“There’s no way a studio said okay to that”: M. Night Shyamalan Still Can’t Believe Hollywood Allowed One Animated Franchise to Use the Most Outlandish Movie Title
- M. Night Shyamalan praised the bold choice of the title 'Despicable Me' for a children's movie.
- 'Despicable Me', although it sounds weird for a kid's movie, perfectly captures the essence of the character Gru in the movie.
- 'Despicable Me 4' continues the franchise's legacy, making it the highest-grossing animated franchise of all time.
Movie titles are often crucial with respect to a film’s marketing. Some of them are very obvious, some of them are mysterious, and some are downright outlandish. In that context, there is one animated movie franchise that could be unique for its title, which shocked even experienced filmmakers.
Since the release of the first Despicable Me film in 2010, the series has gained immense popularity. It has its colorful and creative characters as well as an endearing story and, of course, the fan-favorite Minions. But apart from its content, its title itself is enough to turn heads.
M. Night Shyamalan Speaks On Despicable Me‘s Bold Choice
Another director who likes to have signature titles for his movies is M. Night Shyamalan. His comments about Despicable Me show how naming a movie is itself a form of art and how much the studios tend to risk while permitting such unconventional titles. In a recent interview with IndieWire, he said,
That is such a cool title. Despicable. There’s no way a studio said okay to that, to a kid’s movie. Do kids even know what that word… what? Despicable Me. It’s some haiku.
His surprise is understandable. After all, “despicable” is not exactly a word that is expected in a family-friendly film title. But that is what makes it genius.
The title of the film, Despicable Me, expresses the basic idea of the movie. Gru is initially portrayed as a supervillain, but he evolves into a good character in the end. The film’s title is ironic, and this irony establishes the arcs of Gru’s character very well.
There are other films as well that decided to take a risk on their title. Wreck-It Ralph, Bad Santa, and Monsters Inc. are some examples that play with negative concepts in their titles, but Despicable Me does it in a way that is one notch higher since it uses a word that some kids might not even understand.
The director understands the literal meaning of the studio’s minimalist approach since he also has short-named films such as Split, Glass, and Old. The fact that Despicable Me is such a hit franchise shows that in the entertainment industry, risks in terms of title selection can have good returns.
Despicable Me 4 Is Continuing the Legacy
The most recent movie in the Despicable Me series is Despicable Me 4, and it shows that this oddly named series is still popular. The movie is directed by Chris Renaud and it features the known characters as well as some new ones.
The plot is as wacky as expected. Gru faces off against Maxime, who is a genetically engineered cockroach man now. There is a prison break, a witness protection program gone wrong, and there is Minion chaos.
The box office numbers speak for themselves. Despicable Me 4 made around $75 million on its opening weekend, and it has grossed over $679.3 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo. According to Deadline, its collections have pushed the franchise’s total earnings to $5.3 billion and made it the highest-grossing animated franchise of all time.
While M. Night Shyamalan might still be scratching his head over how Despicable Me got the green light, it is clear that this outlandishly-titled franchise has found its own way into the hearts and wallets of audiences worldwide.
Despicable Me 4 is now running in theaters, and the previous movies can be streamed on Peacock.
