All Illumination Movies Ranked

Critics Consensus: Borrowing heavily (and intelligently) from Pixar and Looney Tunes, Despicable Me is a surprisingly thoughtful, family-friendly treat with a few surprises of its own.

Synopsis: Supervillain Gru, a man who delights in all things wicked, hatches a plan to steal the moon. Surrounded by an army of little yellow minions... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Russell Brand, Julie Andrews

Directed By: Chris Renaud, Pierre Coffin

Critics Consensus: Despicable Me 2 offers plenty of eye-popping visual inventiveness and a number of big laughs.

Synopsis: Now that Gru has forsaken a life of crime to raise Margo, Agnes and Edith, he's trying to figure out how to provide for his... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Benjamin Bratt, Miranda Cosgrove

Directed By: Chris Renaud, Pierre Coffin

Critics Consensus: Fast-paced, funny, and blessed with a talented voice cast, The Secret Life of Pets offers a beautifully animated, cheerfully undemanding family-friendly diversion.

Synopsis: Max (Louis C.K.) is a spoiled terrier who enjoys a comfortable life in a New York building until his owner adopts Duke, a giant and... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Louis C.K., Eric Stonestreet, Kevin Hart, Ellie Kemper

Directed By: Chris Renaud

Critics Consensus: Sing delivers colorfully animated, cheerfully undemanding entertainment with a solid voice cast and a warm-hearted -- albeit familiar -- storyline that lives up to its title.

Synopsis: Dapper Koala Buster Moon presides over a once-grand theater that has fallen on hard times. An eternal optimist, and a bit of a scoundrel, he... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Seth MacFarlane, Scarlett Johansson

Directed By: Garth Jennings

Critics Consensus: Second verse, same as the first: For audiences that enjoyed the first installment, Sing 2 should prove another endearing diversion.

Synopsis: This holiday season, the new chapter in Illumination's smash animated franchise arrives with big dreams and spectacular hit songs as the ever-optimistic koala, Buster Moon,... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Scarlett Johansson, Taron Egerton

Directed By: Garth Jennings, Christophe Lourdelet

Critics Consensus: Beautiful animation and entertaining work from a talented voice cast help Migration take flight in spite of a story that doesn't quite stand out from the flock.

Synopsis: This holiday season, Illumination, creators of the blockbuster Minions, Despicable Me, Sing and The Secret Life of Pets comedies, invites you to take flight into... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Elizabeth Banks, Kumail Nanjiani, Awkwafina, Keegan-Michael Key

Directed By: Benjamin Renner

Critics Consensus: The Minions' antic shenanigans are beginning to grate despite this sequel's injection of retro chic, although this loony marathon of gags will still delight young children.

Synopsis: In the heart of the 1970s, amid a flurry of feathered hair and flared jeans, Gru (Oscar® nominee Steve Carell) is growing up in the... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Steve Carell, Taraji P. Henson, Michelle Yeoh, RZA

Directed By: Kyle Balda

Critics Consensus: The Secret Life of Pets 2 doesn't teach its animated stars any new narrative tricks -- but for fans of the original, this funny, energetic sequel should still satisfy.

Synopsis: Explore the emotional lives of pets and the deep bond between them and the families that love them as Max, Gidget, Snowball and the rest... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Patton Oswalt, Kevin Hart, Harrison Ford, Eric Stonestreet

Directed By: Chris Renaud

Critics Consensus: Despicable Me 3 should keep fans of the franchise consistently entertained with another round of colorful animation and zany -- albeit somewhat scattershot -- humor.

Synopsis: The mischievous Minions hope that Gru will return to a life of crime after the new boss of the Anti-Villain League fires him. Instead, Gru... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Trey Parker, Miranda Cosgrove

Directed By: Pierre Coffin, Kyle Balda

Critics Consensus: The Grinch gives the classic Seuss source material a brightly animated update that's solidly suitable for younger viewers without adding substantially to the story's legacy.

Synopsis: The Grinch and his loyal dog, Max, live a solitary existence inside a cave on Mount Crumpet. His main source of aggravation comes during Christmastime... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Cameron Seely, Rashida Jones, Pharrell Williams

Directed By: Scott Mosier, Yarrow Cheney

Critics Consensus: While it's nowhere near as thrilling as turtle tipping your way to 128 lives, The Super Mario Bros. Movie is a colorful -- albeit thinly plotted -- animated adventure that has about as many Nintendos as Nintendon'ts.

Synopsis: Mario and Luigi go on a whirlwind adventure through Mushroom Kingdom, uniting with a cast of familiar characters to defeat Bowser.

Starring: Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day, Jack Black

Directed By: Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic

Critics Consensus: The Minions' brightly colored brand of gibberish-fueled insanity stretches to feature length in their self-titled Despicable Me spinoff, with uneven but often hilarious results.

Synopsis: Evolving from single-celled yellow organisms at the dawn of time, Minions live to serve, but find themselves working for a continual series of unsuccessful masters,... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Sandra Bullock, Jon Hamm, Michael Keaton, Allison Janney

Directed By: Pierre Coffin, Kyle Balda

Critics Consensus: Fast paced and teeming with slapstick gags, Despicable Me 4 is as overstuffed as a piñata but full of enough candy to give audiences an enjoyable sugar rush.

Synopsis: In the first Despicable Me movie in seven years, Gru, the world's favorite supervillain-turned-Anti-Villain League-agent, returns for an exciting, bold new era of Minions mayhem... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Pierre Coffin, Joey King

Directed By: Chris Renaud

Critics Consensus: Dr. Seuss' The Lorax is cute and funny enough but the moral simplicity of the book gets lost with the zany Hollywood production values.

Synopsis: Twelve-year-old Ted (Zac Efron) lives in a place virtually devoid of nature; no flowers or trees grow in the town of Thneedville. Ted would very... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Danny DeVito, Ed Helms, Zac Efron, Taylor Swift

Directed By: Kyle Balda, Chris Renaud

Critics Consensus: It's impressively animated, but Hop's script is so uninspired that not even James Marsden's frantic mugging can give it any bounce.

Synopsis: Beneath Easter Island, in a giant factory that manufactures the world's Easter candy, the popular rabbit is preparing to pass the mantle to his son,... View Full Synopsis

Starring: James Marsden, Russell Brand, Kaley Cuoco, Hank Azaria

Directed By: Tim Hill