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For 16 years, we’ve existed in a world with Minions, those little, yellow, denim-clad critters first introduced in Despicable Me (2010). Thus far, there have been six feature film adventures with them — the seventh, Minions & Monsters is out July 1 — yet we’re no closer to understanding what they’re jabbering on about in their Minionese language. Well, except for “BANANA!"
Actually, a specific someone does know exactly what the Minions mean, and that’s director Pierre Coffin, who has voiced all of the Minion characters going back to Despicable Me, which he co-directed with Chris Renaud (The Secret Lives of Pets). For this latest chapter in the Minion’s history, Coffin slightly tweaks their language to reflect the film’s setting in 1920s Hollywood, and to aid his performance of the newest Minions - James, Henry and Ed.
Below, Coffin explains how to decipher what these Minions are saying.
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Is there a direct translation for the Minions language, Minionese?
Translating Minionsese would be a tall task, as director Pierre Coffin confirmed to The Guardian back in 2015 that Minionese is technically gibberish.
“It’s a mixture of all the languages of the world and it’s about finding a particular magical rhythm and melody that makes the nonsense make sense,” Coffin detailed. “If I need to evoke something specific, I might search the internet for a particular word from a particular language like, for instance, something Dutch for an argument as it’s quite guttural. But without the visuals, the words are meaningless."
In the press notes for Minions & Monsters, Coffin explained that his process for voicing the Minions is “simple and complicated” at the same time.
“When we began working on the first Despicable Me, I was not approaching it like a sound engineer or a technician,” he said. "I started doing the voices myself because we did not yet know exactly what the words should be or how the language should work. I would look at the Minions’ expressions, imagine what they were trying to say, pitch my own voice up and test it against the animation. Over time, that became the Minion voice.”
RELATED: Meet the Minions Ahead of the New Minions & Monsters Movie
Is the Minion language different in Minions & Monsters?
Over the seven films featuring Minions, Coffin said there still isn’t a specific translation. It remains more a vibe than anything.
“The most important thing is that the audience understands the intention without needing the words to make literal sense,” Coffin explained. “The melody of the voice, the rhythm, the body language and the situation all have to work together. I wanted Minionese to feel recognizable without belonging to one country or one language. The words can sound familiar, but they do not need to translate directly. If a Minion is asking a question, telling a joke or saying something with complete confidence, the audience should understand that.”
