Minions: The Rise of Gru takes it back into the 1970s when Gru was a little boy. See the beginning of his villain phase and what he had to do along the way to remain one of the best in the game.
A young Gru is invited to join his favorite supervillain team, the Vicious 6. After the interview doesn’t go well, Gru steals their Chinese Zodiac Stone in order to show him that he is worthy of making the team. When that backfires, he makes five new enemies and must defeat them before they take over the world. Here are some lessons from the movie to discuss with your kids:
- Don’t let anyone tell you that you aren’t good enough. Gru was small (a child) and so the Vicious 6 didn’t take him seriously. He showed them that just because he was smaller and younger did not mean that he wasn’t as good as them. In fact, he was better because he stole the Chinese medallion right from under their noses.
- You don’t have to do everything alone. Gru wanted to be a part of the Vicious 6 and didn’t think he needed the minions. When they saw Gru get kidnapped by the previous leader of Vicious 6, Wild Knuckles, the minions went to San Francisco to rescue him. Wild Knuckles also realized he needed Gru’s help, too and after this, they formed a strong bond.
- Do what makes you happy even if it’s something different. We see a young Dr. Nafario in this film and he works at a record store. You can tell he wasn’t into it. He gives a young Gru his first invention and that’s where it all begins for him.
- There are consequences for taking things that don’t belong to you. In this instance, Gru took something that didn’t belong to him and made some enemies. After the Vicious 6 got the stone back and used its power for evil, they were caught and taken in by the authorities.
Movie-inspired activities
Now that you’ve watched Minions: The Rise of Gru, try out these activities inspired by the animated movie.
- Make a minion tie dye shirt with this design by Diana Rambles.
- Try out the TikTok trend #Gentleminions and see the movie at the theater while dressed up in a suit and tie.
- Have a minion movie marathon. If you would like to watch them in sequential order, start with After that, see Minions: The Rise of Gru, Despicable Me, Despicable Me 2 and lastly, Despicable Me 3.
- Make this easy minion cookie recipe by Love from the Oven.
- Have a ’70s party in honor of this movie taking place in 1976. Put on your bell bottoms, tie dye shirts and other groovy threads.
- Create a handprint minion card craft by Simple Everyday Mom.
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