Despicable Me: Gru's Origins

***Despicable Me: Gru's Origins*** is a 2022 American computer-animated comedy film produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Disneytoon Studios. It is a prequel to Walt Disney Animation Studios' film *Despicable Me* (2010) and the fourth entry overall in the *Despicable Me* franchise. The film was directed by Kyle Balda, co-directed by Brad Ableson and Jonathan del Val, and produced by Chris Meledandri, Janet Healy and Chris Renaud, from a screenplay written by Matthew Fogel, and a story by Fogel and Brian Lynch. The film features Steve Carell reprising his role as Gru and Pierre Coffin as the Minions, with Taraji P. Henson, Michelle Yeoh, Russell Brand, Julie Andrews, and Alan Arkin in supporting roles. In the film, an eleven-year-old Gru plans to become a supervillain, which leads to a showdown with a malevolent team, the Vicious 6.

*Despicable Me: Gru's Origins* was released on Disney+ on June 13, 2022. The film received generally positive reviews from critics; some deemed it an improvement over other Disney prequel films, with praise earned for its soundtrack, animation, humor, voice performances (particularly Carell's), and aesthetic, although its plot was criticized.

## Plot

In 1976, eleven-year-old prodigy Gru dreams of becoming a supervillain, assisted by the Minions, a large group of small, yellow pill-shaped creatures he genetically created via how he imagined aliens in his intital dream of being an astronaut. Gru is ecstatic when he receives an audition invitation from the Vicious 6, a supervillain team now led by Belle Bottom, who hope to find a new member to replace their founder, the supervillain Wild Knuckles, following their betrayal and attempted murder of Knuckles during a heist to steal the Zodiac Stone – a stone connected to the Chinese zodiac. Gru's interview goes poorly due to his young age but, much to the outrage of the Vicious 6, he steals the stone and escapes with Minions Kevin, Stuart, and Bob, handing it to another Minion, Otto, for safekeeping.

At his basement lair, Gru is outraged that Otto has traded the zodiac stone for a pet rock, causing him to go alone to find it. However, Knuckles kidnaps Gru before taking him to San Francisco and informs the Minions that if they do not give him the stone within 48 hours, Gru will be killed. Failing to locate the stone, Kevin, Stuart and Bob leave for San Francisco to rescue Gru, while Otto leaves in pursuit of a biker whom he realizes has the stone as a necklace. When they reach Knuckles' house, they are chased by his goons until Master Chow, a former Kung Fu teacher who now makes a living at an acupuncture clinic, rescues them by defeating the goons.

Chow teaches the Minions Kung Fu after they beg and, ending their training prematurely, go to Knuckles' home to rescue Gru. Meanwhile, Otto catches up to and befriends the biker at Death Valley, who gives the stone back and takes him to San Francisco. Gru begins to bond with Knuckles after the latter's goons quit on him, and later saves him from being eaten by crocodiles in his pool. Teaching Gru how to be a villain, the two rob the Bank of Evil. In the meantime, the Vicious 6, having realized that Knuckles is alive, destroy his house in an attempt to find him. Failing to do so, they head towards Chinatown, with Kevin, Stuart and Bob in pursuit.

Returning to his destroyed house, a distraught Knuckles decides to give up villainy, sending Gru away. During a Chinese New Year parade in Chinatown, Otto and Gru find each other with the stone but are cornered by the Vicious 6, who in turn are confronted by Anti-Villain League agents. The Vicious 6 then use the stone to turn themselves into large superpowered versions of animals from the Zodiac and prepare to kill Gru by tying him to the hands of a clock tower to rip him apart. Kevin, Stuart, and Bob find Gru, but are turned into a rabbit, a rooster, and a goat, respectively. However, Knuckles returns and fights the Vicious 6 with the Minions. Encouraged by Chow's teaching, Kevin, Stuart, and Bob "find their inner beast" and battle the Vicious 6 while Otto saves Gru, but Knuckles gets badly burnt by Belle's dragon flames when trying to take the stone back. After Kevin, Stuart and Bob knock the Vicious 6 out, Gru uses the stone to turn them into rats. Congratulating the three Minions for saving his life, Gru reconciles with Stuart, Kevin and Bob and returns them back to normal.

The Vicious 6 are arrested, while Knuckles is hospitalized and seemingly succumbs to his injuries, and the stone is confiscated by the Anti-Villain League. At Knuckles' funeral, Gru gives a heartfelt eulogy but is overjoyed when it is revealed Knuckles faked his death. He and Gru later drive off with the Minions.

In a mid-credits scene, Gru attempts to hire scientist Dr. Nefario in gratitude for an invention of his that helped him steal the stone. Nefario initially declines but changes his mind after Gru and the Minions beg, giving them a ride on a rocket-powered aircraft.

## Voice cast

* Steve Carell as Gru, a rising supervillain and the creator of the Minions.
* Pierre Coffin as Kevin, Stuart, Bob, Otto and the rest of the Minions, Gru's yellow troublesome genetic experimentational creations.
* Alan Arkin as Wild Knuckles, the former leader of the Vicious 6 who later becomes Gru's mentor.
* Taraji P. Henson as Belle Bottom, a master thief and the newly-appointed leader of the Vicious 6.
* Michelle Yeoh as Master Chow, an acupuncturist and Kung Fu fighter who helps the Minions on their quest.
* Julie Andrews as Marlena Gru, Gru's mother.
* Russell Brand as Dr. Nefario, a scientist who runs a record store.
* Jean-Claude Van Damme as Jean-Clawed, a member of the Vicious 6 with a giant mechanical lobster claw for his right arm.
* Dolph Lundgren as Svengeance, a member of the Vicious 6 who is a roller skater.
* Danny Trejo as Stronghold, a member of the Vicious 6 with big metal hands.
* Lucy Lawless as Nun-chuck, a member of the Vicious 6 who is a nun and wields nunchaku.

Additionally, Will Arnett and Steve Coogan reprise their respective voice roles as Mr. Perkins and Silas Ramsbottom, both of whom become directors of the Bank of Evil and the Anti-Villain League in the first and second films. Jimmy O. Yang, Kevin Michael Richardson and John DiMaggio voice three of Wild Knuckles' goons. RZA voices the biker who Otto befriends on his way to San Francisco. Raymond S. Persi voices Brad.

## Production

In January 2017, Disney announced plans for a prequel to their 2010 hit animated film, *Despicable Me* set in Gru's childhood. The film began production in July 2017, with Brad Ableson added as a co-director. In May 2019, the film's title was revealed as *Despicable Me: Gru's Origins*. In December 2019, it was announced that Pierre Coffin and Steve Carell would be reprising their roles as the Minions and Gru, respectively. Carell was paid $12.5 million for his involvement. Production of the film shifted to remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic, following the temporary closure of Walt Disney Animation Studios Paris. To incorporate 1970s culture and environment in the film, Wade Eastwood and Ric Meyers were hired as creative consultants while Flora Zhao joined in as a cultural consultant on Chinese culture. The film was officially completed on July 1, 2020.

The film was dedicated in memory of animator Madeline Montero, who died during production of the film.

## Music

The soundtrack album for the film was released on July 1, 2022 by Walt Disney Records. The Jack Antonoff-produced soundtrack consists of various contemporary artists covering famous funk, pop, and soul hits of the 1970s. "Turn Up the Sunshine" by Diana Ross and Tame Impala was released as the album's lead single on May 20, 2022. It was followed by Kali Uchis's cover of "Desafinado" and St. Vincent's cover of "Funkytown".

On July 8, 2022, a score from longtime Disney composer Heitor Pereira was released with two versions of "Bad Moon Rising" and "You Can't Always Get What You Want" being performed by Steve Carell and Pierre Coffin, both songs that were not in the original soundtrack. A new version of the "Despicable Me" theme song, by Pereira and Pharrell Williams, featuring a chorus of children was used in the film but not included in the score or the soundtrack.