Netflix’s animated catalog just got a major new addition with the arrival of the best movie in an animated franchise’s spinoff film series. The streaming giant has been stocking fresh titles all March long and has already grown its animation lineup with movies like The Lego Movie and Trolls and TV shows like Gabby’s Dollhouse Season 13. With March quickly winding to a close, Netflix just stocked one final title in its animated catalog this month.
Netflix subscribers can now stream Minions: The Rise of Gru after Illumination’s 2022 movie joined the platform on March 23rd. The movie is the sixth overall film in the Despicable Me franchise and the second installment in the Minions spinoff series and follows an 11-year-old Gru in the 1970s as he plots to become a supervillain with the help of his loyal, chaotic Minions. The film was a massive comeback and commercial success for the Despicable Me franchise, reinforcing its standing as the highest-grossing animated franchise in history with a $940 million worldwide gross. It also greatly improved upon Minions’ overall reception with a 69% critic score, the franchise’s third-highest on Rotten Tomatoes, and an 89% audience rating.
Minions: The Rise of Gru Perfectly Expands the Despicable Me Franchise
Following the polarizing critical reception of Minions, Minions: The Rise of Gru successfully revitalized the Despicable Me franchise. The film’s focus on Gru’s childhood and his journey to becoming a supervillain and his budding relationship with the Minions brought back the emotional core of the original Despicable Me and helped bridge the gap between the spin-off and the original films. At the same time, it introduced familiar characters like Dr. Nefario while also expanding the Vicious Universe with new characters like Wild Knuckles and the Vicious 6, expanding the world of supervillainy. The movie also brought plenty of laughs with Looney Tunes-esque slapstick humor and great creative action sequences.
The Rise of Gru struck the perfect balance between the minions and Gru and chaos and heartfelt charm to effectively prove the enduring appeal of the franchise, setting the stage for the continued success of even the spinoff series. Following Despicable Me 4 in 2024, a seventh film in the franchise, Minions & Monsters, is slated to hit theaters on July 1, 2026. The upcoming film is the third overall in the Minions spinoff and follows the Minions in 1920s Hollywood as they become movie stars, only to accidentally unleash monsters, forcing them to save the world.
What’s New on Netflix?
The arrival of Minions: The Rise of Gru to Netflix’s streaming library comes on the heels of dozens of others throughout the month. Families looking for more streaming options can now also watch titles like Goosebumps, The Lego Movie, Matilda, Trolls, and Clifford the Big Red Dog. Outside of kid-friendly fare, Netflix has stocked movies such as Deepwater Horizon, Misery, Sicario, Zombieland, and the first three Jurassic World movies.
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