Despicable Me
Encyclopedia
Despicable Me is a 2010 American computer-animated
3D comedy film
from Universal Pictures
and Illumination Entertainment
that was released on July 9, 2010 in the United States. The film features the voices of Steve Carell
, Jason Segel
, Russell Brand
, Julie Andrews
, Will Arnett
, Kristen Wiig
, and Miranda Cosgrove
. It is the first CGI feature produced by Universal, in association with its Illumination Entertainment
division. It was entirely animated in the French studio Mac Guff
in Paris, France. This is Illumination Entertainment
's first feature film.
The film earned positive reviews from critics, and grossed more than $251 million in the US, against a budget of $69 million.
) is a super-villain, operating out of his suburban home that serves as a front for an underground lair where he, his partner, Dr. Nefario (Russell Brand
), and thousands of short yellow minions (to whom he shows considerable affection) plan their nefarious deeds. When Gru learns that another super-villain has stolen the Great Pyramid of Giza
, his pride is injured, and he plans an even greater heist, stealing the Earth's moon, a plan he has had since childhood but discouraged by his mother (Julie Andrews
). The prospect is quite expensive, and Gru seeks out a loan from the Bank of Evil ("formerly Lehman Brothers
", as it says on the bank door). The Bank's president, Mr. Perkins (Will Arnett
), initially refuses to extend Gru a loan, noting that he is much older than the super-villains of the day, but offers that if he can secure a shrink ray, the critical part of Gru's plan, he will give Gru his loan.
Gru is able to steal a shrink ray from a classified East Asia facility, but it is stolen from him moments later by Vector (Jason Segel
), a nerdy super-villain who is responsible for the Pyramid theft. Gru attempts to break into Vector's lair but is easily defeated by the numerous defenses. Taking a moment to re-plan, he watches as three orphan girls, Margo (Miranda Cosgrove
), Edith (Dana Gaier
), and Agnes (Elsie Fisher), enter Vector's lab with no difficulty to sell him cookies. Gru devises a scheme to use the girls to take in robotic cookies that can be used to disable the lair's defenses and allow him to steal the shrink ray. He adopts the three girls from the local orphanage, Miss Hattie's (Kristen Wiig
) Home for Girls, falsifying his credentials, but has difficulty coming to nurture them properly between their own rambunctiousness, their ballet classes, and his own unwillingness to be a parent.
Gru is eventually able to set his plan in motion, and with the girls' help, retrieves the shrink ray. The girls suggest going to a theme park to celebrate, which Gru agrees to, seeing it as a way to get rid of the girls. However, when he is forced to accompany the girls on one of the rides, he finds himself coming around. Gru and the girls spend the entire day at the park, Gru having warmed up to them.
With the shrink ray in hand, he contacts Perkins at the Bank and successfully shows his plan to steal the moon to him. Though Perkins is impressed by Gru's plan, he still refuses to give Gru a loan, stating that Gru's schemes always seem to fail and that the Bank is going to support a younger villain. Perkins then calls Vector, who is revealed to be Perkins's son, to his office and informs him that Gru has stolen the shrink ray from him. Encouraged by the girls who want to see Gru succeed by giving him the few coins in their piggy bank, Gru decides to scavenge parts from his lair to construct the rocket that will take him to the moon. Gru plans to launch on the day the moon is in the best position in Earth's orbit, but which happens to be the same day of the girls' ballet recital. Dr. Nefario feels that Gru is not focused in his mission and the girls are becoming the major distraction, so he calls Miss Hattie telling her that Gru wants to return the girls, which he does when Miss Hattie arrives.
Gru launches his rocket and successfully shrinks the moon, and sees he has time to make it to the girls' recital. By the time he lands the recital is over, and Vector has left a ransom note, having kidnapped the girls and demanding the moon in exchange for the girls. Matters are made worse when Dr. Nefario realizes that "the larger the mass of the object, the quicker the effects of the shrink ray wear off". Gru instantly commits to the exchange but Vector reneges on the deal, taking both the moon and the girls in his own ship. As the shrink ray's effect wears off and the moon expands, Gru, Dr. Nefario, and the minions launch a rescue operation in mid-air. Gru and his allies are able to save the Edith and Agnes but just as they are about to save Margo, Vector grabs her. The expansion of the moon engages Vector's ship hyper jump into space,at the same time that Gru saves Margo . The moon returns to its original size in its orbit, destroying Vector's ship and stranding him on its surface with a space helmet.
Some time later, Gru has readopted the girls and treats them as his family, and he writes them a bedtime storybook framed around his own experience. Margo hugs Gru, telling him, that she loves him, which he then hugs her back saying the same thing. The girls perform their own ballet recital for Gru, his mother, Dr. Nefario, and the minions, with the movie ending as they all get on stage to dance.
. Despicable Me was also featured on Last Comic Standing
when Gru comes in to audition. There has also been a minion that came in to audition, but he was mute for the duration.
IHOP
restaurants promoted the film by introducing three new menu items, a kids' breakfast meal, and a drink all having the word "minion" in them.
Airheads (candy) Released packages of The Characters and came with a code for the Despicable Me (video game)
Best Buy
released a free Smartphone
application called "Movie Mode" that translates what the Minions are saying during the end credits. Special content can be unlocked from the application after seeing the film.
, PlayStation Portable
and Wii
. A Nintendo DS
version was released under the name Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem. Namco
also released a version for the iPhone
and iPad
platform entitled Despicable Me: Minion Mania, developed by Anino Games.
reports that 81% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 185 reviews, with an average score of 6.8/10. The critical consensus is: "Borrowing heavily (and intelligently) from Pixar and Looney Tunes, Despicable Me is a surprisingly thoughtful, family-friendly treat with a few surprises of its own." Among "Top Critics," comprising critics from the top newspapers and other publications, the film holds an approval rating of 88% based on 32 reviews.
Metacritic
, another review aggregation website, assigned the film a score of 72%, based on 34 reviews from mainstream critics.
Roger Ebert
of the Chicago Sun-Times
praised the film, awarding it three stars out of a possible four.
Other positive reviews came from Michael Phillips
of the Chicago Tribune
and Peter Travers
of Rolling Stone
.
In contrast, A. O. Scott
of The New York Times
disliked the film, stating "while there's nothing worth despising, there's not much to remember either."
Mick LaSalle
of the San Francisco Chronicle
wrote: "there's nothing in this to engage an audience. Obviously, no one cares if this guy gets to remain as the world's top bad guy. Nor is this situation inherently amusing in a character way or even interesting in a satirical
or sardonic way. There is simply nothing here, except a pretext for lots of labored, slapstick
spy-versus-spy
type shenanigans between the two 'villains.' Twenty minutes into "Despicable Me," nothing has happened."
The film received nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film
at the 68th Golden Globe Awards
and the BAFTA Award for Best Animated Film
at the 64th BAFTA Awards
. It also won a 2011 Kids Choice Awards for best animated movie.
and Shrek Forever After
. In its second weekend, the film dipped to 42% to second place behind Inception
with $32.8 million earned. The film then had another drop of 27% in its third weekend and finished in third place with $23.8 million. On August 5, 2010, the film crossed the $200 million mark, becoming the first Universal film to reach the milestone since 2007's The Bourne Ultimatum
.
On the weekend lasting from September 3–5, 2010 it surpassed Shrek Forever After to become the second highest-grossing animated film of 2010 in the United States and Canada, behind Toy Story 3. It is also the highest-grossing non-DreamWorks/non-Disney·Pixar animated film of all time in these territories. The film has made $251,513,985 in the United States and Canada as well as an estimated $290,500,000 overseas for a worldwide total of $543,010,705, against its $69 million production budget. This film is also Universal's sixth highest-grossing film (unadjusted for inflation) and the tenth-highest-grossing animated feature of all-time in North America. In worldwide earnings, it is the sixth biggest film of Universal Studios, the fourth-largest animated movie of 2010 trailing Toy Story 3, Shrek Forever After, and Tangled, the 16th largest animated film of all time and the 9th highest-grossing film of 2010.
has said that a sequel is in the works. It is tentatively scheduled for release on July 3, 2013. Miranda Cosgrove stated on her official Facebook and Twitter page on October 14, 2011 that production had begun.
Computer animation
Computer animation is the process used for generating animated images by using computer graphics. The more general term computer generated imagery encompasses both static scenes and dynamic images, while computer animation only refers to moving images....
3D comedy film
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
from Universal Pictures
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
and Illumination Entertainment
Illumination Entertainment
Illumination Entertainment is an American film production company, founded by Chris Meledandri in 2007. It is owned by Universal Studios and based in Santa Monica, California. It is best known for its 2010 animated feature Despicable Me.- History :...
that was released on July 9, 2010 in the United States. The film features the voices of Steve Carell
Steve Carell
Steven John "Steve" Carell is an American comedian, actor, voice artist, producer, writer, and director. Although Carell is notable for his role on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, he found greater fame in the late 2000s for playing Michael Scott on The Office...
, Jason Segel
Jason Segel
Jason Jordan Segel is an American television and film actor, screenwriter, composer, puppeteer and musician, known for his work with producer Judd Apatow on the short-lived television series Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared, the films Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Knocked Up, I Love You, Man,...
, Russell Brand
Russell Brand
Russell Edward Brand is an English comedian, actor, columnist, singer, author and radio/television presenter.Brand achieved mainstream fame in the UK in 2004 for his role as host of Big Brother spin-off, Big Brother's Big Mouth. His first major film role was in the 2007 film St Trinians...
, Julie Andrews
Julie Andrews
Dame Julia Elizabeth Andrews, DBE is an English film and stage actress, singer, and author. She is the recipient of Golden Globe, Emmy, Grammy, BAFTA, People's Choice Award, Theatre World Award, Screen Actors Guild and Academy Award honors...
, Will Arnett
Will Arnett
William Emerson "Will" Arnett is a Canadian actor and comedian best known for his role as George Oscar "G.O.B." Bluth II on the Fox comedy Arrested Development. He is also known for his role as Devon Banks on the NBC comedy 30 Rock. Since his success on Arrested Development, Arnett has landed major...
, Kristen Wiig
Kristen Wiig
Kristen Carroll Wiig is an American film and television actress who currently appears as a cast member on Saturday Night Live. Wiig was a member of improvisational comedy troupe The Groundlings, and has appeared in several films and television series, including Bridesmaids, MacGruber, Flight of...
, and Miranda Cosgrove
Miranda Cosgrove
Miranda Taylor Cosgrove is an American actress and singer-songwriter. Her career began at the age of three, where she participated in television commercials. Cosgrove's film debut was in 2003, as Summer Hathaway in School of Rock...
. It is the first CGI feature produced by Universal, in association with its Illumination Entertainment
Illumination Entertainment
Illumination Entertainment is an American film production company, founded by Chris Meledandri in 2007. It is owned by Universal Studios and based in Santa Monica, California. It is best known for its 2010 animated feature Despicable Me.- History :...
division. It was entirely animated in the French studio Mac Guff
Mac Guff
Mac Guff is a French visual effects company based in both Los Angeles, USA and Paris, France, where it is headquartered. Mac Guff specializes in the creation of computer-generated imagery for commercials, music videos and feature films. 270 graphic artists, vfx supervisors and producers, computer...
in Paris, France. This is Illumination Entertainment
Illumination Entertainment
Illumination Entertainment is an American film production company, founded by Chris Meledandri in 2007. It is owned by Universal Studios and based in Santa Monica, California. It is best known for its 2010 animated feature Despicable Me.- History :...
's first feature film.
The film earned positive reviews from critics, and grossed more than $251 million in the US, against a budget of $69 million.
Plot
Gru (Steve CarellSteve Carell
Steven John "Steve" Carell is an American comedian, actor, voice artist, producer, writer, and director. Although Carell is notable for his role on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, he found greater fame in the late 2000s for playing Michael Scott on The Office...
) is a super-villain, operating out of his suburban home that serves as a front for an underground lair where he, his partner, Dr. Nefario (Russell Brand
Russell Brand
Russell Edward Brand is an English comedian, actor, columnist, singer, author and radio/television presenter.Brand achieved mainstream fame in the UK in 2004 for his role as host of Big Brother spin-off, Big Brother's Big Mouth. His first major film role was in the 2007 film St Trinians...
), and thousands of short yellow minions (to whom he shows considerable affection) plan their nefarious deeds. When Gru learns that another super-villain has stolen the Great Pyramid of Giza
Great Pyramid of Giza
The Great Pyramid of Giza is the oldest and largest of the three pyramids in the Giza Necropolis bordering what is now El Giza, Egypt. It is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and the only one to remain largely intact...
, his pride is injured, and he plans an even greater heist, stealing the Earth's moon, a plan he has had since childhood but discouraged by his mother (Julie Andrews
Julie Andrews
Dame Julia Elizabeth Andrews, DBE is an English film and stage actress, singer, and author. She is the recipient of Golden Globe, Emmy, Grammy, BAFTA, People's Choice Award, Theatre World Award, Screen Actors Guild and Academy Award honors...
). The prospect is quite expensive, and Gru seeks out a loan from the Bank of Evil ("formerly Lehman Brothers
Lehman Brothers
Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. was a global financial services firm. Before declaring bankruptcy in 2008, Lehman was the fourth largest investment bank in the USA , doing business in investment banking, equity and fixed-income sales and trading Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. (former NYSE ticker...
", as it says on the bank door). The Bank's president, Mr. Perkins (Will Arnett
Will Arnett
William Emerson "Will" Arnett is a Canadian actor and comedian best known for his role as George Oscar "G.O.B." Bluth II on the Fox comedy Arrested Development. He is also known for his role as Devon Banks on the NBC comedy 30 Rock. Since his success on Arrested Development, Arnett has landed major...
), initially refuses to extend Gru a loan, noting that he is much older than the super-villains of the day, but offers that if he can secure a shrink ray, the critical part of Gru's plan, he will give Gru his loan.
Gru is able to steal a shrink ray from a classified East Asia facility, but it is stolen from him moments later by Vector (Jason Segel
Jason Segel
Jason Jordan Segel is an American television and film actor, screenwriter, composer, puppeteer and musician, known for his work with producer Judd Apatow on the short-lived television series Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared, the films Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Knocked Up, I Love You, Man,...
), a nerdy super-villain who is responsible for the Pyramid theft. Gru attempts to break into Vector's lair but is easily defeated by the numerous defenses. Taking a moment to re-plan, he watches as three orphan girls, Margo (Miranda Cosgrove
Miranda Cosgrove
Miranda Taylor Cosgrove is an American actress and singer-songwriter. Her career began at the age of three, where she participated in television commercials. Cosgrove's film debut was in 2003, as Summer Hathaway in School of Rock...
), Edith (Dana Gaier
Dana Gaier
Dana Gaier is a 14 year old actress from New York. She is most known for doing the voice of Edith on Despicable Me. She has also performed on stage and hosts her own anti-bullying website, www.GYourB.org.- External links :* http://danagaier.com/...
), and Agnes (Elsie Fisher), enter Vector's lab with no difficulty to sell him cookies. Gru devises a scheme to use the girls to take in robotic cookies that can be used to disable the lair's defenses and allow him to steal the shrink ray. He adopts the three girls from the local orphanage, Miss Hattie's (Kristen Wiig
Kristen Wiig
Kristen Carroll Wiig is an American film and television actress who currently appears as a cast member on Saturday Night Live. Wiig was a member of improvisational comedy troupe The Groundlings, and has appeared in several films and television series, including Bridesmaids, MacGruber, Flight of...
) Home for Girls, falsifying his credentials, but has difficulty coming to nurture them properly between their own rambunctiousness, their ballet classes, and his own unwillingness to be a parent.
Gru is eventually able to set his plan in motion, and with the girls' help, retrieves the shrink ray. The girls suggest going to a theme park to celebrate, which Gru agrees to, seeing it as a way to get rid of the girls. However, when he is forced to accompany the girls on one of the rides, he finds himself coming around. Gru and the girls spend the entire day at the park, Gru having warmed up to them.
With the shrink ray in hand, he contacts Perkins at the Bank and successfully shows his plan to steal the moon to him. Though Perkins is impressed by Gru's plan, he still refuses to give Gru a loan, stating that Gru's schemes always seem to fail and that the Bank is going to support a younger villain. Perkins then calls Vector, who is revealed to be Perkins's son, to his office and informs him that Gru has stolen the shrink ray from him. Encouraged by the girls who want to see Gru succeed by giving him the few coins in their piggy bank, Gru decides to scavenge parts from his lair to construct the rocket that will take him to the moon. Gru plans to launch on the day the moon is in the best position in Earth's orbit, but which happens to be the same day of the girls' ballet recital. Dr. Nefario feels that Gru is not focused in his mission and the girls are becoming the major distraction, so he calls Miss Hattie telling her that Gru wants to return the girls, which he does when Miss Hattie arrives.
Gru launches his rocket and successfully shrinks the moon, and sees he has time to make it to the girls' recital. By the time he lands the recital is over, and Vector has left a ransom note, having kidnapped the girls and demanding the moon in exchange for the girls. Matters are made worse when Dr. Nefario realizes that "the larger the mass of the object, the quicker the effects of the shrink ray wear off". Gru instantly commits to the exchange but Vector reneges on the deal, taking both the moon and the girls in his own ship. As the shrink ray's effect wears off and the moon expands, Gru, Dr. Nefario, and the minions launch a rescue operation in mid-air. Gru and his allies are able to save the Edith and Agnes but just as they are about to save Margo, Vector grabs her. The expansion of the moon engages Vector's ship hyper jump into space,at the same time that Gru saves Margo . The moon returns to its original size in its orbit, destroying Vector's ship and stranding him on its surface with a space helmet.
Some time later, Gru has readopted the girls and treats them as his family, and he writes them a bedtime storybook framed around his own experience. Margo hugs Gru, telling him, that she loves him, which he then hugs her back saying the same thing. The girls perform their own ballet recital for Gru, his mother, Dr. Nefario, and the minions, with the movie ending as they all get on stage to dance.
Cast
- Steve CarellSteve CarellSteven John "Steve" Carell is an American comedian, actor, voice artist, producer, writer, and director. Although Carell is notable for his role on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, he found greater fame in the late 2000s for playing Michael Scott on The Office...
as Gru, the main protagonistProtagonistA protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
and the world's former #1 supervillain. He intends to shrink and steal the moon to gain status and approval from his mother. - Miranda CosgroveMiranda CosgroveMiranda Taylor Cosgrove is an American actress and singer-songwriter. Her career began at the age of three, where she participated in television commercials. Cosgrove's film debut was in 2003, as Summer Hathaway in School of Rock...
as Margo, the oldest of three girls, and is the main deuteragonistDeuteragonistIn literature, the deuteragonist is the second most important character, after the protagonist and before the tritagonist. The deuteragonist may switch from being with or against the protagonist depending on the deuteragonist's own conflict/plot.-History:Greek drama began with simply one actor,...
. - Dana GaierDana GaierDana Gaier is a 14 year old actress from New York. She is most known for doing the voice of Edith on Despicable Me. She has also performed on stage and hosts her own anti-bullying website, www.GYourB.org.- External links :* http://danagaier.com/...
as Edith, the middle girl of the group. She is a bit of a tomboyTomboyA tomboy is a girl who exhibits characteristics or behaviors considered typical of the gender role of a boy, including the wearing of typically masculine-oriented clothes and engaging in games and activities that are often physical in nature, and which are considered in many cultures to be the...
that likes pink and is the secondary deuteragonistDeuteragonistIn literature, the deuteragonist is the second most important character, after the protagonist and before the tritagonist. The deuteragonist may switch from being with or against the protagonist depending on the deuteragonist's own conflict/plot.-History:Greek drama began with simply one actor,...
. - Elsie Fisher as Agnes, the youngest girl. She has a fondness for unicornUnicornThe unicorn is a legendary animal from European folklore that resembles a white horse with a large, pointed, spiraling horn projecting from its forehead, and sometimes a goat's beard...
s and is the third deuteragonistDeuteragonistIn literature, the deuteragonist is the second most important character, after the protagonist and before the tritagonist. The deuteragonist may switch from being with or against the protagonist depending on the deuteragonist's own conflict/plot.-History:Greek drama began with simply one actor,...
. - Jason SegelJason SegelJason Jordan Segel is an American television and film actor, screenwriter, composer, puppeteer and musician, known for his work with producer Judd Apatow on the short-lived television series Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared, the films Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Knocked Up, I Love You, Man,...
as Victor 'Vector' Perkins, the main antagonistAntagonistAn antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...
and the world's nerdNerdNerd is a derogatory slang term for an intelligent but socially awkward and obsessive person who spends time on unpopular or obscure pursuits, to the exclusion of more mainstream activities. Nerds are considered to be awkward, shy, and unattractive...
y new #1 supervillain after stealing the great Pyramid of Giza. He creates weapons using sea creatures. - Russell BrandRussell BrandRussell Edward Brand is an English comedian, actor, columnist, singer, author and radio/television presenter.Brand achieved mainstream fame in the UK in 2004 for his role as host of Big Brother spin-off, Big Brother's Big Mouth. His first major film role was in the 2007 film St Trinians...
as Dr. Nefario, Gru's elderly, hearing impairedHearing impairment-Definition:Deafness is the inability for the ear to interpret certain or all frequencies of sound.-Environmental Situations:Deafness can be caused by environmental situations such as noise, trauma, or other ear defections...
gadget man and good friend. - Julie AndrewsJulie AndrewsDame Julia Elizabeth Andrews, DBE is an English film and stage actress, singer, and author. She is the recipient of Golden Globe, Emmy, Grammy, BAFTA, People's Choice Award, Theatre World Award, Screen Actors Guild and Academy Award honors...
as Marlena, Gru's mother. - Will ArnettWill ArnettWilliam Emerson "Will" Arnett is a Canadian actor and comedian best known for his role as George Oscar "G.O.B." Bluth II on the Fox comedy Arrested Development. He is also known for his role as Devon Banks on the NBC comedy 30 Rock. Since his success on Arrested Development, Arnett has landed major...
as Mr. Perkins, the president of the Bank of Evil and Vector's father. - Kristen WiigKristen WiigKristen Carroll Wiig is an American film and television actress who currently appears as a cast member on Saturday Night Live. Wiig was a member of improvisational comedy troupe The Groundlings, and has appeared in several films and television series, including Bridesmaids, MacGruber, Flight of...
as Miss Hattie, the mistress of a local orphanage. - Pierre CoffinPierre CoffinPierre Coffin is a French animator and director. He was trained at the Gobelins in Paris and started to work at Amblimation, the 2D London based facility, where he worked on the Steven Spielberg-executive-produced We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story...
as Tim / Bob / Mark / Phil / Stuart, five of Gru's minions. - Chris RenaudChris Renaud (animator)Chris Renaud is an American illustrator and film-maker. He was nominated for an Academy Award for the 2006 animated short No Time for Nuts, which featured the character Scrat from the computer animated Ice Age films. Most recently, he directed Despicable Me, starring the voice of Steve Carell,...
as Dave, one of Gru's minions. - Ken JeongKen JeongKendrick Kang-Joh "Ken" Jeong , also known as "Dr. Ken," is an American comedian, actor, and physician. Currently, he appears as Ben Chang on the NBC comedy series Community.-Early life and medical career:...
as Talk Show Host. - Danny McBrideDanny McBrideDanny McBride is an American actor and screenwriter. McBride is best-known for co-writing the Underworld film series.- External links :...
as Fred McDade, Gru's next door neighbor. - Jack McBrayerJack McBrayerJack McBrayer is an American actor and comedian. He gained national exposure for his characters on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien"...
as Tourist Father / Carnival Barker. - Mindy KalingMindy KalingVera Mindy Chokalingam , better known as Mindy Kaling, is an American actress, comedian, writer and producer who plays Kelly Kapoor on the NBC sitcom The Office. Kaling is also a co-executive producer and writer of several of the show's episodes.-Early life:Kaling was born Vera Chokalingam in...
as Tourist Mother. - Jemaine ClementJemaine ClementJemaine Clement is a New Zealand comedian, actor and musician, best known as one half of the musical comedy duo Flight of the Conchords along with Bret McKenzie.-Early life:...
as Jerry, one of Gru's minions. - Rob HuebelRob HuebelRob Huebel is an American actor, comedian and writer best known for his sketch comedy work on the MTV series Human Giant. He currently co-stars on the Adult Swim series Childrens Hospital.-Early life:...
as Anchorman / Newscaster. - Ken Daurio as Egyptian Guard.
Marketing
Sneak peeks were shown in episodes of The Biggest LoserThe Biggest Loser
The Biggest Loser is an American reality game show that debuted on NBC October 19, 2004. The show features obese people competing to win a cash prize by losing the highest percentage of weight relative to their initial weight....
. Despicable Me was also featured on Last Comic Standing
Last Comic Standing
Last Comic Standing is an American reality television talent show that has aired from 2003 through 2010.The goal of the program is to select a comedian from a group, who will receive a development contract with the NBC network, and a television special first to air on the cable-TV network Comedy...
when Gru comes in to audition. There has also been a minion that came in to audition, but he was mute for the duration.
IHOP
IHOP
IHOP may refer to:* IHOP, a restaurant chain, formerly known as The International House of Pancakes* International House of Prayer, a Christian 24/7 prayer center in Kansas City, Missouri...
restaurants promoted the film by introducing three new menu items, a kids' breakfast meal, and a drink all having the word "minion" in them.
Airheads (candy) Released packages of The Characters and came with a code for the Despicable Me (video game)
Best Buy
Best Buy
Best Buy Co., Inc. is an American specialty retailer of consumer electronics in the United States, accounting for 19% of the market. It also operates in Mexico, Canada & China. The company's subsidiaries include Geek Squad, CinemaNow, Magnolia Audio Video, Pacific Sales, and, in Canada operates...
released a free Smartphone
Smartphone
A smartphone is a high-end mobile phone built on a mobile computing platform, with more advanced computing ability and connectivity than a contemporary feature phone. The first smartphones were devices that mainly combined the functions of a personal digital assistant and a mobile phone or camera...
application called "Movie Mode" that translates what the Minions are saying during the end credits. Special content can be unlocked from the application after seeing the film.
Books
In May 2010, three books related to the movie were published, as well as the children's puppet book featured in the film. The first, My Dad the Super Villain (ISBN 0316083828), was rated as a preschool book. The second, Despicable Me: The Junior Novel (ISBN 0316083801), was rated as being a Junior Reader for ages 8 to 12. The third, Despicable Me: The World's Greatest Villain (ISBN 0316083771), was rated for ages 3–6 years. The puppet book Sleepy Kittens (ISBN 031608381X) was written by Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio and illustrated by Paul.Video game
A video game titled Despicable Me: The Game was released for the PlayStation 2PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
, PlayStation Portable
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
and Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
. A Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
version was released under the name Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem. Namco
Namco
is a Japanese corporation best known as a former video game developer and publisher. Following a merger with Bandai in September 2005, the two companies' game production assets were spun off into Namco Bandai Games on March 31, 2006. Namco Ltd. was re-established to continue domestic operation of...
also released a version for the iPhone
IPhone
The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
and iPad
IPad
The iPad is a line of tablet computers designed, developed and marketed by Apple Inc., primarily as a platform for audio-visual media including books, periodicals, movies, music, games, and web content. The iPad was introduced on January 27, 2010 by Apple's then-CEO Steve Jobs. Its size and...
platform entitled Despicable Me: Minion Mania, developed by Anino Games.
Home media
Despicable Me was released on DVD, Blu-ray, and Blu-ray 3D on December 14, 2010. The release included three new short films, titled Home Makeover, Orientation Day and Banana. Also, the website Minionmadness.com was launched to promote the home media release.Critical response
The film has received generally positive reviews from critics. Review aggregate Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
reports that 81% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 185 reviews, with an average score of 6.8/10. The critical consensus is: "Borrowing heavily (and intelligently) from Pixar and Looney Tunes, Despicable Me is a surprisingly thoughtful, family-friendly treat with a few surprises of its own." Among "Top Critics," comprising critics from the top newspapers and other publications, the film holds an approval rating of 88% based on 32 reviews.
Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, another review aggregation website, assigned the film a score of 72%, based on 34 reviews from mainstream critics.
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
of the Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
praised the film, awarding it three stars out of a possible four.
Other positive reviews came from Michael Phillips
Michael Phillips (critic)
Michael Phillips is a film critic for the Chicago Tribune newspaper. Previously he was the drama critic of the Tribune; the Los Angeles Times; the St. Paul Pioneer Press; the San Diego Union-Tribune; and the Dallas Times Herald....
of the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
and Peter Travers
Peter Travers
Peter Travers is an American film critic, who has written for, in turn, People and Rolling Stone. Travers also hosts a celebrity interview show called Popcorn on ABC News Now and ABCNews.com.-Career:...
of Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
.
In contrast, A. O. Scott
A. O. Scott
Anthony Oliver Scott, known as A. O. Scott , is an American journalist and critic. He is a chief film critic for The New York Times, along with Manohla Dargis.-Background and education:...
of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
disliked the film, stating "while there's nothing worth despising, there's not much to remember either."
Mick LaSalle
Mick LaSalle
Mick LaSalle is an American Mick LaSalle is an [[United States|American]] Mick LaSalle is an [[United States|American]] [[film reviewer] and the author of two books on pre-[[Motion Picture Production Code|Hays Code]] Hollywood...
of the San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
wrote: "there's nothing in this to engage an audience. Obviously, no one cares if this guy gets to remain as the world's top bad guy. Nor is this situation inherently amusing in a character way or even interesting in a satirical
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
or sardonic way. There is simply nothing here, except a pretext for lots of labored, slapstick
Slapstick
Slapstick is a type of comedy involving exaggerated violence and activities which may exceed the boundaries of common sense.- Origins :The phrase comes from the batacchio or bataccio — called the 'slap stick' in English — a club-like object composed of two wooden slats used in Commedia dell'arte...
spy-versus-spy
Spy vs. Spy
Spy vs. Spy is a black and white comic strip that debuted in Mad magazine #60, dated January 1961, and was originally published by EC Comics. The strip was created by Antonio Prohías.The Spy vs...
type shenanigans between the two 'villains.' Twenty minutes into "Despicable Me," nothing has happened."
The film received nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film
Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film
The Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film was awarded for the first time at the 64th Golden Globe Awards in 2007. It was the first time that the Golden Globe Awards had created a separate category for animated films since its establishment. The nominations are announced in January and...
at the 68th Golden Globe Awards
68th Golden Globe Awards
The 68th Golden Globe Awards was broadcast live from the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California on January 16, 2011, by NBC. The host was Ricky Gervais....
and the BAFTA Award for Best Animated Film
BAFTA Award for Best Animated Film
-Winners and nominees:...
at the 64th BAFTA Awards
64th British Academy Film Awards
The 64th British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTAs, were held on 13 February 2011 honouring the best national and foreign films of 2010. The nominees were announced on 18 January 2011. The King's Speech earned the most nominations with fourteen...
. It also won a 2011 Kids Choice Awards for best animated movie.
Box-office performance
Released on July 9, 2010, in the United States, Despicable Me opened at the number one spot at the box office and pulled in $56.3 million, making it the third biggest opening grossing for an animated film in 2010 behind Toy Story 3Toy Story 3
Toy Story 3 is a 2010 American 3D computer-animated comedy-adventure film, and the third installment in the Toy Story series. It was produced by Pixar and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It was directed by Lee Unkrich. The film was released worldwide from June through October in Disney Digital...
and Shrek Forever After
Shrek Forever After
Shrek Forever After, taglined as The Final Chapter, is a 2010 animated fantasy-comedy film, and the fourth and final installment in the Shrek film series, produced by DreamWorks Animation. The film was released by Paramount Pictures in cinemas on May 20, 2010 in Russia, and on May 21 in the United...
. In its second weekend, the film dipped to 42% to second place behind Inception
Inception
Inception: The Subconscious Jams 1994-1995 is a compilation of unreleased tracks by the band Download.-Track listing:# "Primitive Tekno Jam" – 3:23# "Bee Sting Sickness" – 8:04# "Weed Acid Techno" – 8:19...
with $32.8 million earned. The film then had another drop of 27% in its third weekend and finished in third place with $23.8 million. On August 5, 2010, the film crossed the $200 million mark, becoming the first Universal film to reach the milestone since 2007's The Bourne Ultimatum
The Bourne Ultimatum (film)
The Bourne Ultimatum is a 2007 American spy film directed by Paul Greengrass and loosely based on the Robert Ludlum novel of the same title. This film is the third in the Bourne film series, being preceded by The Bourne Identity and The Bourne Supremacy...
.
On the weekend lasting from September 3–5, 2010 it surpassed Shrek Forever After to become the second highest-grossing animated film of 2010 in the United States and Canada, behind Toy Story 3. It is also the highest-grossing non-DreamWorks/non-Disney·Pixar animated film of all time in these territories. The film has made $251,513,985 in the United States and Canada as well as an estimated $290,500,000 overseas for a worldwide total of $543,010,705, against its $69 million production budget. This film is also Universal's sixth highest-grossing film (unadjusted for inflation) and the tenth-highest-grossing animated feature of all-time in North America. In worldwide earnings, it is the sixth biggest film of Universal Studios, the fourth-largest animated movie of 2010 trailing Toy Story 3, Shrek Forever After, and Tangled, the 16th largest animated film of all time and the 9th highest-grossing film of 2010.
Awards and nominations
| Award | Category/Recipient(s) | Result | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annie Awards 38th Annie Awards The 38th Annual Annie Awards honoring the best in animation of 2010 was held February 5, 2011 at Royce Hall in Los Angeles, California.-Best Animated Feature :How to Train Your Dragon – DreamWorks Animation... |
Best Animated Feature Annie Award for Best Animated Feature The Annie Award for Best Animated Feature is an Annie Award, awarded annually to the best animated feature film and introduced in 1992. In 1998 the award was renamed Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Theatrical Feature, only to be reverted back to its original title again in 2001... |
||
| Voice Acting in a Feature Production (Steve Carell Steve Carell Steven John "Steve" Carell is an American comedian, actor, voice artist, producer, writer, and director. Although Carell is notable for his role on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, he found greater fame in the late 2000s for playing Michael Scott on The Office... ) |
|||
| Character Design In a Animated Film (Carter Goodrich) | |||
| Directing in a Feature Production (Pierre Coffin Pierre Coffin Pierre Coffin is a French animator and director. He was trained at the Gobelins in Paris and started to work at Amblimation, the 2D London based facility, where he worked on the Steven Spielberg-executive-produced We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story... ) |
|||
| Music in a Feature Production (Pharrell Williams Pharrell Williams Pharrell Williams , commonly known simply as Pharrell, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, composer, and fashion designer. Williams and Chad Hugo make up the record production duo The Neptunes, producing hip hop and R&B music... and Heitor Pereria) |
|||
| Production Design in a Feature Production (Yarrow Cheny and Eric Guillon) | |||
| BAFTA Awards 64th British Academy Film Awards The 64th British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTAs, were held on 13 February 2011 honouring the best national and foreign films of 2010. The nominees were announced on 18 January 2011. The King's Speech earned the most nominations with fourteen... |
Best Animated Film BAFTA Award for Best Animated Film -Winners and nominees:... |
||
| Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards 2010 The 16th Critics' Choice Awards, which were presented on Friday, January 14, 2011 at the Hollywood Palladium, honored the finest achievements in 2010 filmmaking... |
Best Animated Film | ||
| Golden Globes Awards 68th Golden Globe Awards The 68th Golden Globe Awards was broadcast live from the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California on January 16, 2011, by NBC. The host was Ricky Gervais.... |
Best Animated Feature Film Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film The Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film was awarded for the first time at the 64th Golden Globe Awards in 2007. It was the first time that the Golden Globe Awards had created a separate category for animated films since its establishment. The nominations are announced in January and... |
||
| Kids Choice Awards | Favorite Animated Movie | ||
| Favorite Buttkicker (Steve Carell Steve Carell Steven John "Steve" Carell is an American comedian, actor, voice artist, producer, writer, and director. Although Carell is notable for his role on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, he found greater fame in the late 2000s for playing Michael Scott on The Office... ) |
|||
| Peoples Choice Awards | Favorite Family Movie | ||
| Satellite Awards Satellite Awards 2010 The 2010 Satellite Awards, honoring the year's outstanding performers, films, television shows, DVDs, and interactive media, were presented by the International Press Academy at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles on Sunday, December 19, 2010... |
Best Animated or Mixed Media Film | ||
| Saturn Awards 37th Saturn Awards The 37th Saturn Awards, honoring the best in science fiction, fantasy and horror film and television in 2010 were held on June 23, 2011.-Best Science Fiction Film:*Inception*Hereafter*Iron Man 2*Never Let Me Go*Splice... |
Best Animated Film Saturn Award for Best Animated Film The following are a list of Saturn Award winners for Best Animated Film:-Winners:... |
||
| Teen Choice Awards Teen Choice Awards The Teen Choice Awards, are an annual awards show that air on the Fox cable channel, that honor the year's biggest biggest achievements in music, movies, sports, television, fashion and more, voted by teen viewers aged 14 through 17. Winners receive an authentic full size surfboard designed with... |
Choice Summer: Movie | ||
| Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Awards Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Awards 2010 The 9th Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Awards 2010 were given out on December 6, 2010.-Winners and nominees:*Best Film:**The Social Network*127 Hours*Black Swan*Inception*Toy Story 3*Best Director:... |
Best Animated film | ||
Sequel
Chris MeledandriChris Meledandri
Chris Meledandri is the founder and CEO of Illumination Entertainment.-Walt Disney Pictures:Before joining Fox, Meledandri was president of Dawn Steel Pictures at Walt Disney Pictures, where he served as an executive producer of Cool Runnings.-20th Century Fox Animation:During his tenure, he...
has said that a sequel is in the works. It is tentatively scheduled for release on July 3, 2013. Miranda Cosgrove stated on her official Facebook and Twitter page on October 14, 2011 that production had begun.