'Despicable Me' director reveals why no one has grown old.

Despicable Me 4 director Chris Renaud has revealed why no one in the film has aged since the last installment, explaining the approach to the characters in the latest film. The newest entry in the animated comedy franchise sees Gru (Steve Carell) and his family forced to move after a villain from their past, Maxime Le Mal (Will Ferrell), returns seeking revenge. While the film takes place some time after the end of the third film in the Despicable Me chronology, the characters have not aged since their debut in the first film.

Speaking to Deadline about this, Renaud explained that the lack of aging of the characters in Despicable Me 4 is on purpose. The director compared the decision to keep the characters the same age to The Simpsons, explaining that while there is potential for other storylines by aging the characters, it hasn't impacted the audience's overall perception of the film.

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"It's funny, it comes up a lot. I don't think the audience cares. First of all, to your point, we could do a story about Margo being 18 and going to college…but we've taken the Simpsons approach that nobody ages. They're frozen in time. I've seen the film with audiences several times and I don't feel like people come out and see it as a problem and ask, 'Why didn't Margo grow up?'" he stated.

Renaud's explanation makes sense given the amount of time that has likely passed since the first film, with many changes in Gru's life in the process. This includes his marriage to Lucy Wilde, with whom he had a biological son, Gru Jr, as well as his rise through the ranks of the Anti-Villain League throughout the series.