Me likes! Me wants to tell you to see it, too!

Rating: 9/10 (21 July 2010)

Gru (voiced by Steve Carell) is rather despicable. If the line at the coffee shop is too long, he whips out his "freeze gun" and turns everyone into large ice cubes while he rushes to the front position, among other shady deeds. An inventor of devices for criminal pursuits, his underground laboratory houses his partner, Dr. Nefarious (Russell Brand) and a virtual army of darling, intelligent little robots. From there, they work out their strategies, such as stealing a replica of the Statue of Liberty from Vegas. Ho, ho what a feat! Now, however, they have a rival, Vector (Jason Segel). This young whippersnapper made off with one of the actual pyramids of Giza, leaving a blown-up, balloon model in its place. Vec also pilfered the world's first "shrinking" machine, which Gru coveted in his quest to steal the moon. Is Gru and his team slipping? Even his own mother (Julie Andrews) makes fun of him! Heading over to Vector's place for a confrontation, Gru can't break into the heavily guarded and inventively fortressed abode. But, when he spies three little orphan girls gain entrance, selling cookies, Gru gets an even more despicable idea. He will "adopt" these wee gals and use them to infiltrate Vec's place, nabbing the shrink gun. What he doesn't suspect is that his new daughters, Agnes, Margo and Edith, will actually start pulling on his own heartstrings! Will Gru stay despicable forever? This darling film has a wagonload of assets and will please most every viewer. First, Carell is simply brilliant as Gru, will he be even considered at Oscar time for an animated role? I hope so! The supporting cast is also truly terrific, with Segel, Will Arnett, Andrews, and especially Brand doing great work. Brand is a complete surprise, by the way, with a part that is far removed from his more typical film roles. The voices of the three little girls are also delightful. Next, the animation is sensational, being vibrant, creative, and, artistically, topnotch. In short, its awesome. Then, too, the tiny, robotic helpers of Gru will send even the most hard of hearts into a fit of giggles. Finally, the clever story and the unflagging direction complete the elements for a most successful animated movie. Perhaps, there will be those who object to the abundance of "cartoon-like" violence and some of the images, such as the appearance of an impaling box. Therefore, parents do be careful about letting very young kids watch the flick. But, all in all, here is another great leap forward in the realm of animation. Don't be despicable in your own family. Reach into your wallet and pony up for tickets for those you love.