Benjamin Renner Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

Jordan Moreau You haven’t seen the last of Gru and the Minions quite yet.Universal Pictures and Illumination announced Friday that “Despicable Me 4” is coming to theaters on July 3, 2024. Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Pierre Coffin, Miranda Cosgrove and Steve Coogan will all be returning for the next chapter in the animated, family-friendly series about the reformed super-villain and his army of yellow Minions.Chris Renaud, who directed the first two “Despicable Me” movies, is back for the fourth installment.

Chris Meledandri‘s Illumination animation house has had a boatload of hits from Despicable Me and Minions to 2023’s global smash The Super Mario Bros Movie. But in between, this underrated (in terms of awards) producer of delightful and genuinely funny toons creates new franchises by embracing originals such as The Secret Life of Pets and Sing, winners both in my book. Now, just in time for the holidays, comes Migration, about a family of ducks on the adventure of a lifetime. It is the kind of animated entertainment that all ages will find something to like, and in terms of the creative talent involved, it is a breath of fresh air in the genre.

Peter Debruge Chief Film Critic In a medium where stop-motion chickens organize elaborate escape plans, computer-generated ducks have to do a lot more than relocate to amuse us. Illumination’s “Migration” — about a fussy duck dad who reluctantly reconsiders his fear of flying — is a cartoon in search of a concept, where the most daring idea is hiring the Oscar-nominated co-director of 2012’s “Ernest & Celestine” and asking him to abandon that movie’s unique watercolor style in favor of a relatively standard digital approach.

Illumination’s upcoming film Migration is a comedy about a family of ducks trying to fly from New York to Jamaica. Writer-director Benjamin Renner makes his 3D animation debut, and John Powell wrote the score for his film. Renner told the audience Saturday at Deadline’s Contenders Film Los Angeles event that Illumination CEO Chris Meledandri assured him he could pick up 3D animation on the job.

For Migration, composer John Powell was tasked with creating a theme for a reluctant hero that evolves throughout his journey. Written and directed by Benjamin Renner, Migration follows a family of ducks on a new journey. Mack (Kumail Nanjiani) is a mallard who is content with never leaving the safety of his pond, until his wife Pam (Elizabeth Banks) convinces him that their children need to see the world. Setting their sights on Jamaica, Mack takes his family on a trip south that quickly goes wrong. As they overcome new challenges and meet new friends, the family discovers they are capable of much more than they thought. As Mack’s attitude towards migrating changes throughout the film, Powell’s theme for the character became grander to match his growth.

Are you a fan of “The White Lotus” and jonesing for the next season? Well, good news! No, the third season of “The White Lotus” isn’t arriving on HBO anytime soon (the SAG strike delayed things), but instead, you can watch the next project from writer Mike White. There’s only one catch—instead of the dark comedy and wild characters of “The White Lotus,” you have to watch a film about a group of ducks who want to go to Jamaica.

“What sort of father would I be if I put my young fowl in harm’s way for no reason except a chance at a Caribbean vacation?” From Benjamin Renner, the co-director of the charming Academy Award-nominated “Ernest and Celestine,” comes the animated family comedy “Migration.” Produced by the computer animation studio Illumination (“Despicable Me,” “Sing,” “The Super Mario Bros.

Taylor Swift’s upcoming track ‘Out of the Woods (Taylor’s Version)’ has been featured in the trailer for film Migration.It is almost time for the highly anticipated re-recorded version of Taylor Swift’s 2014 album ‘1989’, titled ‘1989 (Taylor’s Version)’, which is set for release later this month.Now, the pop star has dropped a little insight into what fans can expect from the upcoming release, by featuring a snippet of her re-recorded track ‘Out of the Woods (Taylor’s Version)’ in the trailer for new animated film, Migration.Released yesterday (October 15), the clip is the third teaser for the upcoming Illumination and Universal movie and features the re-imagined track playing in the background. “Out of the woods and… not in the clear yet,” a tagline reads on Illumination’s YouTube channel.The film is directed by Benjamin Renner, and features voice acting from the likes of Elizabeth Banks, Caspar Jennings, Kumail Nanjiani and Awkwafina.

Terry Flores The Italian premiere of Illumination and Universal Pictures’ upcoming animated feature “Migration” rounds out the lineup for this year’s VIEW Conference in Turin, Italy. The conference, which brings together top industry professionals, thought leaders and enthusiasts to celebrate the latest achievements in animation, VFX and games, runs from Oct. 15 through Oct.

Ben Croll With “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” riding high to the tune of $1.3 billion in global receipts, and as Pharrell Williams lay in the wings to offer the producer a lifetime achievement award, Illumination CEO Chris Meledandri made sure to direct the lion’s share of attention to “Migration” director Benjamin Renner as the pair sat before a packed auditorium at the Annecy Animation Festival on Wednesday. Taking the stage after premiering 25 minutes of “Migration” footage, Meledandri stepped (quite adeptly) into the role of interviewer, putting Renner in the spotlight and peppering the French filmmaker with questions about inspiration and artistry. If the interest was genuine, it was also no doubt strategic, as Meledandri inferred to Variety in an interview following the presentation.

Illumination founder and CEO Chris Meledandri was feted at the Annecy International Film Festival Wednesday morning with a “Golden Ticket” lifetime accreditation in a surprise session featuring Grammy-winning musician and Louis Vuitton designer Pharrell Williams.

via Jeff Sneider) had the two companies collaborating on a different beloved property – “The Legend of Zelda.” At the Annecy International Animation Festival, TheWrap caught up with Chris Meledandri, the founder and CEO of Illumination and the producer of all of their films, and asked about whether Link was coming to the big screen soon.“I don’t know where that came from,” Meledandri said of the “Legend of Zelda” rumor. “I mean I can understand how people would surmise all sorts of things because obviously, we’ve had a great experience working together.

Ben Croll Before Pharrell Williams put in a surprise appearance to honor Chris Meledandri with Annecy’s Golden Ticket lifetime achievement award, the Illumination CEO joined “Migration” director Benjamin Renner for a wide-ranging conversation and to present the first 25 minutes of the film.  Though the duo made sure to mention that the excerpt was not quite locked, the opening salvo was nevertheless polished and sure-footed, giving Annecy attendees a good impression of the final form. Set for release on Dec. 22, “Migration” seems like another crowd-pleaser – at least if auditorium’s laughs and applause offered any indication.

Naman Ramachandran Illumination founder and CEO Chris Meledandri was presented with the Annecy International Film Festival’s lifetime accreditation Golden Ticket on Wednesday. In a surprise appearance, two-time Oscar nominee and Grammy-winning global superstar Pharrell Williams presented Meledandri with the festival’s honor. Meledandri is the creative producer behind “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” the Despicable Me, Minions, Sing and The Secret Life of Pets franchises, and the upcoming action comedy, “Migration.” Williams, a longtime creative partner with Illumination, earned his first Academy Award nomination for his blockbuster song “Happy” from the studio’s “Despicable Me 2.”

Carole Horst This year, the Annecy Animation Film Festival hosts a variety of first-looks and works-in-progress, including the anticipated “Migration,” from Illumination, to be released by Universal on Dec. 22. On the heels of a presentation at CinemaCon in April, Illumination chief Chris Meledandri will present never-before-seen footage of the feature at Annecy June 13. Meledandri and “Migration” director Benjamin Renner (“Ernest and Celestine,” “The Big Bad Fox and Other Tales”) will also be in conversation about the film. The film stars the voice talents of Kumail Nanjiani and Elizabeth Banks as duck parents who lead their family on an adventure. Rest of the cast is rounded out by Casper Jennings, Tresi Gazal, Awkwafina, Carol Kane, Keegan-Michael Key, David Mitchell and Danny DeVito.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Kumail Nanjiani and Elizabeth Banks will lead the voice cast of Universal and Illumination’s upcoming “Migration,” an animated adventure about a family of ducks on the go. “I find ducks so irresistible,” Illumination founder Chris Meledandri told the crowd at CinemaCon on Wednesday as he unveiled the compete voice cast for the original cartooned comedy. “In our movie, ducks worked beautifully to convey the relatable quirks and truths of a modern-day family.” Attendees of the annual Las Vegas-bassed exhibition industry trade show were also treated to an extended first-look at “Migration,” which opens in theaters on Dec. 22. The road-trip story follows a family of ducks, who try to convince their overprotective father to embark on the vacation of a lifetime.

Illumination Boss Chris Meledandri announced the voiceover cast for the studio’s upcoming animated pic, Migration, set for a Dec. 22 release.

Chris Melendandri took time in his CinemaCon presentation remarks to highlight the vocal cast for Illumination’s upcoming animated original “Migration.” “Migration” will star Kumail Nanjiani as an anxious Mallard dad and Elizabeth Banks as the less-anxious, more headstrong mother Mallard. The son and daughter will be voiced by Casper Jennings and Tresi Gazal, with a supporting cast including Awkwafina, Carol Kane, Keegan-Michael Key, David Mitchell and Danny DeVito. Melendandri exited the stage and a brief sizzle reel followed.

You might not have kids, and you may not watch children’s animated movies, and that’s fair. But in case you’re unaware, Illumination Entertainment, the animation studio that Universal distributes, is a huge, profitable hit factory, producing blockbuster animation hits like the “Minions,” franchise, “Despicable Me,” “Sing” and “The Secret Life of Pets.” If they’re not for you, fair, but look at the numbers.

Gkids has snapped up U.S. rights to Ernest & Celestine: A Trip To Gibberitia — the sequel to the acclaimed Ernest & Celestine, which landed a Best Animated Feature Oscar nom in 2014. The decorated producer and distributor of animation, celebrating its 15th anniversary, will put both the original French-language version of Gibberitia and a new English dub in theaters this year.

Universal Pictures has pushed back the wide theatrical release for the Illumination film Migration from Friday, June 30, 2023 to Friday, Dec, 22, 2023.

Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment will release “Despicable Me 4” over Independence Day weekend in 2024, the studios announced Friday. The fourth film in the “Despicable Me” animated franchise will open in theaters on July 3, 2024. Illumination has also announced the date for another original animated film from writer Mike White called “Migration,” which will open in theaters a year earlier on June 30, 2023.

Illumination and Universal have set release dates for their forthcoming animated films Migration and Despicable Me 4. The former original will be released wide on June 30, 2023, opening against the untitled fifth film in the Indiana Jones franchise from Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. The latest installment in the top-grossing Despicable Me franchise is set for a wide release on the wide-open weekend of July 23, 2044. Both films are taking up slots inhabited by previously announced, untitled Illumination Animated Films.