Boxed Water™ Launches Minions-Inspired Cartons Based On Illumination's Beloved Brand

The sustainably packaged water brand has partnered with Universal Products & Experiences to raise awareness on sustainability efforts and grow our National Forests.

Holland, MI /PRNewswire/ - Boxed Water™ launches new limited-edition cartons inspired by Illumination's Minions, from the world's most successful animated franchise. Following the Jurassic World partnership, the mischievous Minions are the newest icons to adorn Boxed Water™ cartons. The most sustainable water brand on the market is drawing attention to its continued sustainability efforts, especially as they relate to the brand's tree planting initiatives across the U.S.

"We are excited to partner with Universal Products & Experiences to spread joy with Illumination's iconic Minions while raising awareness on sustainability efforts to help save the planet," offers Boxed Water™ Chief Revenue Officer, Robert Koenen. "The Minions are beloved by adults and kids alike, and we hope that they inspire others to use less plastic and help restore our National Forests."

Available in three different designs, each carton depicts Minions Kevin, Bob and Stuart planting pine seedlings, underscoring Boxed Water's successful tree planting initiatives across the U.S., including 1.5 million planted trees with the National Forest Foundation (NFF) as well as urban tree planting efforts with One Tree Planted in Boston, Inglewood, San Francisco, New York and Orlando.

Consumers can partake in the planting fun by visiting https://boxedwaterisbetter.com/pages/lp/minions to order the limited-edition cartons, participate in interactive digital tree-plantings and unlock special offers. Additionally, for every social media post with the hashtag #BetterPlanet, Boxed Water™ will plant two trees with the NFF to help stabilize watersheds and support recovery areas affected by forest fires.

In addition to planting trees, Boxed Water™ continues to find ways to reduce its carbon footprint and "be better." Not only is their best-selling 500mL a CarbonNeutral® certified product, but based on an independent ISO-certified Life Cycle Analysis, Boxed Water™ offers the most sustainable packaging in the water aisle (compared to aluminum, plastic and other carton brands). The 92% plant-based packaging includes a cap made from the tree pulp waste of sustainably harvested pines in order to provide a resealable and refillable option. Boxed Water™ also requires 43% less fossil fuel use than its plastic counterparts and a 50% lower carbon footprint than aluminum canned water. The brand's cartons are fully recyclable and accepted by the majority of U.S. recycling facilities. Even more, Boxed Water™ sources its water from close-to-source regional suppliers to further reduce emissions.

The limited-edition Minions-inspired cartons are available on boxedwater.com and Amazon through the end of 2023.

To learn more about Boxed Water and its sustainability efforts, visit https://boxedwater.com/ or follow them on Instagram, Facebook or TikTok.

About Illumination's Despicable Me & Minions
More than ten years after their creation, Gru, the world's greatest supervillain, and the Minions are among the most iconic animated characters of their generation. Globally recognized and beloved by fans of all ages, they have propelled Illumination's Despicable Me and Minions into the most successful animated film franchise in history, earning more than $4.6 billion at the worldwide box office.

The franchise includes Minions, one of the top five highest-grossing animated films of all time and the most profitable film in Universal's history, as well as the Academy Award^®- nominated Despicable Me 2 and Despicable Me 3, which made more than $1 billion at the global box office. The franchise's most recent film, Minions: The Rise of Gru, shattered box office records with the highest grossing July 4^th opening weekend in U.S. history and became the #1 film internationally and worldwide.

Gru is one of the few protagonists who is also an antagonist, whose sweet and subversive qualities make him relatable to all audiences. Bright yellow, instantly unforgettable, speaking a language that no one knows but that everyone can understand, the Minions— including Kevin, Bob, Stuart and Otto —have become icons of self-expression in pop culture on every continent of the globe.

Beneath the over-the-top antics and seemingly misguided intentions of the Minions, the franchise explores themes of loyalty, friendship and an unspoken narrative about the families we choose and devote ourselves to defending. The franchise reflects the idea that whoever you are, or whatever your dreams, you can find your tribe and become a family, no matter how unconventional.

About Illumination
Illumination, founded by Chris Meledandri in 2007, is the entertainment industry's leading producer of event-animated films, including The Super Mario Bros. Movie, the first film of 2023 to earn more than $1 billion worldwide, Despicable Me—the most successful animated franchise in cinematic history—as well as Dr. Seuss' The Lorax, Dr. Seuss' The Grinch and The Secret Life of Pets and Sing films. Illumination's revered studio library includes three of the top 10 animated films of all time.

In April 2023, Nintendo and Illumination's The Super Mario Bros. Movie opened to a staggering $377.5 million worldwide—the biggest animated global film opening weekend of all time—and set new records as the biggest opening weekend in Illumination history, the biggest international and global opening of 2023 so far, the biggest Easter weekend opening ever and the biggest video-game adaptation opening ever.

Illumination is now responsible for the two biggest animated opening weekends of the pandemic era, and The Super Mario Bros. Movie is currently the second highest grossing film of 2023 worldwide.

Illumination's iconic, beloved franchises—infused with memorable and distinct characters, global appeal and cultural relevance—have grossed more than $9 billion worldwide. Illumination has an exclusive financing and distribution partnership with Universal Pictures. Illumination's upcoming films include Migration in December 2023 and Despicable Me 4 in summer 2024.

About Boxed Water™
Boxed Water™ was founded in the belief that sustainability matters with the purpose of changing the way packaged water is shipped, sold and enjoyed. Boxed Water is the most sustainable brand on the market, at 92% renewable with its plant-based packaging and cap. All of Boxed Water's cartons source paper from trees in well-managed forests – where new trees are continuously planted to replace the ones harvested – and are shipped flat to reduce the number of trucks required for transportation. Boxed Water also fills water close to the source and the consumer to reduce its carbon footprint, and all cartons are 100% recyclable, refillable, and BPA free. Boxed Water is a proud member of 1% For The Planet and partner of the National Forest Foundation, One Tree Planted and Ocean Blue Project. The simple act of choosing Boxed Water is a statement that sustainability matters. Boxed Water is headquartered in Holland, Michigan with filling locations in Michigan and Utah.

About Universal Products & Experiences
Universal Products & Experiences (UP&E) globally drives the expansion and elevation of NBCUniversal's iconic collection of brands, intellectual properties, characters, and stories based on the company's extensive portfolio of properties created by Universal Pictures, Illumination, DreamWorks Animation and NBCUniversal Television and Streaming. The division executes this through innovative physical and digital products, engaging retail and product experiences across our expansive global theme park destinations (for both owned and 3^rd party IP), location-based venues, e-commerce product platforms, and retailers around the world. Along with global brand strategy and creative, UP&E's three lines of business include Consumer Products, Games and Digital Platforms, as well as Theme Parks Products & Retail. UP&E is a division of Universal Destinations & Experiences, part of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation. More information is available at universalproductsexperiences.com.