'Minions: The Rise of Gru' tells us the origins of the villain, his adorable yellow henchmen

HOLLYWOOD -- "Minions: The Rise of Gru" is an origin story depicting how the young villain became allied with the adorable little yellow creatures.

Steve Carell lends his voice once again to Gru, although since we're going back in time, he's playing Gru as 11 and 3/4 years old. Carell has been part of this franchise from the beginning. He says he had no clue the minions would become so beloved.

"I mean, I loved the concept. I loved the script. But then when I saw the final product, I thought they're onto something here. This is special, it felt different," said Carell. "In the script, you know, minions just run out of the room or minions shout, you know, there. It's all gibberish. So I didn't get a sense of what they were or what they look like or how they sounded. And they described them to me and I thought, 'Okay, well, good luck with that. That's, you know, maybe those maybe that'll get cut, if that doesn't work.' And, you know, lo and behold, it's the biggest part of the movie."

So even after all these years with his little yellow friends, can Carell actually understand the minions?

"No, no, but I am not a kid," said Carell. "And I think kids can understand the minions much better than parents can."

Moms and dads might also recognize the "Vicious 6" members, voiced by Taraji P. Henson, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Lucy Lawless and Danny Trejo. You'll also hear Michelle Yeoh as 'Master Chow,' who tutors the minions in martial arts.

"Minions: The Rise of Gru" is in theaters July 1. It is rated PG.