The Minions are almost here. Illumination’s next installment in the Despicable Me franchise, Minions: Rise of Gru, will be hitting theaters July 1st. To celebrate, the social media accounts for The Office have brought together a crossover between actor Steve Carrell’s two landmark roles both on the small and big screen!
The video is a recreation of the opening for The Office, but this time almost the entire cast has been replaced by Minions! Included in the opening are some of the show’s most memorable gags, the stapler in the Jell-O, the chili spill, and the unfortunate incident with the CPR dummy! The only non-Minion on the cast is Gru himself, who is standing in for Michael Scott. It’s a clever nod and crossover because Carrell plays both of these characters in their respective show and films!
This is a video one will want to watch over and over if they’re a fan of either properties. The opening is chock full of fun Easter eggs that are cleverly hidden in the backgrounds. Such nods include a Villain-Con banner, “shrinking the moon” on the line graph, and even a photo of Gru’s family in his office!
From Michael Scott to Gru
The Office needs no introduction, the mockumentary sitcom premiered in 2005 and ran for a total of nine seasons, finishing off in 2013. While the show took some time to find its footing, and audience, it has gone down in history as a cultural landmark. While everybody has their favorite characters, Michael Scott was a fan favorite. The character was a great source of laughs and frustration for skirting responsibilities and throwing employees under the bus to cover himself. Carrell’s unforgettable performance earned him six Primetime Emmy Award nominations as well as a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in 2006.
As for 2010’s Despicable Me, it was new ground for Carrell. While the actor had previously participated in voice acting for animation (2008’s Horton Hears a Who), this was his first time in a starring role. But according to the man himself, those new grounds also came with a lot of fun and freedom. In 2010, Carrell talked with Collider about the new experiences with the character.
It’s fun to go wild and it’s interesting when you’re trying to create a character in animation. It’s really a communal effort. It’s not like I would just come in with a singular idea and start doing it. I saw the artwork. I talked to the directors and the writers and got a sense for what they wanted. And then, what’s great about it is that you do have the license to just go for it, and you trust that the editors and the directors will put in what’s necessary. I felt like my job description on this was to just give as wide a range as possible, and do things small, and then blow the doors off on other takes because you never know what they’re going to need, in any given moment, in terms of the narrative of the movie.
It's no doubt that Carrell loves what he does, whether it’s playing an incompetent boss or an incompetent bad guy. But sometimes it’s fun to let those worlds collide, because you can end up with some crazy and fun results. The Office and Despicable Me are currently streaming on Peacock TV!