In animated films, it’s uncommon for a sidekick to attract more attention than a main character, but that’s exactly what happened with the Minions in the Despicable Me franchise.
Gru’s capsule-shaped yellow creatures are the first things that spring to mind when we think of the Illumination franchise, and not just because of their unique appearance.
Their adorable, almost unintelligible language is key to their success. Recently, Italian voice actresses Arianna Craviotto and Stefania Depeppe stepped behind the mic to share their take on the gibberish dialect created by Pierre Coffin.
Their adorable, almost unintelligible language is key to their success. Recently, Italian voice actresses Arianna Craviotto and Stefania Depeppe stepped behind the mic to share their take on the gibberish dialect created by Pierre Coffin.
Highlights
- Voice actresses Arianna Craviotto and Stefania Depeppe went viral after dubbing a scene from Minions 2.
- The original voices for the Minions in the "Despicable Me" franchise are provided by Pierre Coffin, the co-director of the films.
- The Minions’ fictional language combines elements of French, English, Spanish, Italian, Hindi, and Filipino.
In the video, the talented pair can be heard dubbing a scene from Minions 2: The Rise of Gru, released in 2022, where the yellow creatures cause mayhem in the cockpit of a plane.
Image credits: Illumination
Image credits: arianna_craviotto
Arianna has worked as a voice actress on various projects, dubbing characters in Pokémon, Guardians of the Galaxy, Bridgerton’s spin-off Queen Charlotte, and The Passengers of the Night.
Meanwhile, Stefania’s résumé includes titles such as The Handmaid's Tale, Vikings, and The Intern, as well as cartoons like Barbie Dreamtopia and Blue's Clues & You!
The video has received 2.3 million likes since it was shared on Monday (August 12), along with thousands of comments praising the women’s comedic skills in imitating the beloved characters.
Their work left everyone wondering how they managed to keep a straight face while imitating the adorable yellow creatures
“How do they keep a straight face? Omg I’d be on the floor rolling,” a fan commented.
“I’m so blown away. I love this,” said another.
“Literally the best thing I have watched all year,” somebody else wrote.
“This really is very impressive. The amount of commitment it takes to do this without bursting in tears,” wrote another netizen who couldn’t believe how the women conveyed humor through their voices without cracking up.
A separate user shared her experience as a voice actress, writing, "I remember learning to dub and getting shocked by how much of the script was emotional sounds. I was so nervous and weirded out by how to do it right. The video is an absolute masterpiece of true artistry! So impressive."
Then, another user had a lingering question after watching the clip, “I want to know what the script looks like.”
Arianna has worked on various projects like Pokémon, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Bridgerton’s spin-off Queen Charlotte
Image credits: arianna_craviotto
As it turns out, the original voices for the Minions in every film in the Despicable Me franchise are provided by Pierre Coffin, who co-directed every movie in the series except for The Rise of Gru and Despicable Me 4, according to ScreenRant.
Pierre, who created the Minions alongside Eric Guillon and Chris Renaud, isn't the only actor to have voiced the tiny members of Gru’s army. In Despicable Me, the Minion Dave was voiced by Chris Renaud, and Jermaine Clement voiced Jerry.
Beyond these exceptions, Pierre has voiced the Minions exclusively, the entertainment website mentions.
Stefania’s résumé includes titles such as The Handmaid's Tale, Vikings, and The Intern, as well as cartoons like Barbie Dreamtopia and Blue's Clues & You!
The Minions speak a fictional polyglot language, which reflects many different languages spoken by Pierre himself.
In addition to French, elements of English, Spanish, Italian, Hindi, and Filipino are included. The language is still dubbed differently for every country to make sure it sounds recognizable.
"It's about finding a particular magical rhythm and melody that makes the nonsense make sense," Pierre explained to The Hollywood Reporter.