Illumination Entertainment

Illumination Entertainment, founded by Chris Meledandri in 2007, is one of the entertainment industry’s leading producers of event animated films. Illumination, which has an exclusive financing and distribution partnership with Universal Pictures, is the creator of the hugely successful Despicable Me franchise, which includes Minions, the second-highest-grossing animated film of all time, as well as Despicable Me 2, an Academy Award® nominee for Best Animated Feature of 2013. In all, Illumination’s films, including 2016's record-breaking The Secret Life of Pets and the critically acclaimed holiday hit Sing, have grossed more than $4.5 billion in worldwide box-office revenues and feature some of the world’s most renowned talent. Upcoming films include a newly imagined version of Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, which is set for November 2018; The Secret Life of Pets 2 in 2019; Minions 2 in 2020; and Sing 2 in 2020. Mission: Illumination is founded with the goal of infusing joy and discovery into every character and putting smiles on the faces of every person in our audience, no matter their age or nationality.