Despicable Me

Overview

Get ready for a minion laughs in the funniest blockbuster hit of the year! Vying for the title of “World’s Greatest Villain”, Gru (voiced by Steve Carell) – along with his hilarious crew of mischievous minions – plots to pull off the craziest crime of the century: steal the moon! But when Gru enlists the help of three little girls, they see something in him nobody else has ever seen: the perfect dad. From executive producer Chris Meledandri (Horton Hears a Who, Ice Age), and featuring the voices of an all-star comedic cast, including Jason Segel, Russell Brand, Miranda Cosgrove and Julie Andrews, Despicable Me is “rousingly funny, heartfelt and imaginative” (Pete Hammond, Boxoffice Magazine).

Product Details

Release Date:	12/14/2010
UPC:	0025192018176
Original Release:	2010
Rating:	PG
Source:	STUDIO DISTRIBUTION SERVS LLC
Region Code:	1
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	1:35:00
Sales rank:	23,413

Special Features

The World of Despicable Me; Despicable Beats; Gru's Rocket Builder

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Steve Carell	Gru
Jason Segel	Vector
Russell Brand	Dr. Nefario
Julie Andrews	Gru's Mom
Will Arnett	Mr. Perkins
Kristen Wiig	Miss Hattie
Miranda Cosgrove	Margo
Dana Gaier	Edith
Elsie Fisher	Agnes
Pierre Coffin	Tim/Bob/Mark/Phil/Stuart the Minions
Chris Renaud	Dave the Minion
Jemaine Clement	Jerry the Minion
Jack McBrayer	Carnival Barker/Tourist Dad
Danny McBride	Fred McDade
Mindy Kaling	Tourist Mom
Rob Huebel	Anchorman
Ken Daurio	Egyptian Guard
Ken Jeong	Talk Show Host
Steven Carrell	Voices
Katie Leigh	Voices
Ranjani Brow	Voices
Pharrell Williams	Composer
Hans Zimmer	Composer
Heitor Pereira	Composer

Technical Credits

Ken Daurio

Cinco Paul

Pierre Coffin	Director
Chris Renaud	Director,Producer
Ken Daurio	Screenwriter
Cinco Paul	Screenwriter
John Cohen	Producer
Janet Healy	Producer
Chris Meledandri	Producer,Executive Producer
Nina Rowan	Executive Producer
Sergio Pablos	Executive Producer
Skywalker Sound	Sound/Sound Designer
Christopher Scarabosio	Sound/Sound Designer
Nina Rappaport	Executive Producer

Editorial Reviews

Despicable Me is the kind of kiddie flick that has enough fart jokes to keep the small fries giggling, and just enough heart to keep their parents smiling. And to the credit of the filmmakers, they maintain that equilibrium fairly well. The early scenes, focusing on ambitious master criminal Gru's bumbling efforts to outsmart a rising star in the super-villain community, are inventive and funny; the later scenes, in which our diabolical antihero discovers his inner softie, are convincingly affectionate and endearing. Add to that some playful action set pieces and hilarious voice performances, and the result is an animated treat with a little something for everyone. A mysterious criminal mastermind has stolen one of the pyramids in Egypt, sparking a fit of jealous envy in evil genius Gru (Steve Carell), who hasn't managed to make headlines since he and his minions swiped the Times Square JumboTron years back. Ever since he was a little boy, Gru dreamed of going to the moon. Now, if he can just build a rocket and get his hands on a powerful shrink-ray, he can cement his reputation as the greatest thief who ever lived by stealing the Earth's satellite right out of the sky. But immediately after Gru heists the shrink-ray, the cunning super-nerd Vector (Jason Segel) swoops in and snatches it right out of his hands. Now, in order to claim the moon, Gru must first reacquire the weapon from Vector. Armed with the knowledge that his nemesis has a mean sweet tooth, Gru adopts cookie-selling orphans Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), Agnes (Elsie Fisher), and Edith (Dana Gaier) and commissions a new line of cookie robots from the evil Dr. Nefario (Russell Brand), his personal weapons specialist. But as Gru and his diminutive yellow minions prepare to swipe the moon from the sky, something strange happens. Gru discovers that the three little girls who have come into his life are much more than simple pawns. They actually seem to care about Gru, and it turns out the scheming evildoer makes a pretty good father. When Gru realizes that his upcoming moon mission clashes with a ballet performance by the girls, he must decide what's more important -- being a present parent or cementing his nefarious reputation once and for all. The only thing moviegoers love more than a great hero is a great villain. Thanks to screenwriters Ken Daurio and Cinco Paul, we get both iconic archetypes rolled into one. When we first meet Gru, he's the kind of wretch who gets great joy from making others miserable -- a high-tech scoundrel who will make a balloon animal for a little boy, just to savor the child's tears when he pops it with a pin. Later, as the icy coating around his heart begins to melt away, playful flashbacks offer comical insight into his formative years, gradually revealing the neglected, wide-eyed boy behind the chrome-domed baddie. It's this simple but effective character arc that makes Despicable Me more than just a rollicking series of sight gags, and offers Carell the opportunity to instill the character of Gru with genuine personality. And while virtually every other character in the film is essentially one-dimensional, Segel, Brand, Kristen Wiig, and Julie Andrews all get their moments to shine. The animation in Despicable Me is nothing groundbreaking, though the crew does deserve credit for creative use of light during an early scene in which Gru attempts to inspire his minions, and the format does allow the filmmakers the freedom to indulge their every outrageous super-villain whim. Action set pieces throughout the film are exciting and inspired, making particularly good use of the 3D format for a wild roller-coaster ride and a climactic airborne chase. The only things in Despicable Me that come off as entirely stale are the pop dance numbers, which seem to have become a virtual requirement for animated children's movies in the past decade. One needn't be an icy-hearted super-villain to observe that it's time to call for a moratorium on cutesy animated beasties bopping to Top 40 hits. The trend has run its course -- now let's get back to having some real fun on the big screen.