Move aside, Pixar. We've got our animated film of the summer.

Rating: 8/10 (3 July 2013)

Move aside, Pixar. We've got our animated film of the summer. The less-despicable- more- lovable sequel provides non-stop laughs from start to finish all the while maintaining the wit and charm of the original.
In the sequel to 2010s unexpected success that was Despicable Me we find our former baddie Gru (Steve Carrel) living the single dad life, more focused now on his jam/jelly business and making sure the fairy princess shows up to Agnes' birthday party rather than freeze rays - though he does hold onto his villainous past. It's not too long into the film before Lucy (Kristen Wiig) unwillingly drags Gru to the headquarters of an organization known as the AVL (Anti- Villain League) where he is asked to use his expertise as a villain to track down a new bad guy who has stolen a top secret liquid that turns any creature into a mindless, indestructible killing machine.
As much as the plot takes its time getting to, the story ultimately here is Gru finding love; this time in that of a woman. Between the constant set-ups by his neighbor and some flashbacks of his childhood we get the idea that Gru isn't really good with women. Throw in a girl like Lucy that's just as wacky as him and we've got an interesting love story.
The film does a great job introducing new characters and gadgets yet still referencing enough from the first film for the audience to ease into the changes. Just like the original film the amount of physical comedy is off the charts, it's really what differentiated it from the other animated films. Don't get me wrong there is plenty of dialogue–based humor but there is also consistent slapstick style comedy happening throughout the film like a repeated montage, one of Gru giddy with love and the other dismal with heartbreak. This is also the best use of repetition I've seen all year, constant running gags some of which are still running from the first one.
One running gag I'm sure the studio didn't expect to have the impact it did was the Minions. Those little pill-shaped babblers were crowd favorites in the original and are now back and bigger than ever. They receive just as much screen time as any of the other major characters and succeed at being tremendously hilarious both off-screen and on-screen. While there isn't much to quote from (mostly because they don't speak English) it's fair to say they make the whole movie.
The voice work is great; Steve and Kristen both have great unique tics in their voices, which the animators played off of extremely well. It was nice to see Russell Brand return as Dr. Nefario as well, a voice that has always astounded me, being so far different from his natural one. Steve's is clearly different as well but it's quite easy pick out verbal cues.
Despicable Me 2 is enjoyable on so many levels, it does a good job of giving the adult audience plenty of shout-outs and still being kid-friendly. Tons of euphemisms I'm sure kids won't understand but the adult humor is almost always delivered along with a piece of slapstick for the kids so no one in the audience ever feels left out.
Despicable Me 2 is one of the most anticipated movies this Summer and it has lived up to the hype. The plot is rather predictable but there are enough surprises to keep people intrigued. It has its heartfelt moments with the kids, and with some of the new characters but what makes this run smoothly from beginning to end are the Minions and their ridiculous antics. They'll have you crying with laughter from the opening scene to the sequence during the credits. While being far from despicable, Despicable Me 2 is just as much fun as the original.
Our Rating: 8.0/10
Let me know on Twitter @thejoshl what you thought of Despicable Me 2!