Minions The Rise Of Gru: Minions 2, release date, full cast, trailer and running time

Well you’re in luck, because our favourite little dungaree wearing, chaos-causing, banana loving animated comedy characters are back – and this time, we get to find out the origin of their master Gru.

The hugely popular animated comedy films from Illumination Entertainment have built up an army of fans – both children and adult – since they bounced onto our screens with 2010’s Despicable Me, which helped spawn three more movies that all proved to be huge Hollywood successes.

The franchise, which also includes a host of short films, a TV special, a number of children’s video games, and a theme park attraction at Universal Studios, has become the highest-grossing animated film franchise ever having grossed over $3.7 billion at the global box office.

However, this summer’s Minions film looks set to be even bigger and better, as the franchises inject more fun-filled, light-hearted comedy with the release of Minions 2: The Rise of Gru, which will detail the origin of Minion’s master Gru and how, as a 12-year-old boy, his dream to become the world’s greatest supervillian came to be.

Who is in the cast of Minions: The Rise Of Gru?

It’s another cast packed with Hollywood A-listers, with many of cinema’s biggest names lending their voices to various members of the cast.

Steve Carell (Anchorman) will once again take on the role of the supervillain Gru, while award winning French animator, film director, and voice actor Pierre Coffin will return to voice the role of all the Minions, including the prominent as Kevin, Stuart, Bob and Otto.

Taraji P. Henson (What Men Want) will play Belle Bottom, the newly-appointed leader of The Vicious 6 that later transforms into a dragon, with Michelle Yeoh (Everything Everywhere All at Once) as Master Chow, a Kung Fu fighter who aids the Minions on their quest.

The legendary Jean-Claude Van Damme (Cyborg) joins the cast as Jean Clawed, another member of The Vicious 6, complete with a giant lobster claw, while Lucy Lawless (Ash vs Evil Dead) is Nunchuck, another The Vicious 6 member, and a nun who wields nunchucks.

Dolph Lundgren (Rocky) and Danny Trejo (From Dusk Til Dawn) are further member of The Vicious 6 – namely Svengeance and Stronghold.

Comedian Russell Brand (Get Him To The Greek) returns as Dr. Nefario, who fans will have seen as Gru's assistant in previous films

While Julie Andrews and Alan Arkin are also credited with voice acting roles in Minions: The Rise Of Gru.

What is the running time for Minions: The Rise Of Gru?

The new Minions film has a running time of one hour and 30 minutes, and comes with an age rating of U.

When is Minions: The Rise Of Gru out in cinemas?

Minions: The Rise of Gru will be released in theatres on Friday, July. 1 in the UK. It's set to be screened in hundreds of cinemas across the country and is expected to be one of the biggest films of the year.