Summary
- The Minion language is inventive, inspired by baby talk sounds, and seemingly unrecognizable by borrowing from real-life languages.
- Minions and Ewoks share similarities, speaking their own languages with a shared origin.
- The
Despicable Me
franchise faces oversaturation with an uncertain future, mirroring the potential fate of the
Ice Age
films.
As a movie critic who has seen his fair share of animated features and franchises, I must admit that I was initially charmed by the antics of those lovable, yellow Minions. However, as their films continue to churn out one after another, I find myself yearning for something more substantial – much like a child craving candy but longing for a balanced meal.
Initially, when the movie “Despicable Me” premiered, the Minions stood out as a quirky and unusual element within a cleverly self-aware animated production. The character Gru played the role of a grumpy Willy Wonka to their troublemaking Oompa Loompas. Despite its outlandish plot about stealing the moon, the film felt surprisingly relatable and authentic. However, over time, the Minions have become widely associated with excessive internet memes. Dreamworks has heavily invested in the Minions’ universe (Minions Cinematic Universe), leading to an overwhelming amount of content related to them. Unfortunately, the quality appears to have decreased since “Despicable Me 2,” with Rotten Tomatoes scores usually hovering around 50%. This decline could be expected given the extensive exploitation of the concept.
Star Wars, surprisingly, faces similar criticisms, yet ventures like Andor have made bold moves that not only silenced critics but also attracted new followers. Moreover, its universe is vast, offering endless storytelling possibilities. Interestingly enough, Star Wars shares a stronger connection with the Despicable Me franchise than you might think…much like in real life, the Minions seem to always find a way to get involved.
Minion Language Is Pretty Genius, Actually
In many works of science fiction and fantasy, creators construct entire species with unique cultures and communication methods. Remarkably well-crafted is the language used by the Minions, despite appearing nonsensical to our ears. As outlined in an article from Mental Floss, Minionese mirrors elements of baby talk.
The pitch in this language is raised, and it often uses basic consonant-vowel syllables like ‘ba-na-na’, which is representative of the Minionese language. This language seems to favor the use of ‘b’ and ‘p’ sounds, similar to some of the first sounds babies learn. In this Minionese vocabulary list, you can observe this pattern in words such as ‘bello’ (hello), ‘poopaye’ (goodbye), ‘baboi’ (toy), and ‘bable’ (apple). The phrase ‘Bee doo’, which translates to ‘fire’, employs the traditional method of baby onomatopoeia, similar to how ‘woof woof’ represents a dog and ‘choo choo’ represents a train. It is the sound of a fire alarm.
Additionally, Pierre Coffin, the voice behind the Minions, shares with the Daily News that he constructed their vocabulary from various real-life languages. Being a multilingual French director, he is proficient in “a smattering of Spanish, Italian, Indonesian, and Japanese.” He also keeps an “Indian or Chinese takeout menu nearby.” While the melody typically serves as inspiration for Minionese, the meaning is occasionally employed as well. For instance, when the Minions are hitchhiking, the Italian phrase of frustration, “Madon!” is transformed into “Macaron!”. In certain situations, exact words and phrases are taken directly from real languages. The Minions count in Korean (hana, dul, sae) and use the Japanese term for “cheers” during a toast (kampai). Whatever suits each scenario best is utilized.
Minions Are the Ewoks of Despicable Me…No, Seriously
Just like the lovable and spirited Minions, Ewoks from Star Wars are adorable, feisty creatures who communicate using their unique language. However, you might be surprised to learn that the languages of these characters share some similarities. In fact, Ewokese was inspired by the general sound of the Central Asian Kalmyk language, along with a touch of African and South Pacific tongues. As mentioned on the website 7000.org, Kalmyk is part of the western group of central Mongolic languages spoken in Mongolia and the Xinjiang region of China. Interestingly, some Minion words are inspired by Chinese, which explains this connection between the two ‘languages’. Therefore, it’s not uncommon to notice similarities or even shared vocabulary when listening to both languages.
The careful attention given and the charm that universally appeals to everyone, such as found in Minions and Ewoks, held viewers spellbound. It’s evident that George Lucas paid heed to this, resulting in (some might say crucial) Ewok spinoff films. However, it’s time for Dreamworks to learn from the success of Star Wars and try something new instead.
Aficionados of the Despicable Me series are concerned that it might follow the pattern set by the Ice Age films, or they apprehend its future following such a trajectory. Here’s a comment from the “box office” subreddit expressing this concern:
However, as one person countered,
The outcome for the franchise remains uncertain: Will it end with a spectacular finale, or will the director yield and produce a live-action Minions movie? Irrespective of the final decision, it’s important to acknowledge the hard work that goes on behind the scenes, making the final product appear effortless.
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2024-08-25 00:01