While everyone loves the minions running onto the screen to announce the newest Despicable Me film, there are plenty of other interesting Illumination films made from 2010 to the present. If you enjoy watching Despicable Me and are looking for more animated films to add to your movie night, check out these six best Illumination movies to stream today.
6. Migration (2023)
Sixth on our best Illumination movies list is Migration, a hilariously fun take on birds migrating for the winter. Mack is an adventure-hating duck who does not want to leave his New England pond anytime soon. He is slowly convinced by his adventurous wife Pam to head south for the winter, and they head off alongside their two kids Dax and Gwen and Mack’s Uncle Dan. Things do not go as planned, but it does not stop the family from having the time of their lives.
–IMDb score: 6.6
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5. The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)
Bringing a wave of nostalgia to our older audience is the fifth selection for best Illumination movies, The Super Mario Bros. Movie. When Brooklyn plumbers Mario and Luigi are sucked through a magic tunnel, they are plunged into the world of the Mushroom Kingdom. When the two brothers get separated, Mario must team up with a princess named Peach and an anthropomorphic mushroom named Toad to find Luigi. They must also save the world from the ruthless fire-breathing Koopa named Bowser, and his terrible Koopa army along the way.
–IMDb score: 7.0
4. Sing (2016)
Take a step into a city full of humanoid animals in our fourth selection for best Illumination movies, Sing. Having been interested in the world of show business since his father took him to his first music show as a child, koala Buster Moon now has a theater of his own. When he encounters financial problems, Moon tells his friend Eddie the theater will host a singing competition with a prize of $1,000. When Moon’s assistant Miss Crawly accidentally changes the prize to $100,000 and the flyers are blown into the city’s streets, Moon and his various contestants will be in for a wild ride.
–IMDb score: 7.1
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3. Despicable Me 2 (2013)
Ranking third on our best Illumination movies list is Despicable Me 2. Gru is now an ex-supervillain, content with family life and making an honest living. When a secret Arctic laboratory is stolen though, the Anti-Villain League decides it needs an insider’s help to find the culprit. Gru is paired with eccentric AVL agent Lucy Wilde, and the two conclude the prime suspect is presumed dead supervillain El Macho. As Gru tries to juggle his family life and growing attraction to Lucy, they must also figure out who the true culprit is before they run out of time, and minions.
–IMDb score: 7.3
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2. Sing 2 (2021)
Jump back into the world of Sing with our second selection for best Illumination movies, Sing 2. As his local theatre company becomes a success, Buster Moon is dreaming of bigger things. When a talent scout turns down his work, Moon gambles everything by sneaking into a talent audition in Redshore City for entertainment mogul Jimmy Crystal. With some frantic improvising and outlandish lies, like personally knowing recluse rock star Clay Calloway, they catch Crystal’s interest. Now, Moon and his crew face putting together a show in a tight window, and it will take the whole team and their skills to pull it off.
–IMDb score: 7.3
1. Despicable Me (2010)
Last but certainly not least, our number one selection for the best Illumination movies is Despicable Me, the film that started it all for Illumination. A happy suburban neighborhood hides a supervillain in its midst. Under his black house, supervillain Gru has a vast secret hideout, surrounded by a small army of minions as he plans his biggest heist ever: stealing the Moon. With shrink rays, freeze rays, and battle-ready vehicles, Gru is able to vanquish any obstacle in his way, until three orphaned girls look at him as a potential Dad. Gru just met his greatest challenge in Margo, Edith, and Agnes; will he prevail?
–IMDb score: 7.6
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