Despicable Me 4

As the unabashed fourth entry in a franchise that’s as popular as it is, well, despised, this trailer wastes no time at all indulging the audioviewer with instantly recognizable ear candy. From the first second, that quintessential guitar riff from Guns N’ Roses’ “Sweet Child O’ Mine” whisks us back to the world of Gru and his minions.

It helps somewhat that there’s a loose textual connection, what with the opening sequence establishing Gru as now something of a family man, with a wife and three kids—and as of 0:20, a fourth. At 0:35 we get the first break in the music, in keeping with the modern tradition of comedic trailers, cutting for the slapstick expression of Gru’s new baby—who is revealed to be Gru Jr.

At 0:39 the studio title card arrives along with the music, now cutting to the extended outro of the song. (The minion in the title card is only too eager to break the fourth wall, too, shouting “Illumination!” as a helpful reminder of whom we’re dealing with.) The music rises again at 0:44, only to re-enter in a forceful synch point at 0:45, and once more at 0:46 with the action. The music pauses again at 1:02 with yet another synch point as a minion lands head-first in a vending machine, setting up one more bout of gratuitous slapstick comedy—which, to be fair, is precisely the point of the Despicable Me franchise.

At 1:06 we’ve reached the midpoint of the trailer, and with it the release date title card and a change in tune. As before, the choice of song is conventionally popular for the (millennial) parents bringing their kids to this film while it bears a clear yet loose lyrical association with the on-screen action. Hall and Oates’ 1982 hit “Maneater” refers to coming out at night, matching well enough with the heist scene unfolding on screen. We also hear small embellishments in the arrangement to keep things action-oriented, such as the insertion of trailer triplets at 1:24. At 1:26 we get our next pause in the music, which is again followed by a moment of physical comedy with the skunk snarling like a dog.

At 1:49 we arrive at the final montage action sequence, with “_Maneater” _now sporting additional strings for an added faux epic sensibility—not to mention also the epic percussion and a new, chromatically descending bass line. A final comedy sequence featuring the minions rounds things out and helps ensure the trailer ends on a suitably light note.

Overall, the conventions and song choices in use here aren’t surprising—they are perhaps the definition of safe. They do seem to work, and that’s simply within expectations for a fourth outing with Gru and his minions.

Despicable Me 4 arrive in theatres July 3, 2024.

— Curtis Perry