Illumination’s Despicable Me is extraordinarily successful- aside from being one of the highest-grossing animated film franchises of all time. 14 years after the original film became an immediate hit, director Chris Renaud talks with Animation Scoop on the upcoming installment, reflecting on the global appeal, legacy of the characters, and the franchise’s lasting impact over the years. (This Animation Scoop Q&A was edited for length and clarity.)

Lauren Ashton: So Despicable Me as a franchise means so much to so many people. I was just thinking, when the first one came out, I was in middle school and I was really captivated by just the look of it. And then, of course, it became a smashing hit, which was so exciting. Now it’s been about 14 years since the first one. How does it feel to be a part of the fourth installment of something that’s been so massively successful in so many ways?

Chris Renaud: Well, it’s very gratifying. I mean, the audience has embraced these characters and these stories so wholeheartedly. With internet memes or, for example, somebody sent me a minion that was handmade in Belize. Across the globe, it’s just great. It’s got this kind of everywhere and nowhere feel. I think it’s also very transportable, and people around the globe can claim it as their own. There are very few things that actually operate that way-  things like Star Wars have, certainly- but Despicable Me has had such a great global audience that’s taking ownership of it. As a kid, the things that I liked were comics and Star Wars, and as those worlds have expanded, people took ownership of them as well. So to have sort of been one of the authors of something like that has been truly gratifying.