Despicable Me (2010)
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A supervillain's plans for world domination are complicated when he adopts three orphan girls.
The story
The story follows Gru, a longtime supervillain who adopts three orphan girls to use as pawns in a sinister scheme, but reluctantly develops an emotional attachment to them. After his plans are thwarted by a rival, Gru seeks a way to steal the Moon to become the best criminal of the century. He enlists the help of his elderly assistant, Dr. Nefario, and an army of Minions. To secure the necessary technology, Gru must navigate a series of obstacles, including a rival villain named Vector and the complication of caring for the three girls, who become a central part of his journey.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After his pride is hurt by a rival's theft of the Great Pyramid of Giza, Gru plans to steal the Moon to become the ultimate criminal. He obtains a shrink ray from a research base but is intercepted by the villain Vector. To counter this, Gru adopts three orphan girls—Margo, Edith, and Agnes—to act as a distraction while he retrieves the shrink ray from Vector's fortress. Although he initially tries to abandon them, he begins to bond with them. When his funding is denied by the Bank of Evil, the girls and the Minions pool their resources for the heist. On the day of the theft, which coincides with the girls' ballet recital, Vector kidnaps the girls. Gru confronts Vector at his fortress and eventually rescues the girls. During the confrontation, the shrink ray's effects wear off, causing the Moon to return to its original size, which destroys Vector's aircraft and leaves him stranded, while Gru successfully keeps the girls.
- First release year
- 2010
- Runtime (minutes)
- 95
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Chris Renaud; Pierre Coffin
- Writers
- Cinco Paul · screenplay; Ken Daurio · screenplay; Sergio Pablos · story
- Cast and characters
- Steve Carell · Gru; Miranda Cosgrove · Margo; Russell Brand · Dr. Nefario; Jason Segel · Vector; Will Arnett · Mr. Perkins; Kristen Wiig · Miss Hattie; Julie Andrews · Marlena
- Genres
- animated; comedy
- Themes
- adoption; family
- Tone and mood
- comedy; heartwarming
- Setting
- A fictional world featuring a Bank of Evil, a research base in East Asia, and a fortress.
- Premise and plot tags
- supervillain; size change; orphan
- Franchise connections
- Despicable Me
- Content notes
- family-friendly
- Reception
- The film was a critical and commercial success, praised for its humor and heart.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 72 · scale: 100 · review count: 35; CinemaScore · score: A · scale: A+ to F
- Awards and nominations
- Kids' Choice Awards · Favorite Animated Movie · 2011 · win
- Production trivia
- The Minions were not in the original script.; The Minions' language is called 'Minionese'.; The film was ranked in a list of 'Moon Movies'.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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