When it comes to American Animated films, the main studio competition used to be between Disney and Dreamworks; in some respects, it's still a prominent rivalry. But over the last two decades, a little animation studio owned by Universal known as Illumination has become one of modern cinema's animated mainstays. While their films haven't always been popular with critics and animation skeptics, they have managed to strike a chord with audiences of all ages worldwide.
Despicable Me 3 PG Animation Action Comedy Family Release Date June 15, 2017 Director Pierre Coffin , Kyle Balda Cast Elsie Fisher , Dana Gaier , Pierre Coffin , Pamela Walker , Trey Parker , Steve Carell Runtime 96 WATCH ON Fubo 8 'Migration' Directed by: Benjamin Renner The Super Mario Bros. Movie was an epic adventure that set Illumination's box office records high, while their first release afterward, Migration, is a comparatively more minor film in both scale and story. But that has not undermined the film's film's success, both critically and financially. It begins with a family of ducks called the Mallards living in New England, watching other ducks migrate to Jamaica for the winter.
Despicable Me 2 PG Animation Adventure Comedy Crime Family Sci-Fi Release Date June 26, 2013 Director Pierre Coffin , Chris Renaud Cast Steve Carell , Kristen Wiig , Benjamin Bratt , Miranda Cosgrove , Russell Brand , Ken Jeong Runtime 98 WATCH ON PEACOCK 5 'The Secret Life of Pets' Directed by: Chris Renaud Illumination's next big hit released after Minions, The Secret Life of Pets is a charming, straightforward film about what pets do when humans aren't around. In New York City, little dog Max is living his best life as the pet of human owner Katie - only to get a nasty surprise when she brings home a new dog, Duke .
The animation is gorgeous, the voice actors leave a strong impression as their characters, especially Jack Black and Charlie Day, and visually, the film feels like the game came to life. While the pace is relatively breakneck, the licensed songs in place of original music are overused and the story could have benefited for some moments to allow the story to breathe; it's still a fun time demonstrating an exhaustive amount of potential from Illumination’s partnership with Nintendo.