, Allison Janney
Directed By: Kyle Balda, Pierre Coffin
Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax (2012)
Tomatometer: 54% – Metascore: 46
Starring: Animation, Danny DeVito, Ed Helms, Zac Efron, Taylor Swift
Directed By: Chris Renaud, Kyle Balda
Hop (2011)
Tomatometer: 24% – Metascore: 41
Starring: Animation, James Marsden, Russell Brand, Kaley Cuoco, Hank Azaria
Directed By: Tim Hill
