Steve Carell is reuniting with his minions for Despicable Me 3 and answered questions about himself and the animated villain he voices, Gru, from his young fans.

During the interview, one youngster got Carell to reveal the surprising personal story behind how the minion Stewart got his name.

“When my wife and I first met we had a dog named Stewart and when I went to do Despicable Me I was doing the voice of Gru and I started randomly naming minions,” Carell explains. “I said the name because I thought of my dog’s name who isn’t around anymore and it was out of the memory to Stewart my dog that I named Stewart the minion.”

In the new film, Gru (Carell) and his wife, Lucy (Kristen Wiig), are on a mission to stop ’80s child star turned thief Balthazar Bratt (Trey Parker) who fights his enemies with dance battles and pink bubble gum. Along the way, Carell meets his long-lost twin brother Dru (also voiced by Carell).

During PEOPLE’s Kid Interview, Carell, 54, also discusses superpowers, knock knock jokes, slumber parties and the minions’ unusual language.

“I understand a tiny bit of it. I can’t speak it. Isn’t it funny that when you listen to the minions you don’t really understand the words but you understand what they are saying,” says Carell. “I think that is the magic of the minions.”

Despicable Me 3 hits theaters June 30.