Despicable Me (2010)
I enjoy animation, but more specifically, I would say I enjoy the animation of Disney and Pixar. It’s tough for me to enjoy anything else, because they have set the bar so high. Particularly since the spread of computer animation, there have started to be many many animated features which pander to children. You’ll never get me to watch Happy Feet or Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs Evil (and I won’t even link to them). Every now and then I hear some buzz that a non-Pixar non-Disney animation might not be too bad, and I give it a try.
Despicable Me has a lot going for it. Steve Carell turned in a pretty good performance (though not award winning by any stretch), the minion characters are pretty amusing (and I imagine kids would go crazy over them), and the 3 girls are pretty cute (especially the youngest). The writers also came up with some good gags about what a supervillain’s life might be like when he’s not in the middle of a crime, something other stories usually don’t focus on.
There are a lot of little laughs, a couple big ones, and a passable story. I had a tough time assessing how much I liked the movie overall. I have gone back and forth between 4 and 5 stars several times, but settled on 4. It’s a good animation, but I don’t feel like I would have to see it again. When I have kids, I’m not sure if Despicable Me will make the approved-viewing list between Cars and Finding Nemo.
