Despicable Me 2

Theatrical Release Date: 2013 07 03 (USA - 3D) / 2013 07 03 (USA)

UPC: 025192123610

Studio: Universal Studios

MPAA Rating: PG   Contains:[Scatological Humor]

Summary: Once upon a time, Gru (voice of Steve Carrell) dreamt of stealing the moon - these days he's a single adoptive father of three precocious girls. Having given up his spectacular life of crime, Gru now aims to produce a delicious new line of jams with the help of his tiny minions and his old pal Dr. Nefario (voice of Russell Brand). Feeling unfulfilled in his newfound role as a jam-maker, Dr. Nefario announces that he will be departing for more evil pastures just as Gru is approached by the Anti-Villain League to capture the mysterious culprit who just stole a top-secret research lab filled with PX 41 -- an experimental serum with the strength to transform harmless animals into ravenous monsters. The AVL is certain that the culprit is covering his tracks by posing as a small business owner at a local mall, and assign their best agent Lucy (Kristen Wiig) to aid Gru in identifying him. Meanwhile, Gru's oldest adopted daughter Margo (voice of Miranda Cosgrove) falls for rebellious teen Antonio (voice of Moises Arias), the leather-jacketed son of boisterous Mexican cantina owner Eduardo (voice of Benjamin Bratt). Now, with Gru's paternal instincts kicking into full gear just as a dastardly plot begins to unfold, the devoted new father must divide his time between saving the world from an enigmatic super-villain, and saving Miranda from total heartbreak. All the while, a suitable mother for the girls may have been standing right under Gru's pointy nose the entire time. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

Category: Comedy

Awards: Best Animated Feature – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Animated Feature – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Original Song – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Animated Feature – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Animated Feature – British Academy of Film and Television Arts

Features: Gru's girls
Gadgets galore
Feature commentary

Despicable Me 2

Format: DVD

Release Date: 12/10/2013

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Theatre Wide-Screen

Audio: DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1, DD2 Dolby Digital Stereo

Runtime: 98 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English,French,Spanish

Subtitles: English,French,Spanish

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Disc #1 -- Despicable Me 2
1. Scene 1
2. Scene 2
3. Scene 3
4. Scene 4
5. Scene 5
6. Scene 6
7. Scene 7
8. Scene 8
9. Scene 9
10. Scene 10
11. Scene 11
12. Scene 12
13. Scene 13
14. Scene 14
15. Scene 15
16. Scene 16
17. Scene 17
18. Scene 18
19. Scene 19
20. Scene 20

Jason Buchanan

Back in 2010, it was a battle of the baddies at the box office as Despicable Me's chrome-domed Gru took on big-headed Megamind to determine which of the diabolical supervillains had the biggest heart. Three short years later, with no Megamind sequel in sight, proud papa Gru seems to have won the battle by default in Despicable Me 2, a vivacious sequel that's effortlessly entertaining despite its notably diminished stakes.

Once upon a time, Gru (voice of Steve Carell) dreamt of stealing the moon -- these days he's a single adoptive father of three precocious girls. Having given up his spectacular life of crime, Gru now aims to produce a delicious new line of jams with the help of his tiny minions and his old pal Dr. Nefario (voice of Russell Brand). Feeling unfulfilled in his newfound role as a jam-maker, Dr. Nefario announces that he will be departing for more evil pastures just as Gru is approached by the Anti-Villain League to capture the mysterious culprit who just stole a top-secret research lab filled with PX 41 -- an experimental serum with the strength to transform harmless animals into ravenous monsters. The AVL is certain that the culprit is covering his tracks by posing as a small-business owner at a local mall, and assign their best agent Lucy (Kristen Wiig) to aid Gru in identifying him. Meanwhile, Gru's oldest adopted daughter Margo (Miranda Cosgrove) falls for rebellious teen Antonio (Moises Arias), the leather-jacketed son of boisterous Mexican cantina owner Eduardo (Benjamin Bratt). Now, with Gru's paternal instincts kicking into full gear just as a dastardly plot begins to unfold, the devoted new father must divide his time between saving the world from an enigmatic supervillain, and saving Margo from total heartbreak. All the while, a suitable mother for the girls may have been standing right under Gru's pointy nose the entire time.

In Despicable Me, we watched in delight as a scoundrel with global ambitions had his heart melted by three adorable little orphans. Only a few years have passed since Gru kissed his criminal instincts goodbye, and in the opening scenes of this sequel, screenwriters Ken Daurio and Cinco Paul make a point to show us what an adoring father he's become. The result is a string of lighthearted, well-timed gags as Gru throws a princess birthday party for young Agnes, and gets swept off to AVN headquarters by quirky agent Lucy. Colorful and energetic, these early scenes strike the same affectionately comic tone that made the first film a box-office hit. Those good vibes continue as Gru reluctantly begins dating in a bid to find the girls a suitable mother, and starts snooping around the mall with Lucy in hopes of finding the secret serum stash. It's around this point that we begin to realize that the writers have opted to reign in the scope to focus on character interaction, and who could blame them for not wanting to try and top a plot about stealing the moon? Yes, Despicable Me 2 may be much smaller in scale than its predecessor, but it's no less fun as we watch Gru unwittingly fall in love while piecing together the various clues in the PX 41 mystery. Although it could be argued that Daurio and Paul misstep in not revealing the villain's identity a bit sooner, an abundance of sight gags involving the minions confirm that tension was never a priority here, making memorable use of the boisterous yellow blobs as the story unfolds at a leisurely pace.

Of course, for those who savored Carell's gleefully over-the-top voice work in the previous outing, the focus on characters will only serve to double your enjoyment this time around, even if it often feels like precious little is at stake. Once the focus of the story shifts to Gru and Lucy's efforts to stop a disaster from unfolding, the writers do a fairly ingenious job of turning one of the series' most popular attractions into a threat that's as funny as it is frightening, but it's the winning vocal performances and the upbeat tone that make this slightly-lesser sequel highly watchable regardless. For cynics and detractors, it may at time feel like this sequel exists for nothing more than to push the film's most marketable characters front and center. By the time the credits roll even fans will likely recognize that the potential for this series has been exhausted, but ask them if it was a fun ride along the way and odds are they'll simply wring their hands and grin. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Christopher Meledandri  Producer 
Ken Daurio  Screenwriter 
Cinco Paul  Screenwriter 
Janet Healy  Producer 
Chris Renaud  Director 
Pierre Coffin  Director 
Heitor Pereira  Composer (Music Score) 
Steve Carell  Actor 
Kristen Wiig  Actor 
Benjamin Bratt  Actor 
Miranda Cosgrove  Actor 
Russell Brand  Actor 
Ken Jeong  Actor 
Steve Coogan  Actor 
Elsie Fisher  Actor 
Dana Gaier  Actor 
Moisés Arias  Actor 
Nasim Pedrad  Actor 
Kristen Schaal  Actor 
Pierre Coffin  Actor 
Pierre Coffin  Actor 
Pierre Coffin  Actor 
Pierre Coffin  Actor 
Chris Renaud  Actor 
Pierre Coffin  Actor 
Chris Renaud  Actor 
Chris Renaud  Actor 
Nickolai Stoilov  Actor 
Vanessa Bayer  Actor 

Country: USA