Why Does This Studio Succeed? ‘We Manufacture Joy’

Published: June 12, 2026

By Michaela Gordoni

Illumination’s CEO Chris Meledandri got his own Hollywood star on June 10, and with over a dozen highly successful animated movies under his belt, it’s no wonder why.

“Audiences come back to these movies primarily because they’ve formed a relationship with the characters. Once they’ve formed that bond, they want to experience it in multiple ways,” the CEO said. “For me, the most important aspect is that, however audiences experience them, it’s in a way that is consistent with the creative DNA of the movie.”

Meledandri founded Illumination in 2007 after running the animation department at Fox. It’s first movie, DESPICABLE ME, was a blockbuster. Its MINIONS and THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS franchise have made more than $11 billion at the global box office combined, Variety reports.

When Meledandri started Illumination, he couldn’t find enough US talent.

“I really was forced to look elsewhere, and so by the time I was armed with the first project, which was the film that became DESPICABLE ME, I was in search of talent to make it,” he said.

Then he had what he calls “one of the most fortuitous moments in my career.”

He found a group of artists who were at a Paris animation company and VFX house called Mac Guff. Those artists would create DESPICABLE ME, and now the studio is 10 times the size and renamed Illumination Studios Paris.

He says the artists are “a great barometer of giving you an indication of the state of storytelling that you’re embarking on, and it really is this unbelievable collaboration.”

The studio’s new movie, MINIONS & MONSTERS, is a great example of continued teamwork.

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“That film is a great example of a group of people coming together to make what is the seventh film from this franchise with a level of commitment and enthusiasm that is indistinguishable from making the very first film,” Meledandri said.

“The film becomes the beneficiary of not only the talent of these artists, but also the conviction of hundreds of people getting caught by the bug of the excitement that [director] Pierre [Coffin] and I have had for this new iteration of a MINIONS movie,” he continued.

He says the connection between all of his movies is “joy” — a common attribute of family entertainment.

“That is what Illumination does. We manufacture joy,” Meledandri said.

MINIONS & MONSTERS follows the minions in 1920s Hollywood as they plan to make their own monster movie. After accidentally unleashing too many monsters, they must partner with a green creature to save the world, the IMDB description said.

MINIONS & MONSTERS comes out on July 1.

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