I find the gibberish from the yellow pill-like minions in Universal’s animated Despicable Me franchise quite funny. Maybe not as funny as the gentleman that sat behind me at my screening of Despicable Me 2, whom I thought may collapse in hysterics as he laughed at a late gag that involved the little guys and All 4 One’s “I Swear“, but funny nonetheless. They’re like PG-rated versions of “Beavis and Butthead”, giggling at a character named Silas Ramsbottom for obvious reasons, while also contributing to the story. Almost every animated film has a group of supporting characters like these from the penguins in Madagascar to the little green aliens in Toy Story, but for my money the minions have delivered the most enjoyment.
What does that say about the film overall? Considering it’s a story centered on the once nefarious super-villain Gru (voiced by Steve Carell), you’d probably assume it’s a little lackluster, but I actually felt the story struck a satisfying balance of minion mischief mixed with a sweet, easy to digest narrative.
In the first film Gru’s plan to steal the moon loses its importance in ways he didn’t expect when he adopts three orphan girls — Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), Edith (Dana Gaier) and Agnes (Elsie Fisher). In the sequel, Gru and the girls are now a full-fledged family and he is no longer playing the role of villain. Instead he’s playing father to not only the girls, but his legion of lovable minions.
So what’s a super-villain to do when he stops being a villain? Well, his on-staff Dr. Nefario (voiced by Russell Brand) is helping him attempt to make their own line of jam, but it’s not turning out so well and Nefario goes looking for employment elsewhere. You know, where the goals are a bit more… nefarious.
Meanwhile, Gru’s girls are starting to have wandering eyes with Margo specifically taking an interest in boys. With the jam business not nearly as fulfilling as he’d hoped, Gru’s luck changes when he is recruited by the Anti-Villain League (AVL) to help stop a new supervillain whose identity has yet to be determined.
Teamed with with chatty AVL agent Lucy (voiced by Kristen Wiig), a second side story that has Gru seeking a companion of his own begins to blossom as they hunt down their target in a local shopping mall before he can turn Gru’s minion friends into destructive purple monsters.
Despicable Me 2 doesn’t quite have as much heart as the first film considering the story doesn’t revolve around the three girls turning a depressed super-villain into a loving father, but it does continue the franchise’s tradition of focusing on family and Gru’s kind heart rather than getting too ugly or focusing on pop culture jokes that will grow old in six months.
Gru never wants to let his girls down and while I’m sure many will look upon him as a “terrible father!” after he lets them roam free in a shopping mall without supervision, at least some consideration must be made for the fact you’re watching an animated movie where one character flies a shark equipped with rockets into a volcano… and lives. Oh, and the minions, don’t forget about the minions.
As far as animated features go, this is the best studio produced movie 2013 has had to offer so far. It runs a brisk 98 minutes and is entertaining throughout. If you saw and enjoyed the first film I don’t see how you could possibly not enjoy this one. It doesn’t quite reach the same emotional highs as the first, but in all it’s an entertaining little piece of cinema and I’ll gladly welcome Minions when it arrives December 2014.
