Despicable Me 2 (2013)

After a three-year absence, Gru (Steve Carell ) and his many Minions are back in 2013’s Despicable Me 2. Time with his adopted girls have warmed this evil villain’s heart. He is no longer the criminal he once was, even though he is still admired by crooks everywhere for stealing the Moon.Nowadays, our evil genius struggles to live a crime-free life making jellies and jams.

After dressing up as a fairy princess at his youngest daughter’s birthday party and losing Dr. Nefario (Russell Brand) to another super villain, we discover that Gru is in somewhat of a rut.

Enter super-secret agent, Lucy Wilde (Kristen Wiig) and the Anti Villain League. Of course they have a top secret mission that only Gru can help them with. Of course he initially turns the job down because he’s no longer in the business, and of course he finally accepts their offer after having a bad day in the real world. Will he get the girl? Will he save the day? I’m not spoiling it for you.

This film has all the charm of the original, and more humor for the adults in the audience than Disney’s Monster University. The Minions, being the sleeper hit from the first movie, have an expanded role in the sequel similar to the Penguin’s role in DreamWorks’ Madagascar series. I’d expect more animated films to be milking this sidekick formula for years to come, but I say that you can never beat the original Oompa Loompas.

Even though Despicable Me 2 has an oft-used plotline, the story is captivating for all 98 minutes. I didn’t notice the film dragging anywhere, and I still laughed even though many of the funniest moments were shown in the movie’s trailers. Take the kids out for the matinee to see this one.