Despicable Me

Gru, a slick, gadget loving supervillain, hatches a plan to steal the moon to prove his blueprints for mischief are unmatched. He relocates to a suburban lair, recruits a legion of freeze ray gadgets, and schemes to pull off the caper. But when three orphaned girls, Margo, Edith, and Agnes, infiltrate his life and adopt him as their guardian, Gru finds his careful universe of schemes disrupted. The kids bring out a softer side, turning his world upside down as he juggles villainy with babysitting duties. The film blends warm humor with a sly nod to pop culture and a surprisingly tender look at family and belonging. The tone stays playful yet surprisingly sincere throughout, without losing pace these days.

Released in 2010, the film is directed by Chris Renaud and Pierre Coffin. It stems from an original concept by Sergio Pablos with scripts by Ken Daurio and Cinco Paul for Illumination Entertainment, notably featuring Steve Carell as Gru.

Despicable Me helped launch a pop culture phenomenon around the minions, the small yellow assistants who steal scenes and catchphrases. Their goofy antics, toys, and memes became a staple of family entertainment and a recognizable symbol of the franchise. The minions permeated advertising, memes, and even theme park moments.

Critics noted its brisk pace, witty humor, and warm emotional core despite its silly premise. The film blends a heist movie parody with a family origin story, exploring redemption, fatherhood, and the value of chosen family. Audiences responded with praise for the voice work and lively humor and lasting appeal.

It earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Feature, a sign of its broad appeal beyond kids audiences. The film also garnered recognition from industry groups for its humor, character design, and music, helping establish Illumination as a major animation studio.