Why Do the Minions Sound Like That? How Random Menu Items, Rosamund Pike and Six Semitones Helped Create the Minionese Language

Despite having voiced almost every single Minion since the yellow creatures’ grand cinematic entrance in 2010’s “Despicable Me,” Pierre Coffin admits that — much to the disappointment of many people he meets — their high-pitched gibberish is not something he’s able to perform on cue.

“If you asked me to do the Minions voice right […] ...