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Despicable Me: How Many Minions Does Gru Have In The Movies?
Gru from Despicable Me commands over 10,000 minions, but calculations suggest there could be 1.6 trillion minions in total.
The release of Despicable Me 4 raises questions about the number of minions serving Gru in the franchise. These mischievous, yellow monsters, known as all-male minions, are cute, banana-loving engineers who work together to eliminate Despicable Me's villains. The number of minions serving Gru is debatable, as they are a massive part of the Despicable Me films, and their corresponding outfits make it difficult to count them. Despite having their own Minions movies, the presence of minions in the franchise remains a significant aspect of the franchise.
How many Minions does Gru have?
In 2013, the Despicable Me Facebook page confirmed that Gru commands 10,400 minions, confirming the seemingly unlimited number of minions in the Despicable Me and Minions movies. Some minions, like Kevin, Bob, and Stuart, play more in the foreground, while others remain quiet. Recognizing individual minions is difficult due to their nearly identical appearance, apart from a few differences like eye and hair count.
Even though Despicable Me's social media confirmed the 10,4000 minions count, not everyone is so convinced. A Redditor on a Reddit thread did the math based on their findings of the Despicable Me 2 poster that shows Gru standing in front of an army of minions. Their calculations suggest that there are 1.6 trillion minions in total.
Following is the reddit post:
"One can assume the height Gru is at is roughly 200 km from the surface of the Earth (I made an overlay of this image on the Gru image, and it matched). Now, a rough estimate is that the poster has 1/6th coverage of the entire circle that Gru can actually see, which brings his area seen to be 3.14*(r2). Radius can be calculated using the formula:
√(height above surface in cm)/6.752) = (Distance from horizon in km).
This brings r = 544 km.
Plugging it into the area formula, the visible area is 9.3*105 km2.
A minion's height is roughly twice its diameter (using this as a reference), which puts its diameter at roughly 80 cm, with each one occupying an area of 5,024 cm2.
The highest circle packing efficiency is approximately 90.7%, which puts the effective area covered at 8.435*1015 cm2.
This brings the total number of minions that would be present to cover such a large area to 1.687*1012."
The Redditor applied real-life logic to the Despicable Me characters to calculate the number of minions. The number is greater than what the Despicable Me account stated, indicating a reasonable amount of certainty. The subject may not be fully resolved until addressed in one of the movies, as the math is complex.
Whether there are over 10,000 minions or trillions of minions, it is a safe bet that Gru has way more minions than he could possibly need. The minions are not just having adventures with Gru; they have movies of their own as well. However many minions there are, they can safely continue to be enjoyed along with other characters in Despicable Me 4.
Did Gru create the Minions?
In the first Despicable Me film, a small detail suggests a different origin story for the Minions compared to the 2015 movie. A diagram of the Minions in Gru's daughters' bedroom suggests their current form is their "final design," suggesting Gru created them. This hint at a Dr. Frankenstein-style relationship between the Minions and their creator, although the Minions retcons this minor detail.
The Despicable Me franchise retold the Minions' original backstory, possibly as a minor detail rather than a major revelation. Illumination likely didn’t anticipate the franchise's massive success, particularly the Minions' overwhelming popularity. However, providing the Minions with an origin story that predates Gru allows Illumination to explore their adventures independently of the former supervillain. Given the Minions' widespread marketability, it was a strategic decision to give them solo outings.
The original plan for the Minions' origin story might have served as a stronger narrative thread, emphasizing Gru’s supervillain genius and deepening his relationship with the Minions. Although the bond between Gru and his henchmen remains central to the Despicable Me franchise, the Minions' backstory adds another layer. The focus on family in the latest film could be linked to Gru's creation of the Minions.
ALSO READ: Despicable Me 4: Why Dru Gru Doesn't Play a Major Role in The Film
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