George Lucas Loves the Minions So Much He’s Going To Be in Their Movie

My kids recently saw Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace and, honestly, a great time was had by all. They really loved Anakin and have no idea what awaits him (but they do know who Darth Vader is). It was a great way to start. But you know who just sailed into foul territory, right over the heads of my children? Jar-Jar Binks. Dude got absolutely nothing. They’ve referenced him since the film, but only the moment when Qui-Gon grabs his tongue, which I’d argue is more the Jedi’s moment. During the film, Jar-Jar got nothing.

I am very much aware that Jar-Jar was not a hit with adults (nor a ten-year-old me), but I kind of expected him to work on a pair of five-year-olds. He was bouncing and falling around, much like characters in the Adventures of Tintin, which I watched with my kids just a week prior, and they were cackling often. Here? Jar-Jar couldn’t even get a laugh when some strange alien ripped a toot in his face. It’s only a bit surprising because the man himself, George Lucas, seemed pretty intent on Jar-Jar being a kid’s character (unless you look up those Darth Jar-Jar theories, which I honestly kinda believe).

However, even though Jar-Jar didn’t work on my kids, the rest of the film certainly did, so I think it’s safe to say that Mr. Lucas knows what he was talking about when he said that those movies were for kids. In fact, he has a pretty good eye for what kids love. While my children have never seen a Despicable Me or Minions movie, they’ve lost their minds whenever they’ve encountered them in the wild. These kids love the Minions, and, apparently, so does the creator of Star Wars.

Lucas is such a fan, in fact, that the CEO of Illumination (the studio behind those films) recently revealed to Collider that he got George involved in the newest Minions flick. “I had this privilege of meeting George about two years ago, and what led to my meeting him is how much he loves Illumination movies, and specifically Despicable Me, and even more specifically, the Minions,” Meledandri explained. “It was such a thrill to learn that and then to share it with the team, because obviously he’s among a very small group of people who the entire studio shares a level of respect for that is just off the charts.”

He went on to recall that, in the new film Minions & Monsters, they needed a voice and, upon asking the director, Pierre Coffin, if they could get Lucas to do it, everyone jumped at the opportunity. And it won’t stop there, either, as Meledandri would go on to explain. “We’re thrilled to have him in the film. I saw him recently, and he’s already talking to me about the role he wants to do next in the next Minions movie. So, it’s pretty incredible.” George Lucas remains one of the most… fascinating people in Hollywood.

And to be fair, I have also not seen a single Minions or Despicable Me film, but I’ll probably be taking the kids to see this new one. It’s about the little yellow guys going back in time somehow, to the early 1900s, and enlisting a bunch of real monsters to be in their monster movie. But one monster takes things a bit too far, and the Minons have to reel it in. It looks pretty fantastic. So, ya know, I get it, George. I get it.