Minions Holiday Special: How to Watch and What Time Does It Start?

Now that Thanksgiving is out of the way, all eyes are on the holidays and the sudden influx of all things Christmas. NBC is wasting little time in getting the mood set for the season, revealing the first-ever Minions holiday special tonight, November 27th. Those wanting to tune into Illumination Presents Minions Holiday Special need to turn on NBC beginning at 8:30 p.m. Eastern to watch.

The half-hour special features four "mini-movies" the network is calling them, and even has some crossovers from other beloved Illumination properties like The Secret Life of Pets and Sing. Illumination PResents Minions Holiday Special is a co-production between Illumination and Universal Pictures. The special is scheduled to last one half-hour, wrapping up around 9:00 p.m. Eastern.

After the holiday special, the beloved henchmen will next appear in Minions: The Rise of Gru. Originally set for release this July, Illumination delayed the feature due to the ongoing global pandemic. Now, the movie is currently scheduled to hit theaters on July 2, 2021.

"In response to the severity of the situation in France, we are temporarily closing our Illumination Mac Guff studio in Paris," Illumination Founder and CEO Chris Meledandri said earlier this year. "With this decision we are abiding by the French Government's guidelines and doing everything possible to slow the spread of the virus as we care for our artists and their families. This means we will be unable to finish MINIONS: THE RISE OF GRU in time for our planned global release in late June and early July. While we all grapple with the enormity of this crisis, we must put the safety and protection of our employees above all. We look forward to finding a new release date for the return of Gru and the Minions."

The Rise of Gru serves as the fifth feature released in the Despicable Me franchise behind the first three eponymous films and one Minions spin-off. Despicable Me 4 is also in the works.