Full Comment from Natsumi Eguchi

I felt truly honored. I had wanted to watch the "Minions" and "Despicable Me" film series for a long time, but I kept missing the chance because I was busy. When this offer came along, I ended up getting the perfect opportunity to binge-watch the previous films, which made me very happy.

And all of the previous films were very entertaining. I think the appeal of the "Minions" series lies first in how wonderfully the animation moves. So many different things happen on screen one after another that I think it's entertaining to watch even without understanding a word of the dialogue. As a side note, while I was watching the previous films, my cat at home stayed glued to the screen the whole time, which I think is proof of how amazing the movement is. And I also think it's appealing that the characters who appear have quite a bit of deep darkness within them.

It's the characters other than the Minions who carry this darkness, but because it's depicted as comedy, that part stands out all the more, and I feel a unique sadness and strength in it. The Minions are so capable that they could do anything on their own, yet they always long for "the boss to give them orders." They're cheerful, and they go beyond mischief into all-out chaos, but they still carry out their orders and basically stay true to the boss's thinking. I think this bright, mischievous nature is very endearing, and it also makes the other characters seem even more appealing.

For the illustration, I was given the theme of "something uniquely Japanese," so I created it hoping to bring out the best of both the Japanese style and the Minions. The Minions are already a very eye-catching combination of colors to begin with, since yellow and blue are complementary colors.

In addition, since the characters appearing this time also have strong color combinations, I went through a lot of trial and error together with the person in charge, working out the composition and adjusting the saturation, among other things, in order to give the piece a Japanese-style impression. I'd be happy if this could help everyone who comes to the theater enjoy the film even more.

Because of the schedule for creating the illustration, I drew it before watching the film itself, so above all, I'm looking forward to finally seeing the movie. The illustration went through careful supervision, so I don't think there's anything off about it, but I'm a little nervous about how I'll feel after watching the film, and how the audience who comes to see it will feel.

Among the monster characters, there are two fish-like characters named Phillips and Howard, and I really love their designs. I'm curious how they move and how they talk. I couldn't help but think they looked a little delicious, but maybe that's just because I'm Japanese. From what I've seen in the trailer, the Minions dressed in all sorts of outfits also look fun, and I'm looking forward to that too. I'm also hoping they'll cause all-out chaos again.

Title: "Minions & Monsters"
Release Date: Nationwide release from Friday, August 7!
Copyright: (C) Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.
Distributor: Toho-Towa

English