Exceeds The Original

Rating: 8/10 (27 January 2014)

Gru (Steve Carell) is recruited by the Anti-Villain League to help deal with a powerful new super criminal.
Opinion is mixed on whether the first or second is the better film, and this is ultimately a personal and subjective decision. For me, however, the second is better than the first and it is easy to explain why: the shift from the kids to the minions as the secondary characters. Some people prefer the kids, while others (myself included) prefer the minions.
In 2013, the strongest animated film is certainly "Frozen" and that will likely be the film to take home the Oscar (just as they snagged the Golden Globe). However, "Despicable Me 2" is a strong contender; while not quite as inventive in the animation department, or musically, it still manages to be the most entertaining film and that should count for something. Of the two, this is the one that will probably get more repeat viewings.
Mysteriously, Pharrell Williams' "Happy" was nominated for best original song. As great as this film may be, the music is not its strong point. Not that "Happy" is a bad song, but it does very little to stand out and seems an odd choice. Two songs from "Frozen" could have been chosen and this would make more sense than "Happy" (though there might be rules against two songs from one film being chosen).
Some have alleged anti-Hispanic bias, or even blatant racism, presumably because one character is named El Macho and he runs a Mexican restaurant. A bit stereotypical perhaps, but there was nothing outright offensive. In fact, El macho is shown riding a shark into an active volcano, which is just about the coolest thing anybody could ever do. And the voice actor (Benjamin Bratt) is half-Peruvian...
Regardless, this is a great film and deserves a shot at the Oscar, despite the likelihood that "Frozen" has it on lock.