Now, we know what you’re thinking; Illumination isn’t exactly known for adult jokes, now is it?
If anything, the studio is best known for its more juvenile sense of humor compared to other
big animation studios. But while it may not have as MANY raunchy moments, the Minion-makers
have still got some chuckle-worthy moments for the adults in the audience. I’m Kifinosi with
WickedBinge, and join me today as we talk about Illumination’s Adult Jokes: Cleanest to Dirtiest.
We’ll kick things off with their first movie, DESPICABLE ME.
Various Fart Jokes
About as innocent as dirty humor can get, Despicable Me has a couple of fart jokes–as you’d
expect. Right at the start of the movie, Vector’s decoy of the Pyramid of Giza deflates with the
lovely sound of a Taco Bell eater’s lament. Later on, Dr. Nefario mishears Gru and creates a “fart
gun” rather than a dart gun, understandably wondering what context they’d use that in.
Maybe it could come in handy when Wario makes his debut in the Mario cinematic universe…? Okay, fart
jokes are for kids, but yes, adults laugh at them too… Anyone can appreciate the art of fart jokes.
The Classic “Butt Copy” Trope
Yeah, you know the one. The one where a character sits their bare behind on
a copy machine and prints out pictures of it. Really, you’ve gotta wonder what
the Minions actually did with these…or what ANYONE does with them, on that note.
The Bank of Evil
When Gru needs to get a loan, where else should a supervillain go but the Bank of
Evil–formerly known as Lehman Brothers, a bank that crashed and burned in 2008
after some unethical practices came to light. It’s not particularly hilarious,
but it’s a deep cut that we’re sure made someone smirk.
Innocent Adulthood nods
While not vulgar, there are some details that might make the adults crack up a bit.
In the very first scene of the movie, a rambunctious child named Justin is
being held on a leash by his mother–and considering he would have legitimately
died if the pyramid wasn’t a balloon replica, it’s easy enough to see why.
Also notable are famous paintings like “Starry Night” in the girls’ bedroom,
inspiration from old-school spy media like Austin Powers and Inspector Gadget, even down to…
The absolute CONFUSION of the Minions.
It’s easy enough to see why the rambunctious Minions quickly became a cultural icon for kids
and Facebook moms everywhere, but they raise a lot of questions. First of all–why do they have money,
considering they have free room and food and no real desire to buy anything, seemingly?
Further still–what’s with the implication that they want raises, too? They seem a
little disappointed when Gru refuses to give them one. They’re an absolute mystery…but a fun one,
at least–and one we’ll be talking about plenty throughout this video, trust me.
No Villain Deserves This
At least the Minions can always be counted on to help their master,
even if it requires grabbing him by the balls to keep him from falling into
the hideout they’re breaking into. Villain or not, that’s just rough.
Miss Hattie: the TRUE Villain of the Movie
Really, though, the actual supervillains of the movie are absolute saints in comparison to Agnes,
Margo and Edith’s caretaker, Miss Hattie. Ignoring the obvious meme(no, we’re not going to say it),
Miss Hattie is an absolutely vile human being. She uses the kids in her care as child laborers,
even threatening them with a stay in the “box of shame” if they don’t sell enough cookies.
She also lets a very suspiciously disguised Gru adopt the three of them, and all it takes is him
saying she has a face “como un burro”--that is, like a donkey. Also worth noting–hearing
her directly tell Edith she’ll never be adopted, as well as Agnes excitedly asking her if anyone
came by to adopt them while they were away, were both absolutely heartbreaking moments.
Gru is a SAVAGE
But out of all this movie’s aspects, its funniest has to be how much of an absolute
menace Gru was. Within the first five minutes of the movie, he bullies a crying child by popping
a balloon animal he gave to him, freezes multiple people in line at a coffee shop,
and implies that he killed his neighbor’s dog for pooping on his lawn. That’s not even
taking into account his child endangerment, reckless driving, having a house that’s an
almost disgustingly obvious calling card for a supervillain, and–my personal favorite–when
Agnes excitedly squeals at the prospect of going to Super Silly Fun Land, prompting Gru
to swerve in the road and knock a fisherman off of a cliff. “Knocked ooooooooverrrrr!”
Now, let’s hop on to our second entry, HOP
“I’m David Hasselhoff.”
SpongeBob isn’t the only kids’ character who can
pull a cameo from David Hasselhoff out of nowhere. In HOP, he appears as himself,
acting briefly as EB’s talent agent. Since he’s been around since the ‘70s in terms of acting,
plenty of parents probably got another kick out of seeing him in the theaters yet again.
Don’t Eat That Jelly Bean
Fred tries to deter Sam from eating a jelly bean, since she might not like the
flavor. What’s his deal, honestly? There’s nothing wrong with watermelon…though if she
knew said watermelon jellybean came from EB’s digestive tract, she might just change her tune.
“It’s a wonderful butt, Carlos”
We all need a friend like Phil. Per Carlos’s request,
he gives his buddy a glowing review of his booty.
Checking In to the Playboy Mansion
Hugh Hefner, founder of Playboy Magazine,
refused E.B. entry to his hotel–I mean mansion. If you ask us, EB has a surefire lawsuit here;
advertising your place as a home for “sexy bunnies” and then refusing to
let one in is surely false advertising, right? Maybe he just wasn’t sexy enough.
Up next, we speak for THE LORAX
Poor airman
The Lorax’s airman gives “air mail” a new, more literal meaning,
delivering air like an old-timey milkman to the citizens of Thneedville. His
performance during the opening of the film gives him a bit of a cramp,
seeing as how he has to be carried off in a split pose due to stretching a little too hard…
Do you mind, Ted?!
Later on, Ted rides his vehicle right into the window of a Thneedville resident trying to enjoy
his shower. Now, we acknowledge that this must’ve been terrifying for the dude in the shower,
but while we don’t mean to victim blame here–who keeps their window open while taking a shower?
Monopolization
While it’s not Illumination’s most popular film,
it’s hard to deny the message of The Lorax’s original story has aged particularly well. The
satirization of modern-day monopolies on bottled water(looking at you,
Nestle) is reflected in Thneedville’s selling of air as a commercial product due to lack of
trees. It’s…actually kind of concerning that this barely feels like a satire.
EMPTY-O’s!
What better way to distract from that potential existential crisis than a bowl of perfectly
unremarkable Empty-O’s? With 13 Addictive Plastofeens and the enrichment of Tar Oils,
these babies are sure to leave you with absolutely nothing but sheer withdrawal
and the ever-increasing fear of your inevitable death. Empty-O’s–part of absolutely nothing!
How about we continue Gru’s redemption arc with DESPICABLE ME 2?
Dave x Agent Wilde OTP
It takes a real man to appreciate a strong woman, and it doesn’t take long for Dave
to fall for Agent Wilde right after she nearly kills him in self-defense. One can
only wonder where the fantasy was going after the firing of two literal rocket launchers.
He even catcalls her later, proving that this wasn’t just an impulse–Dave is just that guy.
“WTF”
A profanity warning might have been in order for this movie…well,
almost. When Gru finds out that El Macho, on top of being suspicious,
is Antonio’s father, he expresses his shock with a real “WTF” moment. “What the father?!”
Agnes….poor Agnes
Did you think that Agnes was done breaking all of our hearts? Nope. When Gru encourages
Agnes to go ahead with the Mother’s Day Recital by pretending she has a mother,
she assures him she can do it–after all, she does it all the time…that stings, man.
Minions gone Wild
When it’s time for Gru and his Minion spy team to go undercover, one of the latter dresses in a
lovely sundress…which unfortunately gets caught in the escalator. It wouldn’t have hurt to have
them put a nudity warning in this movie’s rating, man…heck, later on a minion goes skinny-dipping
right in front of the camera. These guys really are the “chaotic evil” of movie characters.
El Pollo Loco
In a reference to…freaking Alien, of all movies, a hostile chicken named Pollito
attacks Gru and bursts through the chest area of his sweater–much like the face-huggers from the
aforementioned sci-fi classic. That’s not even mentioning the brutal peck to his own pecker…
Weekend at Shanon’s
Shoutout to Jillian, Gru’s neighbor who’s constantly trying to match him up with
one of her many single friends. While none worked out, the biggest disaster was Shanon,
who was so rude that Agent Wilde had to shoot her with a mild moose tranquilizer. With a little
inspiration from Weekend at Bernie’s, the two help her get home safely with the power of puppetry.
Gru, you pig!
Later on, when Gru uses a trash can as a disguise,
he has to flee on foot from a guy trying to throw his coffee cup away, bumping into a
woman’s butt on the way. The aforementioned guy was sadly a scapegoat against his will,
earning him a hearty slap to the face. He may have lost the battle, but he also lost the war.
Wait, what?
It’s time to go full circle to the studio mascots with the MINIONS.
Abbey Road
Starting on the innocent side of adult references, in one scene the Minions
walk past a street sign that says “Abbey Rd.” When they come out of the manhole,
four suited men walk over them on a crosswalk–if it wasn’t obvious enough,
this is a reference to the famous Beatles “Abbey Road” album cover.
A Very Innovative Solution
Truly, only the Minions could come up with such a brilliant solution to the looming threat of TNT:
literally just straight-up pissing on it. Really puts the “P” in “Nobel Peace Prize”, am I right?
The Minions’ Bosses
Well…they aren’t exactly PEACEFUL creatures. Thanks to the documentary-esque narrator at
the beginning of the movie, we’re given the knowledge that Minions are historically bound
to service towards the most despicable masters they could find. This includes dinosaurs, cavemen,
ancient Egyptian Pharaohs, and even the famed Napoleon Bonaparte. It’s played for laughs,
sure, but this has some dark implications about the Minions’ history when you think
about it. Who else did they serve? The ancient Egyptian Pharaoh from Biblical times? Were the
Minions a part of the Confederacy during the civil war? What were they up to in the 1940s?
The answer is…better left unknown, actually. Gotta wonder where they’d be TODAY, though…
Nice “Papayas”
Man, what is with these movies and their compulsion to show Minion boobs?
There are some weirdly fire hydrant-shaped minions Stewart compliments the “papayas”
of throughout the movie–even taking a full-on jacuzzi bath with them at one
point. In a speedo, may I add. For shame, illumination–does PG mean nothing to you?
Thank you, Scarlett
Heck, even Scarlett has more decency than that. When she makes her debut at Villain-Con,
she pulls up her dress before her own papayas are exposed. Let’s be real,
nobody wanted to see that…except Herb, maybe.
Tie it tie it tie it tie it….
Upgrade that maybe to a definitely–when Herb is tying Scarlett’s dress to absolute perfection,
a butler shamefully backs out of the room. Clearly
he thinks that putting on a dress is the last thing on their minds.
The Strip Scene…
The Minions hypnotize three guards and force them to put on quite the show. If there was any doubt
of the innuendos here, they quite literally rip all but their hats and underwear off and
slap each other’s butts. I mean, hey, at least Kevin seems to be enjoying it.
Shhh….don’t tell anyone we’re talking about THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS next!
Snowball, Political Hero
Snowball is worth mentioning, not just for his hilarious Kevin Hart-voiced performance
absolutely making this movie, but for being named after a character from George Orwell’s Animal
Farm. For those of you who weren’t assigned this book in middle school(and also for us,
who straight-up forgot it existed), the book takes place on a farm where animals rise up
against their oppressive owners in an effort to get rid of them. Snowball in this book is a
pig who helps lead this revolution, and while the animals themselves are quite different,
the similarities in their roles is pretty darn interesting.
Pet Private Time
Some of the pets in the movie have more interesting self-care habits
than others. One example is a fancy poodle who plays System of a Down
the moment his owner leaves(how did he not hear that?) and a weenie dog named
Buddy using a stand mixer to give himself what looks to be a VERY enjoyable massage.
Various Adult Movie References
No, not THAT kind of adult movie–just not the type you’d take your kids to…we’d hope,
at least, considering one is a reference to the sci-fi horror flick Alien. When the Flushed Pets
disguise themselves as humans, an iguana bursts out of one of their chests in a reference to the
famous chestburster scene. There’s also Snowball’s habit of crying out to his deceased friend Ricky,
a surprisingly tragic reference to the death of Ricky in “Boyz N The Hood”. R.I.P., Ricky!
Get ready to listen to your favorite celebrity-voiced animal in SING!
Mike the Mouse
Sing is one of Illumination’s cleanest movies, but there’s one adult reference that’ll make
parents chuckle; that being Mike the Mouse. The closest thing the movie has to a villain,
Mike is a snarky mouse voiced by Seth MacFarlane, famous for creating the beloved cartoon sitcom
Family Guy as well as voicing most of its characters, including Peter Griffin,
Stewie, Brian, and even Quagmire. In his first scene, Mike mugs a monkey for not giving enough
money to his street performance, questioning what the guy’s smoking…out of his inhaler.
Oh, Brother….literally. Next is DESPICABLE ME 3
“Son of a Betamax!”
Ironically showing his age, Balthazar Bratt has his own “almost-swear” moment when he
says “Son of a Betamax!” A reference to a type of VHS player of the same name. Okay,
personal note for a second–I genuinely thought for a second that he was ACTUALLY going to say
the implied word instead when I was watching this movie. There’s just so much venom in his voice…
Minions’ Title IX Violation
It’s one thing for a Minion to play a coconut bra as a pair of bongos. It’s
another for said bra to fall down, and for another to seize the opportunity
and literally grope him. For shame, presumably unnamed Minion. For shame.
Rest in Peace, Nemo…
If you grew up on Finding Nemo, you might remember Nemo and his dad
affectionately calling his deformed fin his “lucky fin”. Unfortunately,
it wasn’t lucky enough to save him from the Minions’ reckless submarine driving.
Gru has terrible luck with farm animals
When Gru’s plane lands in Freedonia to meet his brother Dru,
he’s immediately assaulted in the privates by a pig, adding on to the list of farm
animals who have gone for nut-shots on him. Who’s got money on cows next?
Farewell to Katie’s Father
After being told that Gru and Lucy were fired, Agnes suggests they take up online gambling like
her friend Katie’s father…to which Gru smartly suggests that they no longer go to her house.
This shows us Gru’s strength to fight against one of the greatest villains of all: addiction.
Dru should’ve stayed in the car
Dru unfortunately can’t resist helping Gru with his heist on Bratt’s hideout,
hindering his progress due to the experience gap, resulting in…this.
At a certain point, what are we even supposed to say about this stuff…?
You’re a morally grey one, Mr. THE GRINCH
“Oh, Sugarplums!”
Holiday cheer is not a universal thing–who better to highlight this than the Grinch,
who manages to make a woman swear with all the vitriol of a gingerbread man with
no gumdrop buttons? Poor woman should probably invest in some stilts, though…
“Lemme get another piece…”
When Bricklebaum sees the Grinch flying by, he states that he doesn’t know what’s in this
cake…but it must be pretty darn strong, since he just saw Santa Claus. Honestly,
grab a piece for me, too, Crinklebob. That cake looks REALLY good…
Gru’s not the only one with a redemption arc–check out SECRET LIFE OF PETS 2
Superman Snowball
Once again referencing classic media, Snowball’s superhero getup prompts him to pretend he’s
the incomparably famous Superman on the lookout for evildoers. Honestly,
good on him for finding new meaning in life. It takes a real hero to work on yourself.
Catnip
Later on, Chloe continues the trend of implied drug usage in these movies
by being absolutely stoned by some catnip. Gonna have to repeat what
I said earlier with Bricklebaum, girl–save some for the rest of us!
Encore, Encore! Next up is SING 2
Blinded By The Crystal!
Like Sing 1, this sequel is mostly innocent…except for a
scene where the ironically-named Jerry walks in on Billy Crystal,
only to promptly get flashed by a part that it seems he’ll never be able to unsee. Poor guy…
Up next we have a good old-fashioned origin story in MINIONS: RISE OF GRU
Hugh Hefner: the Man, the Minion
We’re sure you’re as surprised as us that this is the second movie to pay tribute
to the founder of a porno magazine, but when the Minions snuggle up to
Gru for a good night’s rest, Stewart is undeniably wearing the man’s iconic robe.
You guessed it, more Minion boobs
What shouldn’t surprise you is, of course, the return of the Minion boob jokes. This time,
one of the disguised minions’ tennis balls falls out from under his dress. Which really
makes us wonder, by the end: is gender even a thing for the Minions? Are they
all the same gender, or do they just reproduce asexually? Do minions bang?
Well, they sure try to, at least
The Minions want to learn Kung-Fu from Flo from Progressive for some reason. When she refuses,
one of the trio offers her some “special” payment. Just think,
in some alternate universe she took him up on this offer. Side note, but the implication that Flo can
manipulate her clients’ bodies with acupuncture is actually kind of terrifying. Wait…that ISN’T Flo?!
For our grand finale, let’s hop on the flagpole and pull up THE SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE
“Guess he got the wrong mushroom…”
During Mario’s fight with Donkey Kong, he’s shrunken down to a fraction of his size–prompting
Cranky to assess that he got the wrong mushroom. While it’s innocent in context…come on, literally
everyone has made the “Mario is on drugs” joke at this point. Even Nintendo themselves.
Various old-school Nintendo references
Mario experts young and old got a kick out of the variety of nods to the series and its history.
In one scene, a Toad at a game store instructs another to blow into his cartridge so it’ll work,
referencing a common method of cleaning NES, GBA, and ETC. cartridges. Also noteworthy is
Charles Martinet’s cameo at the beginning of the movie, and let’s not forget the
beautiful musical references–from the Super Mario Bros. Super Show theme to the DK Rap.
Peaches, Peaches, Peaches…
But in terms of music–and the movie in general–nothing tops Jack Black Bowser’s
beautiful performance of “Peaches”. That said, the Koopa King’s godlike lyrical
genius can quite easily be misheard by our mortal ears as “bitches”--especially near
the end. YouTuber Cas Van de Pol didn’t pass up the opportunity to meme on it,
either: what a beautiful performance to grace our ears to conclude this video.