Migration Audiences Will Be Treated to the Despicable Me Spinoff Short Mooned

As Migration swoops into theaters nationwide on December 22, it will be joined by one of our favorite all-time animated villains. In what will surely be a thrilling few minutes for fans of Despicable Me — and of witty villains everywhere — Vector will make his big return in Illumination Studio’s short film, Mooned, to play exclusively with Migration.

We last left off with Vector in the first Despicable Me movie in 2010, where armed with a piranha gun and squid launcher, he became one of Gru’s fiercest competitors for the moon. It’s hard to believe he’s been stranded there for the past thirteen years. In the animated short played before screenings of Migration, audiences will find out how he’s coping in space.

Who is Vector?

Vector is one of the most famous villains in the Despicable Me franchise, thanks to his uncanny ability to thwart Gru (Steve Carrell) at almost every turn in the first movie. We also love his sheer swagger: he owns a pet shark and always wears a snazzy orange tracksuit — modeled after the “Advanced Crew Escape Suit” NASA astronauts wear during launch, of course. Born Victor Perkins, he decided to rebrand himself as “Vector” before meeting with the bank for a new “villain loan.” In one of many famous lines, he explains the inspiration behind his new name:

“It’s a mathematical term represented by an arrow with both direction and magnitude. Vector! That’s me because I commit crimes with both direction and magnitude. Oh yeah!”

It turns out that Vector is the son of the Bank of Evil director, who always denies him loans.

What is Vector’s claim to fame?

Sure, Vector steals the shrink ray gun from Gru and kidnaps Gru’s adopted daughters, but his biggest heist to date was stealing the Pyramid of Giza — yes, the ancient Egyptian landmark — without anyone finding out. He is on a quest to be the new “greatest villain ever,” but we can imagine that’s pretty tough to do when stranded on the moon.

Why is Vector on the moon?

In the original Despicable Me, Gru successfully shrinks and steals the moon, bringing it back to Earth. But while he was doing evil deeds in space, Vector kidnapped Gru’s adopted daughters to use as a bargaining chip for the moon. In the finale, it seems Vector will be victorious after all, but then we learn the shrink ray’s powers are temporary, and suddenly, the moon pops back to its original size, taking Vector along with it. Now, with the release of Migration, it seems we finally get a glimpse of Vector’s shenanigans in space.

Who is behind Mooned?

Illumination, the animated studio that brings us Migration, created the charming short film and once again tapped actor Peter Segel to voice Vector. Pierre Coffin, animator, Minion maestro, and Despicable Me co-director, returns as the voice behind the little yellow mascots.

Will Vector’s story continue in the fourth Despicable Me movie, scheduled for release in 2024? We’ll have to wait until July to find out.

Migration and Mooned premieres in theaters on December 22. Get your tickets now!