Alright...let's talk about Illumination Entertainment.
One of the animation divisions of NBC Universal that's garnered the company a vast new wave of commercial success debatably affecting the North American animation market as much as their Disney competitors. Yet, if you ask a fair portion of critics or animation nerds, they'll tell you the company is barely anything to acknowledge, with hand-me-down writing, lackluster animation, and a mascot infestation that should drive any sane-minded movie-goer to quick annoyance.
Which is weird when you consider that, just a decade ago in 2010, they were just coming onto the scene. Producer Chris Meledandri had left Fox's Blue Sky Studios to make cost-effective, family-friendly content and Universal saw the potential of those kinds of stories, specifically a story pitch from writer Sergio Pablos.
That treatment was given to two of the main creatives at the company - Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud (who would wind up voicing the lovable Minions in the soon-to-be series) - and the rest is seemingly history.
For me, even if I understand a lot of that pushback from animation nerds, I've never been THAT much of an Illumination hater. Its certainly never been from a point of high admiration: 'Sing' was decent at best, 'The Secret Life of Pets' has faded from my memory as time has gone, 'The Grinch' felt pointless, and the 'Despicable Me' franchise itself has always been on a bit of a quality rollercoaster for me.
In a vastly different animation world than a decade ago, I wanted to go back to where it all started and see if I could pinpoint where some of that appeal could have sparked (I actually don't remember seeing this in theaters, I think I might have just waited until it was on cable). After all, with as much pop culture impact as we've seen with this series, it at least had to have some basic appeal, right?
To be honest, I came out pleasantly surprised upon a rewatch. I could certainly pinpoint where some of Illumination's more aggravating tendencies started to arise, but I kind of didn't care.
'Despicable Me' has this oddball sense of charm to its humor and characters, a surprisingly good sense of pace to it for a family animated film, and has its emotional arcs placed firmly where they need to be. In other words, it feels competent in all the right places, lets the audience in on the jokes, and is consistently enjoyable as a result.
Felonius Gru (voiced by Steve Carell) is a supervillain planning his next evil plan: to steal the moon and finally be recognized as a major threat to the world. He is assisted by his chief scientist, Dr. Nefario (voiced by Russell Brand) and his army of Minions (voiced by Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud), who help Gru however they can in his schemes.
A new villain named Vector (voiced by Jason Segal) steals the shrink ray Gru was going to use to shrink the moon. Gru is unable to break into Vector's hideout but is shocked when three young orphaned girls are able to sell Vector cookies in an attempt to benefit their orphanage. Gru decides to adopt the girls and convince them to infiltrate Vector's hideout to steal the shrink ray back.
Gru adopts the three girls - Margo (voiced by Miranda Cosgrove), Edith (voiced by Dana Gaier), and Agnes (voiced by Elsie Fisher) - and quickly realizes he is out of his depth. While the three are generally excited to be part of a family, Gru treats them with disdain at first, only to warm up to them as they begin to find things they have in common. But as the moon heist draws closers, Gru must consider whether he can be a great parent, as well as a great supervillain.
Illumination's strengths have usually been focused on making characters that are likable, if imperfect, with a big emphasis on adding in as much humor as they can fit. 'Despicable Me' can certainly feel like that at points, but it makes up for that with a distinct lack of rushing (odd considering its just over 90 minutes). The film doesn't try to overload itself with jokes; instead, it's willing to sacrifice a few flat ones to offer the story and characters time to breathe in the hopes that those will connect with audiences.
Thankfully, that's the case here and, as I mentioned earlier, there is this kind of oddball charm to said characters. Steve Carell gives Gru a sense of awkward confidence that works more than it probably should and it makes him a compelling lead as a result. The girls themselves are also distinct and fun to be around. Margo is the supportive older one trying best to keep the trio together, Edith is the rebellious middle child that can get way over her head, and Agnes is the unicorn-obsessed baby of the bunch with a heart of gold.
They each present a particular relationship dynamic and the film allows Gru and the girls time to get to know one another and build that level of trust. As far as supporting characters go, Russell Brand gets to be likable for once as the grouchy Dr. Nefario and Jason Segal, through some pretty cringy writing, at least tries to give Vector his few moments of wannabe superiority.
Then, of course, there are the Minions, and this is where some of those "not every joke will work" comments come into play. When the Minions get to play off of the other characters, they can genuinely help accentuate some of the characters' wackier tendencies and get in some legitimately hilarious moments (including a recurring joke with an anti-gravity serum that I had so much fun seeing again and again).
However, in the instances where they have to divulge from the main story (like when three of them have to find Agnes a new unicorn), you start to see where Illumination's next couple of films got some of those tendencies and where older audiences might find themselves begging the movie to get on with it. Also, while the characters and humor are good, they're not always consistent and even the good moments aren't enough to distract from a story that, frankly, feels a bit like missed potential.
A decade after its release, 'Despicable Me' works more times than it probably has any right to from a pure entertainment perspective. Illumination, for better or worse, made their mark with this film and I think it's worth mentioning in examining the animated catalog of the 2010s. I'd say go check this one out again, especially with kids or your family; it's certainly aimed for younger audiences, but I think there's enough good about it for anyone to enjoy.
Overall, I give 'Despicable Me' 7.5/10.
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