Gru & His Son Rob An Old Lady In First Despicable Me 4 Footage Shown At CinemaCon

New details have been revealed about Despicable Me 4. The upcoming sequel will be the fourth installment in the flagship franchise and the sixth overall including the two Minions spinoffs, both of which also featured the villain Gru in some capacity. The new movie follows the reformed supervillain (voiced by Steve Carell) and his family – including new baby Gru Jr. – being forced to flee when the criminal Maxime Le Mal (Will Ferrell) escapes and goes on a rampage with Valentina (Sofia Vergara). The voice cast also includes Kristen Wiig, Joey King, Miranda Cosgrove, Chloe Fineman, Stephen Colbert, and Steve Coogan.

Screen Rant was in attendance at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, where footage from the upcoming Despicable Me 4 was screened. It followed Gru and aspiring villain Poppy (King) attempting to break into a castle, with Gru accidentally bringing his baby bag instead of supplies. However, the baby powder comes in handy when exposing lasers. Gru Jr. crawls through the laser grid and disarms it, but when trying to tranquilize a skunk in a cage, Gru injects himself, at which point it is revealed that they are in a principal’s office and they are chased out by an old lady.

Everything This New Footage Reveals About Despicable Me 4

The Animated Sequel Still Has Many Plot Details Under Wraps

In addition to the Despicable Me 4 cast reuniting many original stars, this footage seems to reveal that the movie carries on several important elements of the franchise in its overall storyline. This includes the fact that Gru has become a domestic family man. While it is unclear whether this heist takes place in an actual principal’s office or merely somewhere that seems like one, it’s probable that the entire heist is in some way related to the schooling of his children, though it’s unclear how the skunk might be related.

Gru has also expanded his habit of collecting young wards. After growing to love his three adopted daughters in the original movie, the former supervillain’s heart softened considerably. This seems to have continued to be the case, as in addition to caring for his son Gru Jr., who made his debut in the previously released Despicable Me 4 trailer, it appears that Gru has taken Poppy under his wing.

However, the Despicable Me 4 footage also reveals that the movie will take a different approach to certain moments. While the slapstick comedy included within the heist (which includes Gru Jr. playing with the button that turns the lasers on and off) is on par with the previous movies, the fact that the iconic Minions are not included in the sequence is somewhat unusual. This could indicate that, while the Minions are still present, the flagship branch of the franchise is pivoting to become even more character-focused.