Illumination is once again stepping onto the red carpet of the Annecy Festival this June, this time with its new production Minions & Monsters as the opening film. It's no coincidence: although the studio is based in the United States, its creative engine beats in Paris, where almost all of its feature films are animated. Annecy thus becomes the perfect showcase to remind us that the world's highest-grossing 3D animation is also brewed in Europe.
Global animation with technical roots in Paris 🎬
The infrastructure of Illumination Studios Paris manages a pipeline that combines proprietary software with standard tools like Maya and Houdini. The Gallic team optimizes render times using precomputed global illumination systems, which helps keep costs controlled without sacrificing character expressiveness. For Minions & Monsters, a new system for simulating fur and organic textures has been developed to bring more life to the creatures. Each scene undergoes local reviews before being sent to the headquarters in Santa Monica.
Minions, monsters, and the perfect excuse to go to France 🥐
That Illumination opens Annecy is not news, but what no one says is that its executives take advantage of the trip to sample cheeses and wine while pretending to discuss budgets. While the French feel proud that their country animates Gru and the Minions, in reality, the Parisian studios work tirelessly to fill cinemas halfway around the world with yellow creatures. Of course, no one complains if the premiere is accompanied by a good croissant.