Why Do the Minions Sound Like That? How Pierre Coffin Made Their Voice

Key Points:

• Pierre Coffin, the director and original voice of the Minions since 2010’s "Despicable Me," reveals he cannot perform their high-pitched gibberish on demand because the voices are digitally pitched up and recorded in slow motion.
• The Minions' language, known as Minionese, is a playful mix of gibberish and words from about a dozen real languages, including Italian, French, Spanish, Japanese, and Hindi, chosen more for their sound and rhythm than meaning.
• Coffin developed Minionese by ad-libbing during early production, and the language has evolved with each film to maintain its comedic and musical quality, often inspired by funny words or international dishes he encounters.
• To maintain the unique sound and connection between voice and animation, Coffin insists on voicing the Minions himself, as he feels others cannot replicate the precise timing and feel of Minionese.
• The demanding process of directing films and voicing the Minions led Coffin to step back from directing some sequels, but he returned for "Minions & Monsters," drawn by a creative concept and his role as the sole Minion voice expert.