Minions: The Rise of Gru

Kyle Balda wanted the Minions' training sequences to feel like 1970s Hong Kong martial arts cinema, disciplined, physical, where comedy emerges from bodies in motion executing impossible moves. The 36th Chamber of Shaolin and Drunken Master taught him that slapstick and martial precision are not opposites. In a 2022 Animation Magazine interview, Balda explicitly cited these films as the blueprint. Both are available on Criterion Channel.

The 36th Chamber of Shaolin in turn shaped 1 film

Keep going forward from The 36th Chamber of Shaolin.

Open The 36th Chamber of Shaolin's Cinema DNA →