REVIEW: Despicable Me 2, Not Despicable At All

Let's face it, there is no doubt that Pixar have owned the animation scene ever since Toy Story made an appearance on the big screen, but there have been a few wonderful features that have certainly taken away some of their limelight. Undoubtedly films like Shrek were indeed winners, but then along came Despicable Me.

When it first burst on to the screen in 2010, Despicable Me made quite the impact. Besides having Steve Carell as the many voice for Gru, there were those little munchkins that made the entire affair amazing, the Minions.

Despicable Me pulled in a whopping 543 million dollars at the box office off a very small budget (small considering films like Man of Steel was over 200 million budget) of 69 million. Illumination Entertainment's first feature was a huge success, there was always going to be talk of a sequel.

Thankfully, the team behind Despicable Me have taken their time with the follow-up to the first instalment. When we last left Gru, he had just adopted the three little girls Margo, Edith and Agnes and was settling into fatherhood.

However, the Anti-Villain League have other ideas and send their new agent, Lucy Wilde, to find Gru and recruit him for a top secret mission. Gru must go undercover to discover the villain who has created a serum that will turn the nicest of creatures into absolute monsters who will destroy the world.

Gru soon discovers that it is not the easiest juggling a life with a potential love interest, three little girls, a group of minions and a plan to take over the world. Just how will he manage?

What is wonderful about Despicable Me 2 is that the creators and those involved have not lost the essence of the first instalment. Gru,even though he is now the doting dad, still has the edge of naughty to his character, while you will literally want to run off with the little girls, especially sweet, wonderful, Agnes.

Kristen Wiig's character, Lucy, is the perfect ying to Gru's yang, adorable, funny but totally together, using her own tone of voice must have been a welcome break from the last feature.

The animation has come on leaps and bounds since the first feature, even the 3D works here. There is one particular scene when Gru falls in water and you can see his legs treading just underneath the surface.

Most importantly, the minions are back and funnier than ever with a great deal more screen time than the last feature.

Despicable Me 2 hits all the right notes, funny and incredibly sweet.