Rating: PG | Runtime: 95 minutes
Release Date: July 9th, 2010 (USA)
Studio: Illumination Entertainment / Universal Pictures
Director(s): Pierre Coffin & Chris Renaud
Writer(s): Cinco Paul & Ken Daurio / Sergio Pablos (story)

Oh, yes. I have pins and needles I’m sitting on.

Another hat has been thrown into the ring. Illumination Entertainment joins the stiff competition of Hollywood animators by bringing along a stellar voice cast and the ever-present 3D format. Christopher Meledandri—the man behind Fox’s steady rise to becoming one of the top three studios for the medium alongside Pixar and DreamWorks—left his executive job to head up this new company, pilfering artist Chris Renaud to co-direct their debut Despicable Me with Pierre Coffin.

Let’s just say that it’s no easy feat to go against the big boys without a solid story, impeccable art design and animation, and, most notably, heart. That last one is what’s needed to turn a good film into an exalted one. Meledandri knows how to create entertainment as he’s proven to elicit laughs from the Ice Age series, but he has yet to hit that home run as a producer. I applaud the effort here, though, as it’s his best yet, and can imagine the studio will improve exponentially as they move into the future. Hopefully they’ll earn enough capital to do so since competition breeds more creativity and technological advancement.

The concept intrigues by asking the question of whether a children’s film can succeed with a bad guy as its hero. Gru is the world’s second-most infamous villain. He dresses the part, has an exotic Balkan-ish accent (although Steve Carell does fall into Austrian Schwarzenegger territory at times), and has a legion of minions at his beck and call. Stealing things like the NBC-topped Times Square Jumbotron won’t vault him to the number one status he so desires, though. No, he will have to pull off the largest heist ever to usurp newcomer Vector (Jason Segel).

But what’s bigger than his Pyramid of Giza triumph? While nothing on Earth may beat it, the moon above might do the job. So, after devising a plan with the help of his elderly and partially deaf cohort Dr. Nefario (Russell Brand), Gru goes down to the Bank of Evil (formerly Lehman Brothers … ouch) and lays it all on the line for their manager Mr. Perkins (Will Arnett). Once he steals a shrink ray, he will take the bank’s loan to build a rocket ship and fly towards the moon before shrinking it to bring back down to Earth. Those theatrical anchors on the news stations will have a field day looking into all the cameras surrounding their desks while gasping in dismay at the feat.

Despicable Me is a very funny movie. We are over a decade into the computer animation era, though, and good graphics and laughs don’t quite cut it anymore. Everyone—even those upstarts that self-finance a vision and render it all at home on their Mac—can create pretty things. It comes down to how the story resonates with its audience. Does it touch them, warm their hearts, and leave them wanting more? The filmmakers here realize this fact and try hard to make it a reality, but the sense of recall is too much to overcome.

I couldn’t look at the adorably cute orphan girls without remembering the little one who so obviously inspired them: Boo from Monsters, Inc. And although those yellow, indecipherably giggly minions left me in stitches more than once as an abstract comic relief infusion, they also mirrored their DreamWorks counterparts: the dastardly Madagascar penguins. I so wanted to appreciate these characters (the true heart and soul of the picture), but I keep remembering those that came first. But, if there’s any consolation, both groups work better than their brethren to improve upon those inherent gimmicks.

This movie would be nothing without Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), Edith (Dana Gaier), and, especially, Agnes (Elsie Fisher) with her “It’s SOOO FLUFFY!!!!” declaration. They are orphan children at Miss Hattie’s (Kristen Wiig) cookie-selling establishment and exactly what a man like Gru needs to soften his edges and appreciate what life has to offer. Growing up with a mother that never showed approval (Julie Andrews), his penchant for destruction and nefarious deeds can be understood. Even this cute trio happen upon him as a means to an end since they’re the holders of Vector’s favorite cookies and a surefire way into his lair to steal the shrink ray without dealing with the gunfire, bombs, or sharks blocking the path.

But once he begins to bond in a fatherly way, the girls’ own fascination with weaponry and decimation touches his blackened soul. When Edith shrieks in pleasure at an amusement park—hoping to destroy another game after Gru implodes Jack McBrayer’s shoot-em-up station—the wry smile of love shows for a fleeting second on Gru’s face. They are impressionable, loyal, and highly excitable like his pet minions. But the girls have a full range of emotion and intellect to be equals he can teach and bring along as heirs to his antagonistic throne.

The scenes of pure delight between Gru’s orphan wards and those rambunctious Corn Pops (I don’t know if the label originated from the production or fans on the internet, but the comparison to Kellogg’s cereal is apt) were what I yearned for whenever left with Gru and his moon plot. Carell is perfect in the role—just wait until he reads “The Three Little Kittens”—and his interactions with Arnett, Segel, and Brand’s characters are funny. Thankfully, though, the filmmakers didn’t see his collaboration as the end all be all for the film despite using his name above the title on most marketing materials. He is but one cog that exists with the rest to play their respective parts.

The story may center on his quest for world domination, but the way he treats his employees (I can’t wait to see the inevitable short film depicting those minions’ escapades on the eventual DVD release) and adopted children wins out above the main plot to change the dynamic as a result. With references to Saturday Night Fever, Annie, and The Godfather amongst others, there’s enough to keep young and old enthralled until the end. I look forward to seeing Illumination’s next effort. Hopefully it retains the charm shown here while also setting upon its own creative path to leave the blatant appropriations behind.

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Gru (voiced by STEVE CARELL) separates two arguing minions (voiced by JEMAINE CLEMENT) in Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment’s inaugural 3-D CGI feature, DESPICABLE ME. The film tells the story of one of the world’s greatest super-villains, who has just met his greatest challenge in three little girls. Photo Credit: Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment Copyright: © 2010 Universal Studios. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.