Despicable Me 3D Review

Rated PG (Rude Humor and Mild Action)

Running Time: 1 Hour & 35 Minutes

Cast (voice):
Steve Carell-Gru
Jason Segel-Vector
Russell Brand-Dr. Nefario
Miranda Cosgrove-Margo
Dana Gaier-Edith
Elsie Fisher-Agnes
Will Arnett-Mr. Perkins
Kristen Wiig-Miss Hattie
Julie Andrews-Gru's Mother
Jack McBrayer-Carnival Barker/Tourist Dad

Directed by Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud

You will rue the day that you crossed Gru and his Minions!

When it comes to animation studios, Pixar and DreamWorks Animation dominate the industry but newcomer Universal Pictures enters the fray with their own studio, Illumination Entertainment, founded by Chris Meledandri, who was a former executive at 20th Century Fox Animation for eight years and supervised/produced the popular “Ice Age” franchise. Their first film is “Despicable Me” and there’s a lot at stake for the fledgling studio considering that this is an original feature with no built-in audience so there's a lot of risk involved. Well, it looks like their gamble paid off and although “Despicable Me” does not approach the technical brilliance or the emotional resonance of Pixar, the film is still a hilarious, heartwarming tale with memorable (and cute!) characters that adults and kids can enjoy.

Gru (Steve Carell) is a villain living in a black, foreboding home in a quiet suburban neighborhood. He uses his trusty Freeze Ray to skip the line at the coffee shop and his exploits include stealing the Times Square Jumbotron and the Statue of Liberty replica from Las Vegas. With his good friend, Dr. Nefario (Russell Brand) and a legion of yellow, pea-sized Minions, Gru plans for his most ambitious crime yet and take the crown as world’s #1 villain by stealing the Moon with a Shrink Ray Gun. Unfortunately, he lacks the necessary funds to build the rocket ship and the local Bank of Evil refuses to give him another loan unless he first obtains the Shrink Ray. Gru travels to a secret laboratory in East Asia and successfully steals the device but an up-and-coming villain named Vector (Jason Segal) swipes it from him. Vector has made a name for himself by stealing the Great Pyramid and replacing it with an inflatable replica. The Shrink Ray is hidden in Vector’s impregnable fortress, and despite numerous attempts, Gru fails to infiltrate it. However, he sees a group of little girls selling cookies and they managed to get in without any problems. The girls, named Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), Edith (Dana Gaier), and Agnes (Elsie Fisher) have no parents and live at an orphanage. To help him gain entrance to Vector’s fortress, Gru decides to adopt them but begins to feel conflicted when his new daughters begin to melt his icy heart.

“Despicable Me” features a very by-the-numbers and predictable redemptive plot but what saves it from being another run-of-the-mill animated flick is the confident writing and the characters. Much of the focus is on Gru bonding with his adopted daughters rather than the rivalry between him and Vector. The film is ultimately about acceptance as flashbacks reveal that Gru had big dreams of reaching the moon as an astronaut when he was a child but his mother did little to encourage this, even when he built a prototype rocket ship (based on his macaroni design!). As a villain, Gru wants to be known as the best of the best and have the world look up to him but his exploits are rather small scale and second-rate. Likewise, the girls he adopts are also looking to be accepted into a new family and despite Gru’s initial coldness, they remain optimistic, especially the adorable Agnes. As he spends time with them, Gru begins to find his priorities shift and ultimately learns that he wasn’t born to be the greatest villain but to be the perfect father. In a way, Gru reminds me of the Grinch in that a child helps inspire and transform them into good people. Heavier themes involving adoption and orphans feeling unwanted are glossed over and the film maintains a cheerful, irreverent tone. This is not an inspired tale but children and their parents can easily understand and relate to it. 

“Despicable Me” is full of hilarious gags and characters, with the Minions front and center in Universal’s marketing campaign. The Minions speak in fast gibberish and resemble corn kernels with overalls and one or two big eyes. They are obedient but don’t exactly do much work besides being guinea pigs for Nefario’s inventions (which include a Fart Gun) and cheering Gru on. Apparently to translate and understand what they're saying during the end credits, you need some Best Buy tie-in app for your mobile phone. Some gags borrow from Pixar such as the Box of Shame (Cone of Shame from “Up”), which is literally a cardboard box with “Box of Shame” written on it. There are also several in-jokes that only adults will get, such as the Bank of Evil was formerly Lehman Brothers. This drew a lot of laughs from the parents in the audience. The most memorable characters have to be the girls themselves and the littlest one, Agnes, steals every scene with her big cute eyes and ridiculous love for fluffy unicorns. At the amusement park, she sees a unicorn doll and squeals, ‘IT’S SO FLUFFY, I’M GONNA DIE!’ Each girl is distinguished by a certain personality with Margo being the responsible one, serving as caretaker for her younger sisters and Edith as the sullen, less trustworthy type. As for Agnes, if you don't love her then I must question whether you have a heart at all. The CG animation looks smooth and fluid but lacks the impeccable detail from Pixar’s work. Still, the simple colors and style make it pleasing to the eye. The 3D is not as 'eye-popping' as promised and does not add anything substantial to the viewing experience but there is one scene where Gru crash-lands his rocket ship into the streets of his neighborhood that looked rather impressive. 

 

The voice acting is excellent and the cast is composed of SNL veterans or worked with Judd Atapow before. Steve Carrell channels a heavy Eastern European accent that reminds me of Dracula as Gru but along with Russell Brand and Jason Segal, they are virtually unrecognizable from their roles if it weren’t for the opening credits. Will Arnett is the CEO of the Bank of Evil and Kristen Wiig is the orphanage’s greedy mistress, Miss Hattie. Voicing Margo, the oldest sister, is Miranda Cosgrove and some may recognize her from the popular Nickelodeon show, “iCarly.” The middle sister, Edith, is voiced by Dana Gaier and the youngest, Agnes, by Elsie Fisher.

“Despicable Me” was released on July 9, 2010 and received largely positive reviews with a solid 80% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics noted that it borrowed heavily from Looney Tunes and Pixar but still found the film to be a ‘thoughtful, family-friendly treat with a few surprises of its own.’ Many box office analysts predicted it to come in #1 at the box office but its opening weekend gross of $60 million blew away all expectations for an original property. This success can be attributed to the smart marketing campaign that focused on Gru’s wacky Minions. The theater was mostly composed of parents with their children as expected and everyone seemed to enjoy the film thoroughly. “Despicable Me” may lack originality and the wide range appeal of Pixar’s beloved animated films but it makes up for it with hilarious jokes, cute characters and a heartwarming message.

Final Rating: 4 out of 5

"IT'S SO FLUFFY, I'M GONNA DIE!"