“Minions – In Search of the Mini Boss”
That’s why the Chinese version is one minute longer
A scene from “Minions – In Search of the Mini Boss”.
© (c) 2021 Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment. All rights reserved.
In China, the new “Minions” film is a minute longer – to the detriment of a character that Thomas Gottschalk lent the voice in this country.
It may seem paradoxical at first glance. But on the sensitive Chinese cinema market, the animation strip “Minions – In Search of the Mini Boss” is apparently censored by giving it a longer ending. Reason is according to “The Washington Post” the attitude of the main character Gru, who may have his heart in the right place, but is a super villain professionally. And as such, he and his accomplice Wilder Knucklecracker shouldn’t get away with it in the end – but that’s exactly what happens in the original version.
The extra minute for the Chinese market therefore shows how Gru finally vows to lead a “good and honest life” and wants to primarily take care of his three daughters from now on. The Wild Knucklecracker, spoken by Thomas Gottschalk (72) in the German version, is even caught in China and put in prison without further ado. In Germany, “Minions – In Search of the Mini-Boss” was released in June of this year.
Many plants affected
In the case of the “Minions” film, the change can perhaps be viewed with a wink. Far more severe is the censorship in China regarding homosexuality shown in films. For example, corresponding scenes from “Fantastic Beasts: Dumbledore’s Secrets” or “Bohemian Rhapsody” were deleted. The second case is particularly disconcerting, since it is a biopic about the homosexual Queen singer Freddie Mercury (1946-1991).
Still other films are not even allowed to be shown in China. Most recently, Marvel blockbusters met this fate, such as “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” or “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”.
Despite being completely banned from China, two other films recently made it into the list of the most commercially successful films of all time: Neither “Spider-Man: No Way Home” nor “Top Gun: Maverick” were released in China. The friendly neighborhood spider is said to have the prominently displayed and overly patriotic Statue of Liberty have been a stumbling block. A Taiwan flag on Maverick’s jacket in the Tom Cruise blockbuster.