Despicable Me movies in order

Seven films, and the newest one is set eighty years before the first. One of the biggest release-versus-story gaps anywhere.

Updated 4 August 2026 · 7 titles tracked

The Despicable Me films run in a straight line. The Minions spin-offs do not — they are prequels that have worked steadily backwards, from 1968 to 1976 to the 1920s.

That makes Minions & Monsters, released in 2026, chronologically the first film in the franchise by about eighty years.

Every Despicable Me and Minions film in order

Release order. The three Minions films are prequels set in the 1920s, 1968 and 1976.

Open the interactive Despicable Me list

Release order or chronological?

Unusually for a family franchise, both genuinely work.

Release order is the safe answer and how most people have seen them.

Chronological order — Minions & Monsters, Minions, The Rise of Gru, then the four Despicable Me films — is a clean run through the Minions finding their way to Gru before his story begins. Nothing is spoiled; the prequels reference the later films only lightly.

For younger children, chronological order arguably reads better: it is simply a story that moves forwards.

The chronological order

Minions & Monsters (1920s), Minions (1968), Minions: The Rise of Gru (1976), Despicable Me, Despicable Me 2, Despicable Me 3, Despicable Me 4.

Which are the good ones?

Despicable Me (2010) is the best of them and the only one that is genuinely about something. Despicable Me 2 is a solid sequel. Minions: The Rise of Gru is the strongest of the spin-offs.

The rest are pleasant and undemanding. Nobody needs to watch all seven, which is worth remembering when a child insists otherwise.

Common questions

What order should I watch the Despicable Me and Minions movies?

Release order works, and so does chronological. Chronologically: Minions & Monsters, Minions, The Rise of Gru, then Despicable Me 1 through 4.

Are the Minions movies prequels?

Yes, all three. Minions is set in 1968, The Rise of Gru in 1976, and Minions & Monsters in 1920s Hollywood — the earliest story in the franchise.

How many Despicable Me movies are there?

Seven altogether: four Despicable Me films and three Minions films.

Should I watch Minions before Despicable Me?

You can. The prequels give away very little about the main films, so chronological order is a legitimate choice — particularly for younger viewers.