Toronto Film Review: ‘Sing’
For Illumination Entertainment, "Sing" is a game-changer, underscoring why company founder Chris Meledandri is the hottest name in animation today
Chris Meledandri
Will ‘Secret Life of Pets’ Make Chris Meledandri a Household Name?
Chris Meledandri doesn’t exactly exude power. Many studio chiefs thrive on the grip and grin of Hollywood events, hogging the attention and drinking in the approbation. When the Illumination…
Box Office: ‘Secret Life of Pets’ Debuts to Massive $103.2 Million
“The Secret Life of Pets” dominated the weekend box office, racking up a massive $103.2 million and launching the first new franchise of the summer. Its success is a feather in the cap for…
Kevin Hart Talks ‘Putting a Small Black Guy in a Small White Rabbit’s Body’ at ‘The Secret Life of Pets’ Premiere
“I spent time with bunnies for seven months. I didn't use my fingers. I hopped everywhere I went — ate nothing but grass,” joked Kevin Hart at “The Secret Life of Pets” premiere Saturday morning at…
Annecy Animation Film Festival: Gallic Gathering Runs Global Gamut
Anyone wanting to take the measure of animation trends need only look at the range of films screening at Annecy. The yearly festival in the French countryside is attracting a broad swath of…
‘Minions’ and Illumination Create a Blockbuster Animation Unit for Universal
Disney has Mickey Mouse, Warners has Bugs Bunny, but until just eight years ago, Universal Studios hadn't put much stock in cartoon characters. Now, one can hardly reference the studio or its recent…
Heitor Pereira’s Collaborators Cite His Restless Curiosity
In a small room off to the side of Heitor Pereira's spacious, comfortable Santa Monica studio are Pereira's many guitars and hundreds of smaller instruments, mostly unusual percussion contraptions…
Jon Hamm Pays Tribute to ‘Minions’ as ‘Slapstick Comedy Geniuses’
The Shrine Auditorium was awash in a sea of "bello" yellow at Saturday's Los Angeles premiere of "Minions," where guests turned up in their best banana-hued duds to fete the giddily anticipated…
Annecy: Chris Meledandri on Matthew McConaughey as a Koala Legit Theater Owner, 'The Grinch'
ANNECY, France – Matthew McConaughey will voice Buster, a showman entrepreneur koala running a legit theater in Illumination Entertainment's upcoming music-driven event comedy, Illumination CEO Chris…
Annecy: Chris Meledandri Receives MIFA, Variety's First Animation Personality of the Year Award
ANNECY – One day before one of Universal's biggest bets of 2015, "Minions," premieres at France's Annecy Festival, Chris Meledandri, founder and CEO of Illumination Entertainment and its producer…
Sandra Bullock Warns Kids About Her ‘Minions’ Villain: ‘It’s Pretend, I Am Nice and Sweet’
Since the dawn of time, the Minions have lived to serve the most despicable of masters. So having completed the mission in their bigscreen prequel "Minions" to find the biggest and baddest boss, the…
