Minions are quirky, small, yellow creatures that have existed since the dawn of time, originally evolving from single-celled organisms. Their sole purpose? To serve the most notorious villains throughout history! They have had many masters, including a T. Rex, a caveman, an Egyptian pharaoh, Dracula, and even Napoleon. However, after unintentionally causing their demise, the Minions decide to retreat from society and begin a new life in the icy lands of Antarctica.
As the years pass, by 1968, their lack of a master leads the Minions into a state of melancholy. Fearless Minion leader, Kevin, hatches a plan to find them a new villain to serve. He is joined on this quest by rebellious teenage Minion Stuart and an adorably eager Minion named Bob.
Their adventures take them to New York City, where they stumble upon the announcement for Villain-Con, a grand gathering of the world's most infamous super-villains taking place in Orlando, Florida. They manage to hitch a ride with a family who, unbeknownst to them, are also criminals headed for Villain-Con. Upon arrival, they eagerly sign up to work for the first female super-villain, Scarlet Overkill.
In London, Scarlet tasks the Minions with a daring mission: to steal St. Edward's Crown from Queen Elizabeth II. She threatens them with dire consequences if they fail. Utilizing the gadgets supplied by Herb, her husband, the Minions successfully invade the Tower of London, but the crown has already been moved to the palace. In an unexpected twist, they snag the crown from the Queen's carriage, inadvertently wrecking it and evading police pursuit. In a moment of miraculous fate, Bob crashes onto the legendary Sword in the Stone and pulls Excalibur, unwittingly being crowned as the new King of the United Kingdom.
Seeing the Minions as traitors, Scarlet turns against them, but King Bob ultimately abdicates in her favor. Yet, her betrayal leads to the Minions being imprisoned in the royal dungeon, but their unique shapes and talents save them from peril. When Herb leaves to attend his wife’s coronation, the Minions make a dramatic escape via the sewer with hopes of patching things up with Scarlet.
During the coronation, chaos ensues as the Minions accidentally disrupt the ceremony by unscrewing a chandelier, causing it to crash down on Scarlet just as she’s about to be crowned. Faced with imminent execution by an assembly of super-villains, Stuart and Bob find themselves captured, while Kevin successfully hides out in a bar where he encounters Queen Elizabeth, now working there. Rallying his courage, Kevin breaks into Herb’s lab and devises a scheme, transforming himself into a gigantic version of himself and demolishing Scarlet's hideout.
At the same time, the Minions back in Antarctica accidentally end up antagonizing a Yeti community, inadvertently killing their leader, and causing the remaining Yetis to pursue them in retaliation. After a whirlwind of adventures, the Minions reunite in Britain.
Kevin ultimately saves his friends from execution as the Minion army arrives in London. In a climactic showdown, Kevin confronts Scarlet, who attempts to escape via a dress rocket with Herb. In a heroic moment, Kevin hangs onto the rocket, seemingly bringing about their downfall while returning to his original size.
As Elizabeth is restored as the rightful Queen of the United Kingdom, she rewards Bob with a tiny crown, presents Stuart with an electric guitar (later changed to a snow globe), and honors Kevin with a knighthood. In a surprising turn of events, Scarlet reemerges, attempting to snatch the crown again but is stopped by a young Gru. In a moment of unexpected camaraderie, Bob gifts Scarlet his tiny crown. The film concludes as the Minions set their sights on Gru as their new potential master, paving the way for their future escapades in Despicable Me.
