MINIONS: THE RISE OF GRU
The groovy, funny rise of a young supervillain with a family-sized heart.
Should You Watch It?
MINIONS: THE RISE OF GRU is a funny, entertaining animated comedy with cute, hilarious, adorable, and loyal minions. Its strongest themes are sacrifice, helping others even when it puts you in danger, loyalty, and finding a family.
The movie also presents a mixed worldview. A Zodiac Stone is associated with special powers, and the story mentions a guru, the Chinese New Year, yoga, and using an inner force to defeat others. The villains are fierce, extremely villainous, and increasingly scary toward the end.
If your family can handle those frightening characters and the New Age elements, this is a lively choice with positive moral and redemptive ideas. For younger children, preview the experience through your own parental discernment. The practical answer: WORTH THE TRIP — MIDDLE SCHOOL AND UP.
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISESGru is a boy who longs to become a supervillain. When the Vicious 6 tease him because of his age, he steals their Zodiac Stone and begins a dangerous chase.
Gru’s loyal minions follow him even after he says he no longer needs them. When the stone goes missing, Gru is kidnapped by Wild Knuckles, a former member of the Vicious 6. Now the minions must find the stone and save Gru.
Is It Any Good?
Four stars means this movie succeeds as funny, entertaining family animation. The minions are cute, hilarious, adorable, and loyal, while Gru’s story combines comic supervillain ambitions with a deeper desire for family.
The movie also offers lively cartoon action and slapstick humor. Its main limitation is not its entertainment value but its content mix: scary villains and New Age ideas may make it unsuitable for some younger children.
The Worldview
The movie has a mixed worldview. It includes New Age elements centered on a Zodiac Stone that gives special powers to anyone who uses it. It also mentions the Chinese New Year, a Yoga Guru, and using an inner force to defeat others.
At the same time, the story stresses moral and redemptive ideas. Sacrifice, loyalty, helping others, loving others, and finding a family are treated positively. Gru wants to be a villain, but at his core he is someone who wants a family. The film therefore combines questionable spiritual ideas with affirming themes about self-sacrifice and care for others.
The movie’s emphasis on sacrifice reflects Jesus’ words: “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
Dominant Worldview and Other Worldview Content/Elements
Mixed pagan worldview with New Age elements such as obtaining a “Zodiac Stone” with special powers, mentions of a guru, a reference to the Chinese New Year, and a character does yoga, mixed with moral, redemptive, pro-family elements stressing sacrifice, loyalty, loving others, and finding a family
Foul Language
No foul language
Violence
Lots of cartoon action, slapstick violence, such as a character’s hand gets bashed in wall, character falls from a great height, character destroys a house, a character is set on fire, chases, and fighting
Sex
No sex
Nudity
Animated character’s butt crack shown
Alcohol Use
No alcohol use
Smoking and/or Drug Use and Abuse
No smoking or drugs;
Miscellaneous Immorality
Stealing and kidnapping, and the supervillains are scary and become more scary toward the end.
Talk About It
Questions for the drive home, the dinner table, or the youth group.
Gru wants to become a villain but ultimately needs his minions and longs for a family. What does a healthy family give us, and how can we show loyalty to one another?
Romans 12:10 · Galatians 6:2The story presents sacrifice and helping others as good, even when doing so is dangerous. When should we be willing to give up our own comfort for someone else?
John 15:13 · Philippians 2:3–4The Zodiac Stone, guru, yoga, and inner force reflect spiritual ideas that differ from biblical faith. How can we test spiritual claims against God’s Word?
1 John 4:1 · Acts 17:11The villains become scarier toward the end. How should we respond when entertainment frightens us, and how can we encourage someone who feels afraid?
Psalm 56:3–4 · Romans 15:1The Final Word
MINIONS: THE RISE OF GRU is a funny, entertaining movie with loyal characters and positive themes about sacrifice, helping others, and finding a family. Its New Age elements and scary villains call for parental discernment, especially with younger children. For families with middle schoolers and up, the answer is WORTH THE TRIP — MIDDLE SCHOOL AND UP.
