Taglines: Back 2 Work.
Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment’s worldwide blockbuster Despicable Me entertained audiences around the globe in 2010, grossing more than $540 million and becoming the 10th-biggest animated motion picture in U.S. history. In summer 2013, get ready for more Minion madness in Despicable Me 2.
Chris Melandri and his acclaimed filmmaking team create an all-new comedy adventure featuring the return of (former?) super-villain Gru (Steve Carell), his adorable girls, the unpredictably hilarious Minions… and a host of new and outrageously funny characters.
Now that the ever-entrepreneurial Gru has left behind a life of super crime to raise Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), Edith (Dana Gaier) and Agnes (Elsie Fisher), Gru, Dr. Nefario (Russell Brand) and the Minions have some free time on their hands.
But as he starts to adjust to his role as a suburban family man, an ultra-secret organization dedicated to fighting evil around the globe comes knocking. Now, it’s up to Gru and his new partner, Lucy Wilde (Kristen Wiig), to discover who is responsible for a spectacular crime and bring him to justice. After all, it takes the world’s greatest ex-villain to catch the one vying to take his place…
Life Post-Villainy: Despicable Me 2 Begins (2013)
In Despicable Me, we were introduced to our protagonist, super-villain Gru, who was given a monumental challenge when he encountered three orphan girls who unexpectedly changed his life. The arc of the relationship between Gru and Margo, Edith and Agnes was the heartbeat of this animated adventure, and remains an essential element in what has grown into a franchise.
As the filmmakers approached the story for Despicable Me 2, they felt that the ending of the first movie—Gru realizing how much he loved the girls— was truly a beginning for the characters. The formation of this unusual family, and how they will move forward, provided a rich and identifiable point of engagement for moviegoers across the globe who saw their unique families reflected in this animated one.
After Despicable Me’s success, what became clear to the team was that the first film served as a launching pad. Illumination Entertainment CEO Chris Meledandri elaborates that it was the outpouring of support that ensured that there would be more tales of Gru and his family: “After Despicable Me’s success, it was clear that we wanted to make another film. The storytelling process of determining what was going to happen in the next film was a natural evolution. I’ve never had an experience where a conversation about a sequel was as organic as it was with Despicable Me 2. The characters and relationships that had been formed suggested many different places that we could go with the story. But we knew that the underlying core was going to be about the evolution of this family. That was absolutely clear.”
The creative team behind Despicable Me returns for Despicable Me 2 with a unified goal: to honor what worked so well in the first story, to amplify those elements through character and story, and deliver the combustible mixture of the sweet, the subversive and the unexpected that had such an impact on audiences. Meledandri acknowledges that this was no accident: “The team that made Despicable Me over a four-year period was nothing short of extraordinary. From our incredibly talented directors, Chris Renaud and Pierre Coffin; to our writers, Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio; to my producing partner, Janet Healy; and all of the animators, designers, storyboard artists, technical directors, sound mixers—there were hundreds of people who brought their talents together to realize this wonderful film. I am fortunate enough to have them back to make the sequel. The relationship that was forged through the first film has translated into shorthand and a collaborative spirit on the second film that’s extraordinary.”
Healy reflects that this easy rapport among her colleagues made for a much more fluid process this time around: “Because Despicable Me 2 represents a reunion of the same crew, we knew one another very well and how to complement one another’s strengths. It made it much easier to revisit these characters in this world. This allowed us to think more about what their story would be this time because we didn’t have to figure out the look of the picture or how bad Gru should be or the characters of the girls. It was all there for us to mine.”
In Despicable Me 2, we pick up with Gru, the girls and the Minions, and we see what life for them looks like post-villainy. For Gru, there are practical questions that he has to answer: Is he capable of being a good father and leaving the exciting (not to mention lucrative) world of villainy behind? How will he provide for his daughters and continue to employ Dr. Nefario and the Minions now that the spoils of wickedness are in his past? Sums Meledandri: “For Gru, it’s life after villainy, and now his primary responsibility is his family. He’s trying to figure out how to support them and has started a cottage industry in his lab. He’s retrofitted his lab to become a jam and jelly factory.”
Despicable Me 2
Directed by: Pierre Coffin, Chris Renaud
Starring: Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Ken Jeong, Miranda Cosgrove, Moises Arias, Russell Brand
Screenplay by: Ken Daurio, Cinco Paul
Production Design by: Yarrow Cheney, Eric Guillon
Film Editing by: Gregory Perler
Music by: Heitor Pereira
MPAA Rating: PG for rude humor and mild action.
Studio: Universal Pictures
Release Date: July 3, 2013
Visits: 88
