Illumination Entertainment, which is the studio responsible for Despicable Me and The Lorax, has recently announced their partnership with leading Japanese Broadcaster Fuji TV. Their partnership deal will bring together the creative expertise of Fuji TV’s senior managing director Chihiro Kameyama and Illumination’s CEO and founder Chris Meledandri.
No co-pro projects have been announced yet, but when the partnership kicks off this month, audiences will be treated to the popular Minions characters from Despicable Me accompanying Fuji TV’s logo during the theatrical release of Bayside Shakedown.
Kameyama said: “Despicable Me was Illumination’s breakout hit and, for us, the film’s memorable characters represent the Illumination brand. To highlight our new alliance, we wanted to blend the Minion characters with our logo. Audiences will begin to see the Minions on the Fuji logo across most of the film releases from Bayside Shakedown.
“At Illumination, we take inspiration from all around the world, and we are evolving the filmmaking model to transcend borders and languages,” said Meledandri. “When Kameyama-san and I began talking about a possible alliance, he was interested in how we can collaborate creatively and steadily build a partnership to our mutual benefit. Fuji Television is a powerhouse company with iconic status in Japan, and we are delighted to be in business with them.”
