The LEGO Group and Illumination Launch New Gru and Minions LEGO® Sets to Celebrate the Release of Illumination’s Despicable Me 4

• THE LEGO® DESPICABLE ME 4 SETS WILL BE AVAILABLE BEGINNING MAY 1, 2024
• ILLUMINATION’S DESPICABLE ME 4 ARRIVES IN THEATERS WORLDWIDE JULY 3,
  2024

Billund, Denmark, April 3, 2024: Today, the LEGO Group, Illumination and Universal Products & Experiences are confirming that they are in fact partnering on something new - although not a giant Minion, as a recent April Fools post on social media would suggest. To celebrate the July 3 release of Illumination’s Despicable Me 4, the newest chapter in the biggest global animated franchise in history, the partnership is launching new LEGO Despicable Me 4 sets.

The new range of four products includes two sets that were revealed in a sneak-peek video clip today. The first set is the LEGO Despicable Me 4 Minions and Gru's Family Mansion with its iconic architecture and beloved movie items, such as the red couch, fireplace and rocket-style bedroom, as well as a brightly colored tree house. The second set is a Brick-Built Gru with dancing Minions – complete with a ukulele-playing Mel and Kevin, armed with his fart gun. Fans will need to wait a bit longer for the unveiling of the entire lineup and hidden easter eggs.

The LEGO Despicable Me 4 products will be available from May 1, 2024, via LEGO stores, lego.com and from select leading retailers around the world.

Both brands hope the DM4 sets will spark imagination and create unforgettable creative experiences for fans around the world with the well-known Despicable Me characters.

“Using the LEGO brand’s creativity and endless possibilities, this partnership between Illumination, Universal Products & Experiences and the LEGO Group celebrates fun storytelling. Fans told us they were really missing LEGO Minions and we are happy to bring this world of mischievous fun back to them, through exciting new play experiences. We hope the new sets will delight any fan – small or big!” says Solvita Akmene, Designer at the LEGO Group.

“Illumination’s Despicable Me franchise is beloved by fans across the globe, and our partnership with the LEGO Group brings together two iconic brands,” says Rafael Macias, Executive Vice President & Global Commercial Officer, Universal Products & Experiences. “The LEGO Despicable Me 4 sets offer new storytelling opportunities and provide imaginative ways to bring to life the joy, action and sweet-but-subversive humor of this record-setting franchise. We’re as excited as the fans for Despicable Me 4 and can’t wait for their reaction to the new film-inspired LEGO sets.”

Stay tuned for the full reveal of LEGO® DESPICABLE ME 4 products coming soon on www.LEGO.com/themes/Despicable-Me/about

About Despicable Me 4
In Despicable Me 4, the first Despicable Me movie in seven years, Gru, the world’s favorite supervillain-turned-Anti-Villain League-agent, returns for an exciting, bold new era of Minions mayhem as Gru (Oscar® nominee Steve Carrell) and Lucy (Oscar® nominee Kristen Wiig) and their girls —Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), Edith (Dana Gaier) and Agnes (Madison Polan)—welcome a new member to the Gru family, Gru Jr., who is intent on tormenting his dad.

Gru faces a new nemesis in Maxime Le Mal (Emmy winner Will Ferrell) and his femme fatale girlfriend Valentina (Emmy nominee Sofia Vergara), and the family is forced to go on the run.

The film features fresh new characters voiced by Joey King (Bullet Train), Emmy winner Stephen Colbert (The Late Show with Stephen Colbert) and Chloe Fineman (Saturday Night Live). Pierre Coffin returns as the iconic voice of the Minions and Oscar® nominee Steve Coogan returns as Silas Ramsbottom.

Packed with non-stop action and filled with Illumination’s signature subversive humor, Despicable Me 4 is directed by a co-creator of the Minions, Oscar® nominee Chris Renaud (Despicable Me, The Secret Life of Pets), and is produced by Illumination’s visionary founder and CEO Chris Meledandri and by Brett Hoffman (executive producer, The Super Mario Bros. Movie and Minions: The Rise of Gru). The film is co-directed by Patrick Delage (animation director Sing 2 and The Secret Life of Pets 2), and the screenplay is by the Emmy winning creator of White Lotus, Mike White, and the veteran writer of every Despicable Me film, Ken Daurio.

About the LEGO Group
The LEGO Group’s mission is to inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow through the power of play. The LEGO System in Play, with its foundation in LEGO bricks, allows children and fans to build and rebuild anything they can imagine. The LEGO Group was founded in Billund, Denmark in 1932 by Ole Kirk Kristiansen, its name derived from the two Danish words Leg Godt, which mean “Play Well”.

Today, the LEGO Group remains a family-owned company headquartered in Billund. Its products are now sold in more than 130 countries worldwide. For more information: www.LEGO.com

About Illumination
Illumination, founded by Chris Meledandri in 2007, is one of the entertainment industry's leading producers of event-animated films, including Despicable Me—the most successful animated franchise in cinematic history—as well as the record breaking The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Dr. Seuss' The Lorax, Dr. Seuss' The Grinch and The Secret Life of Pets and Sing films. Illumination's library includes three of the top 10 animated films of all time. Illumination's iconic, beloved franchises—infused with memorable and distinct characters, global appeal and cultural relevance—have grossed more than $9 billion worldwide. Illumination has an exclusive financing and distribution partnership with Universal Pictures. Illumination's next film is Despicable Me 4, which will be released in theaters on July 3, 2024.

About Universal Products & Experiences  
Universal Products & Experiences (UP&E) globally drives the expansion and elevation of NBCUniversal’s iconic collection of brands, intellectual properties, characters, and stories based on the company’s extensive portfolio of properties created by Universal Pictures, Illumination, DreamWorks Animation and NBCUniversal Television and Streaming. The division executes this through innovative physical and digital products, as well as engaging retail and product experiences across our expansive global theme park destinations (for both owned and third-party IP), location-based venues, e-commerce product platforms, and retailers around the world. Along with global brand strategy and creative, UP&E’s lines of business include Consumer Products and Games, along with Theme Parks Products & Retail. UP&E is a division of Universal Destinations & Experiences, part of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation. More information is available at universalproductsexperiences.com.