Minions: Rise of Gru: Now Available on Blu-Ray and DVD #Minions #TheRiseofGru

**Movie received for consideration. All thoughts are my own.

Long before he becomes the master of evil, Gru is just a 12-year-old boy in 1970s suburbia, plotting to take over the world from his basement. When the infamous supervillain group, the Vicious 6, ousts their leader, Gru attempts to join their ranks but soon finds himself the mortal enemy of the apex of evil. With Gru on the run, the Minions attempt to learn martial arts to help save him, and Gru discovers that even bad guys need a little help from their friends. Packed with the franchise’s signature subversive humor, MINIONS: THE RISE OF GRU features more thrilling action than any Despicable Me film ever before!


BONUS FEATURES on 4K UHD, BLU-RAY^TM, DVD AND DIGITAL for your collection:

• POST MODERN MINIONS (MINI MOVIE) – Experience one Minion’s rise and fall as an artistic genius when he sneaks into a 1970’s post-modern art gallery with a fellow Minion and unintentionally creates an explosive new art form that is declared by a snooty art critic as the greatest art he’s ever seen. When the critic moves onto the next new artist, our Minion tries everything to get back in the spotlight, which accidentally leads to his next unexpected career. 
• MINIONS AND MONSTERS (MINI MOVIE) – Follow a newbie Minion as he joins three more experienced Minions in playing a 1970’s fantasy role-playing game. After struggling to gain the skills needed to master the game, the newbie unexpectedly rises to the occasion and saves the day, earning him the magical crown and the appreciation of his buddies.

• EXTENDED SCENE
• OUTTAKES
• CHARACTER PROFILES
  • GRU
  • WILD KNUCKLES
  • BELLE BOTTOM
  • MASTER CHOW
  • THE VICIOUS 6
  • BIKER
• GRU-VY ANIMATION - Join Steve Carell and the directors as they take us through the animation process. From Concept Art, through Storyboards and on to the Final Film, with every Gru-vy step in between explained in fun and fascinating detail.
• THE '70S - FASHION, FOOD & FUNK - A behind the scenes look at the 1970’s through the lens of MINIONS: THE RISE OF GRU.  From fashion to music, cultural phenomenon and back – the cast and filmmakers are bringing the 1970’s to a whole new generation.
• MINION MARTIAL ARTS - In this 1970s inspired martial arts movie throwback, we hear from the film’s directors about their inspiration, how they created authenticity in animation, the role the many martial artists in the cast played to bring it to life and how you teach a Minion to fight.
• HOW TO DRAW (& ANIMATE) WITH BRAD ABLESON - Co-director Brad Ableson shows us how to draw all of our favorite characters.
  • MINION
  • YOUNG GRU
  • KUNG FU STUART
• LAIR FLAIR: MAKE YOUR OWN MINION HIDEOUT - The Minions aren’t the only ones who can build a secret lair — now you can, too! (And yours doesn’t have to be built under Gru’s bed.)
  • THE LAIR
  • DISCO BUBBLES
  • JET PACK
• SUPER STYLE SHOP - The Minion uniform of overalls and goggles is timeless. Simple yet functional. But sometimes Minions have a casual day out and can abandon their work attire for something more fashionable. Here’s how can create fresh new fashion for YOUR Minions!
• BELL BOTTOMS AND BANDANA
• FRINGE VEST AND CHUNKY NECKLACE
  
  
  

My Thoughts:

The Minions are back!

If you are a parent whose little one loves minions--- as so many do--- you might have already been aware of this movie and were counting down the days. For those of you who weren't, here's the deal: the minions AND Gru are back in a super exciting prequel to the first film! Both of my children enjoyed the Despicable Me and Minions movies, so naturally they were very excited about this. My son was particularly excited that Gru was back in this movie--- even if it was a young Gru!

Oftentimes when there are characters that are THIS popular, I grow a little weary about new films. Are they actually going to live up to the hype? I actually felt like this one did quite well. It was a fun story, set apart from the originals, but still with all those characters my children enjoyed. While I cannot say that any of these movies have ever been MY personal favorite, I did find they did this one well... and more importantly, my kids enjoyed it. I did find the music in this movie to be absolutely wonderful too. It takes place in the 70s, and the music most certainly reflected that.

And of course, the bonus features keep the fun going long after the movie--- we haven't even had the chance to experience it all just yet! 

Overall, this was a fun movie for the kids. If your kids loved the previous movies, they are most certainly going to enjoy this one too.