Gru is adorable. Just to get that out of the way. He might have sent a Minion or few after anyone who said that at the start of the first one, but by the time those girls got through melting him down to a puddle of not at all gruesome goo, he would have copped to it. Maybe with flamethrower in hand, but still….
Animated movies get more sophisticated all the time, in storytelling as well as technology. Dispicable Me is a stunning example of this. I was first attracted to the Minions (No! Not that way!) from the previews, but when I saw the movie I thought the whole thing was charming. Guru’s character growth. The cuteness of his slightly dorky girls, and the way the reason he got them morphed into an extremely nontraditional family, complete with a snappy dialoguey loving granny, Doctor Nefario and apparently unlimited Minions. The technology was way cool, in an off beat kind of way. A really sweet and fun movie.
Only partway through seeing Despicable Me 2 on Blu Ray, I decided I liked it even better. Gru, the loving father seguing into awkward romantic hero. The girls, with their old fashioned names and modern day problems and adventures. Doctor Nefario going through his own shifting character arc. And many, many minions taking on more identifying personality traits…and sometimes being turned purple. Purple is always a big plus with me. What’s not to love?
While this one is a little too heavy on the bathroom humor to gain a sophistication cred in the general sense, it is sophisticated in another way. While a wonderful regular animated movie, it also plays as an action movie in many of the same ways a live action one does. Awesome gadgets, escalating danger, plucky heroine, high stakes, and…cupcakes. Okay, so more typical action movies don’t have cupcakes, but I wouldn’t put it past Bruce Willis to deploy a cupcake grenade, if one was handy. Especially in a RED movie. Despicable Me 2 really did have a strong action movie feel. And that made me love it all the more.
Only one problem. I had finally stopped saying “Okey dokey.”, complete with that distinctive Gru accent. Now I’m doing it again. Ah, well. I’m sure I’ll shed it just in time for Despicable Me 3.
Oh. And I want Guru’s car!
And Lucy’s.
Dreams of the Purple Koala 