 He made them funnier and simpler and a brighter color".Among the inspirations for the Minions were the Oompa-Loompas from "Willy Wonka" and the Jawas from "Star Wars", as well as silent screen stars Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin, and Warner Bros. cartoon characters.In a four-picture directing deal, he directed "Despicable Me" (2010), "Dr. Seuss' The Lorax" (2012), "Despicable Me 2" (2013), and "The Secret Life of Pets" (2016), in which two pet dogs, Max and Duke, have to put their quarrels behind when they find out that a bunny, Snowball, is building an army of abandoned pets to take revenge on all pet owners and their pets.