History Creator / IlluminationEntertainment

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[[http://illumination.com Illumination]], formerly known as Illumination Entertainment, is an American film production company, founded by Chris Meledandri in 2007 and based in Santa Monica, California. They are best known for their inaugural film, the 2010 animated feature ''WesternAnimation/DespicableMe'', which has since become the studio's CashCowFranchise. The Minions, who first appeared in the film, are the studio's mascots and starred in their own [[WesternAnimation/{{Minions}} spin-off prequel film]] that was released in summer 2015.

* CashCowFranchise: ''Despicable Me''.

* ''WesternAnimation/DespicableMe'' (2010)

* ''WesternAnimation/TheLorax'' (2012)[[note]]Film adaptation of Creator/DrSeuss's book, ''Literature/TheLorax''.[[/note]]

On November 2021, there were reports that following the ''Mario'' film will be a spin-off film based on their sibling franchise, ''Franchise/DonkeyKong'', which will coincide with the ''Donkey Kong Country'' expansion of the ''Super Nintendo World'' theme park.

* Untitled ''Donkey Kong'' spin-off film (TBA)[[note]]Film adaptation of the LongRunning ''Franchise/DonkeyKong'' franchise as a spin-off to the ''Mario'' film.[[/note]]

[[/index]]

* ''WEsternAnimation/TheSuperMarioBrosMovie'' (2023)[[note]]Film adaptation of the LongRunning video game franchise ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'', produced in association with Creator/{{Nintendo}}[[/note]]

* ''The Super Mario Bros. Movie'' (2023)[[note]]Film adaptation of the LongRunning video game franchise ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'', produced in association with Creator/{{Nintendo}}[[/note]]

* ''The Super Mario Bros Movie'' (2023)[[note]]Film adaptation of the LongRunning video game franchise ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'', produced in association with Creator/{{Nintendo}}[[/note]]

* ''The Super Mario Bros Movie'' (2023)[[note]]Film adaptation of the LongRunning video game franchise ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros''[[/note]]

* Untitled ''Super Mario'' film (2023)[[note]]Film adaptation of the LongRunning video game franchise ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros''[[/note]]

[[http://illumination.com Illumination]], formerly known as Illumination Entertainment, is an American film production company, founded by Chris Meledandri in 2007 and based in Santa Monica, California. They are best known for their inaugural film, the 2010 animated feature ''WesternAnimation/DespicableMe'', which has since become the studio's FlagshipFranchise. The Minions, who first appeared in the film, are the studio's mascots and starred in their own [[WesternAnimation/{{Minions}} spin-off prequel film]] that was released in summer 2015.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/1920px_illuminationsvg_1.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[OncePerEpisode *insert Minion shenanigans here*]]]]

* SpiritualSuccessor: To Creator/BlueSkyStudios: A CGI studio that focuses on the franchise spun from [[WesternAnimation/DespicableMe its first]] [[WesternAnimation/IceAge release]], which in turn is increasingly driven by the PluckyComicRelief. They’re both perennially regarded as lesser than [[Creator/{{Disney}} their]] [[Creator/DreamworksAnimation competition]], yet both still have their fans who grew up on them and see their own merits. It helps that founder Chris Meledandri was a former executive at Blue Sky. This became even more true after Blue Sky was shut down in early 2021.

Illumination, formerly known as Illumination Entertainment, is an American film production company, founded by Chris Meledandri in 2007 and based in Santa Monica, California. They are best known for their inaugural film, the 2010 animated feature ''WesternAnimation/DespicableMe'', which has since become the studio's FlagshipFranchise. The Minions, who first appeared in the film, are the studio's mascots and starred in their own [[WesternAnimation/{{Minions}} spin-off prequel film]] that was released in summer 2015.

* ''Minions: The Rise of Gru'' (2022)

* Untitled ''Super Mario'' film (2022)[[note]]Film adaptation of the LongRunning video game franchise ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros''[[/note]]

On January 2018, Creator/{{Nintendo}} had announced that they are collaborating with Universal and Illumination to produce an animated feature film based on their long-running flagship franchise, ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'', following their deal with constructing the ''Ride/SuperNintendoWorld'' attraction at Universal Studios Japan. The film stars Creator/ChrisPratt as Mario, Creator/CharlieDay as Luigi, Creator/AnyaTaylorJoy as Princess Peach, Creator/JackBlack as Bowser, Creator/KeeganMichaelKey as Toad, and Creator/SethRogen as Donkey Kong, and is set to premiere on December 21, 2022.

On November 2021, there were reports that following the ''Mario'' film will be a spin-off film based on their sibling franchise, ''Franchise/DonkeyKong'', which will coincide with the ''Donkey Kong Country'' expansion of the ''Super Nintendo World'' theme park, with Rogen reprising his role as Donkey Kong.

* DenserAndWackier: Compared to [[Creator/BlueSkyStudios the]] [[Creator/{{Pixar}} other]] [[Creator/SonyPicturesAnimation main]] [[Creator/DreamWorksAnimation animation]] [[Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon studios]] they go up against, most of the movies produced by Illumination tend to be relatively straight comedies.

* QualityOverQuantity: Averted. Unlike their competitors Disney and Dreamworks, Illumination generally doesn't produce films with complex characters, narratives, and animation. They instead operate on a business model of mass profiting from lower-quality and lower-budget films targeted at a generic audience. The company is controversial among animation fans for this reason.

* QualityOverQuantity: Averted. Unlike their competitors Disney and Dreamworks, Illumination generally doesn't produce films with complex characters and narratives. They instead operate on a business model of mass profiting from mediocre low-budget films targeted at a generic audience. The company is controversial among animation fans for this reason.

* QualityOverQuantity: Averted. Unlike their competitors Disney and Dreamworks, Illumination generally doesn't produce films with complex characters and narratives. They instead operate on a business model of mass producing mediocre low-budget films targeted at a generic audience. The company is controversial among animation fans for this reason.

* QualityOverQuantity: Averted. Unlike their competitors Disney and Dreamworks, Illumination generally doesn't produce films with complex characters and narratives. They instead operate on a business model of mass producing mediocre low-budget films targeted at a generic audience.

* QualityOverQuanity: Averted. Unlike their competitors Disney and Dreamworks, Illumination generally doesn't produce films with complex characters and narratives. They instead operate on a business model of mass producing mediocre low-budget films targeted at a generic audience.

Illumination has an exclusive financing and distribution partnership with [[Creator/{{Universal}} Universal Pictures]]. In April 2016, it was announced that Universal's parent company and Comcast subsidiary, Creator/NBCUniversal, would purchase rival studio Creator/DreamWorksAnimation for $3.8 billion. The effects of the acquisition to Illumination wasn't made clear, other then bringing the two studios under the same roof and shaking up the release dates of both companies' future films. Illumination is expected to remain a separate brand from [=DreamWorks=] for the time being, making the two sister brands. In contrast, Creator/{{Laika}}, which co-produced its first four films under Universal Pictures's Focus Features label, remains an independent studio unaffiliated with [=NBCUniversal=] or Comcast.

* ''Film/{{Hop}}'' (2011)

* ''Super Mario Bros 2022'' (2022)[[note]]Film adaptation of the LongRunning video game franchise ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros''[[/note]]

* RunningGag: Expect disco to pop up somewhere in their movies.
* SpiritualSuccessor: To Creator/BlueSkyStudios: A CGI studio that focuses on the franchise spun from [[WesternAnimation/DespicableMe its first]] [[WesternAnimation/IceAge release]], which in turn is increasingly driven by the PluckyComicRelief. They’re both perennially regarded as lesser than [[Creator/{{Disney}} their]] [[Creator/DreamworksAnimation competition]], yet both still have their fans who grew up on them and see their own merits. It helps that founder Chris Meledandri was a former executive at Blue Sky. This became even more true after Blue Sky was shut down in early 2021.