ILLUMINATION ENTERTAINMENT AND UNIVERSAL PICTURES ANNOUNCE MOWER MINIONS, AN ALL-NEW SHORT FILM STARRING THE MINIONS, WILL DEBUT IN THEATERS WITH THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS

Original Short Film Accompanies Illumination's Newest Film in Theaters Worldwide

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Apr 13, 2016, 09:02 ET

LAS VEGAS, April 13, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- During a presentation showcasing the future projects of Illumination Entertainment at CinemaCon today in Las Vegas, the company's founder and CEO, Chris Meledandri, announced that Mower Minions—a never-before-seen short film starring the Minions—will debut with Illumination and Universal's new film, The Secret Life of Pets, when it arrives in theaters domestically on July 8, 2016, and also all around the world. Correlating to the format in which The Secret Life of Pets is showing in specific theaters, Mower Minions will be available in both 3D and 2D.

Mower Minions, a never-before-seen in-theater short film starring the Minions, debuts with Illumination Entertainment and Universal Pictures' The Secret Life of Pets, in theaters on July 8, 2016. Credit: Illumination Entertainment and Universal Pictures

The short film stars the iconic Minions, who first appeared in the blockbuster Despicable Me series and who most recently starred in 2015's massive hit Minions, which grossed more than $1.15 billion at the global box office and became the second-biggest animated title of all time. Continuing the unpredictable adventures of Gru's curious and subversively sweet band of yellow brothers, Mower Minions represents the first time ever that Illumination has released a short film theatrically.

"It's been a year since Minions appeared on movie screens, and will be another year until they show up in Despicable Me 3 next summer. Fans are always asking us for more content with the Minions, so the timing felt right for them to star in an all-new short film right before audiences experience Illumination's newest original film, The Secret Life of Pets," said Meledandri. "The theatrical release of this short serves as an opportunity for some of the most talented storytellers, visual development artists, colorists and story artists in the Illumination family to flex their creative muscles and create a new piece of content for the big screen."

About The Secret Life of Pets

For their fifth fully-animated feature film collaboration, Illumination Entertainment and Universal Pictures present The Secret Life of Pets, a comedy about the lives our pets lead after we leave for work or school each day.

Comedy superstars Louis C.K., Eric Stonestreet, and Kevin Hart make their animated feature-film debuts in The Secret Life of Pets, which co-stars Jenny Slate, Ellie Kemper, Lake Bell, Dana Carvey, Hannibal Buress, Bobby Moynihan, Steve Coogan, and Albert Brooks. Illumination founder and CEO Chris Meledandri and his longtime collaborator Janet Healy produce the film directed by Chris Renaud (Despicable Me, Despicable Me 2), co-directed by Yarrow Cheney, and written by Cinco Paul & Ken Daurio and Brian Lynch. www.thesecretlifeofpets.com