Despicable Me 2

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Despicable Me 2
Despicable Me 2 poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster featuring Gru and 10,400 Minions[1]
Directed by Pierre Coffin
Chris Renaud[2]
Produced by Chris Meledandri
Janet Healy[2]
Screenplay by Cinco Paul
Ken Daurio[2]
Starring Steve Carell
Kristen Wiig
Benjamin Bratt
Miranda Cosgrove
Elsie Fisher
Dana Gaier
Russell Brand
Steve Coogan
Ken Jeong
Music by Heitor Pereira
Pharrell Williams[3]
Editing by Gregory Perler
Studio Illumination Entertainment
Universal Pictures
Distributed by Universal Pictures
Release dates
June 5, 2013 (Australian premiere)
July 3, 2013 (United States)
Running time 98 minutes[4]
Country United States
Language English
Budget $76 million[5]
Box office $918,612,050[6]
Despicable Me 2 is a 2013 American 3D computer-animated comedy film and the sequel to the 2010 animated film Despicable Me.[7] Produced by Illumination Entertainment and distributed by Universal Pictures, both films are directed by Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud, and written by Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio. This marks the first time that Illumination Entertainment made a sequel film. Steve Carell, Russell Brand, and Miranda Cosgrove reprise their roles. Kristen Wiig, who played Miss Hattie in the first film, voices agent Lucy Wilde. Ken Jeong, who played the Talk Show Host, voices Floyd Eagle-san. New cast members include Benjamin Bratt as Eduardo (aka El Macho) and Steve Coogan as Silas Ramsbottom, head of the Anti-Villain League (AVL). The film premiered on June 5, 2013 in Australia,[8] and was theatrically released in the United States on July 3, 2013.[2] The film has received positive reviews and has become a massive box office hit by grossing over $918 million against its budget of $76 million.[5][6]
A spin-off film, Minions, focusing mainly on the little yellow henchmen before they met Gru, is set to be released on July 10, 2015.[9]
Contents [hide]
1 Plot
2 Cast
3 Production
3.1 Casting
4 Release
4.1 Marketing
4.2 Home media
5 Reception
5.1 Critical response
5.2 Box office
5.3 Accolades
6 Soundtrack
7 Spin-off and sequel
8 References
9 External links
Plot[edit]
A secret laboratory near the Arctic Circle is stolen by a mysterious vehicle using a giant magnet. The Anti-Villain League (AVL) tries to recruit former super-villain Gru, now a devoted father to Margo, Edith and Agnes, to find out which evil person stole the lab, which contained a powerful mutagen known as PX-41 which can make indestructible and extremely aggressive monsters out of living organisms. They asked Gru because he, being an ex-villain, knows how villains work. But Gru refuses to help, saying he is a legitimate businessman now. Then Gru learns that Dr. Nefario, his friend and assistant, has decided to leave him for new employment, because he "missed being evil." Gru reluctantly partners with undercover AVL agent Lucy Wilde, and together they search The Paradise Shopping Mall, where they are given a bakery called "Bake My Day" as their headquarters. Gru suspects Mexican restaurant owner Eduardo Perez of being a super-villain called "El Macho", a bad guy who became Gru's inspiration for a villain who supposedly died after being TNT-laden, skysurfing a shark into the center of an active volcano. Gru and Lucy break into Eduardo's restaurant at night, but only find a jar of secret-recipe salsa and nothing to prove that Eduardo is the culprit. Meanwhile, Agnes expresses her wish of having a mother someday and suspects that Gru will fall in love with Lucy. Gru tells her that his relationship with Lucy is strictly professional.
Gru and Lucy investigate wig merchant Floyd Eagle-san, but Gru is still suspicious of Eduardo. After the investigation, Gru is set up on a horrible dinner date with a woman named Shannon, who notices Gru's wig and threatens to humiliate him. Luckily, Lucy bumps into them and rescues him from the date by shooting Shannon with a tranquilizer dart. They take Shannon home, and after they say good night, Gru realizes that Agnes was right: he has fallen in love with Lucy.
The next day, the AVL arrests Floyd Eagle-san (who claims that he was framed) because an almost-empty mutagen jar was found in his shop. The investigation is closed, and Lucy is reassigned to Australia. Before leaving, Lucy gives Gru her lipstick taser to remind him of her. This leaves Gru heartbroken because he loves her, but he cannot find the courage to ask her out on a date. Instead he brings the girls to Eduardo's Cinco de Mayo party and finds proof that the Mexican restaurateur is in fact the super-villain El Macho. Gru discovers that he (and his helper, who turns out to be Dr. Nefario) have captured and mutated a large number of Gru's minions using the PX-41, turning them into insane, savage purple-furred monsters. El Macho plans to send rockets full of mutated Minions to major cities and achieve world domination. El Macho emphasizes that he and Gru could team up and they would become evil again followed by ruling the city, but Gru avoids answering and leaves with his daughter Margo, who in the meantime has broken up with Eduardo's two-timing son, Antonio, who had left Margo for another girl. In his vengeance, Gru uses his freeze-ray to freeze Antonio in a block of ice.
On her flight to Australia, Lucy realizes she has feelings for Gru, so she jumps out of the plane and hang-glides down to the party. She is captured by El Macho, who knows she is an AVL agent after Pollito, his pet chicken, retrieves her AVL ID badge from her purse. Fortunately Dr. Nefario lets Gru know what is happening. In order to rescue Lucy, Gru visits El Macho along with two minions covered in purple paint, pretending he was captured by two of the mutant creatures. Fighting alongside his daughters and Dr. Nefario, Gru and his team spray all of the mutated minions with jelly containing a powerful antidote that Dr. Nefario made, whereupon they revert to their friendly yellow state. El Macho then takes the mutagen himself, but Gru and Dr. Nefario overcome him using a fart gun and Lucy's lipstick-taser.
Lucy is, however, already strapped to a TNT-loaded shark rocket. Gru starts to untie her, but the rocket-launch remote button is pressed by Pollito. The rocket flies towards the same lava-spewing volcano where El Macho had previously faked his death. Lucy accepts Gru's invitation for a date, and the pair dives into the safety of the ocean seconds before the rocket enters the volcano.
147 dates later, Gru and Lucy are married and Margo, Edith and Agnes finally have a mother. The minions close with a rendition of "I Swear" and "Y.M.C.A" while the whole family dances. Then, a purple furry minion shows up, surprising the family. Credits scenes show three of the Minions auditioning for "Minions".
Cast[edit]
Miranda Cosgrove and Steve Carell at the Australian premiere of Despicable Me 2
Steve Carell as Dr. Felonious Gru,[2] former villain turned father.
Kristen Wiig as Lucy Wilde-Gru, an Anti-Villain League agent and Gru's love interest/new partner.[10][11] Wiig also played Miss Hattie in the first film.
Benjamin Bratt as Eduardo Perez/El Macho, the owner of Salsa & Salsa, a Mexican restaurant in the Paradise Mall.[12][13][14] Al Pacino was originally cast in the role, but left the film due to creative differences.[15]
Miranda Cosgrove as Margo, the oldest of the three girls and the most overprotective of the trio.[2]
Elsie Fisher as Agnes, the youngest child of the three girls, who is obsessed with unicorns[16]
Dana Gaier as Edith, the middle and tomboy of the three girls[17]
Russell Brand as Dr. Nefario, Gru's elderly, hearing impaired gadget man[2]
Ken Jeong as Floyd Eagle-san, an owner of a wig store.[12][18] Jeong also voiced Talk Show Host in the first film.
Steve Coogan as Silas Ramsbottom, the head of the Anti-Villain League[2][19]
Moisés Arias as Antonio Perez, Margo's love interest and Eduardo's son[20][21]
Nasim Pedrad as Jillian, Gru's irritating matchmaking neighbor[22][23]
Kristen Schaal as Shannon, Jillian's superficial friend[23]
Pierre Coffin as Kevin the Minion, Bob the Minion, Stuart the Minion, Additional Minions, and Evil Minions.[23] According to Coffin, he lent his voice to 899 Minions.[24]
Chris Renaud as Additional Minions, Evil Minions, and Italian waiter[23]
Vanessa Bayer as Flight Attendant[23]
Production[edit]
Chris Meledandri, CEO of Illumination Entertainment, said in July 2010 that a sequel was in the works.[25] Release was tentatively scheduled for July 3, 2013.[26] Miranda Cosgrove stated on her official Facebook and Twitter page on October 14, 2011 that she had recorded her first lines,[27] while Meledandri confirmed in February 2012 that they had started animating the film.[28]
Casting[edit]
In February 2012, it was reported that Al Pacino had joined the cast to voice the villain, Eduardo.[29] In April 2012, it was confirmed that Steve Carell, Russell Brand, Miranda Cosgrove, Dana Gaier and Elsie Fisher were returning to reprise their roles. Kristen Wiig, on the other hand, who voiced Miss Hattie in the original film, voices Lucy Wilde, an agent of the Anti-Villain League (AVL) who recruits Gru to track and take down a tough, Mexican villain named El Macho. Steve Coogan joined the cast as Silas Ramsbottom, the head of the Anti-Villain League.[2]
On May 3, 2013, just a month before the film's premiere, it was announced that Al Pacino had left the film over creative differences about how his character should come to life.[15][30] At the time of his departure, Pacino's character had been already fully voiced and animated.[31] Chris Renaud, co-director of the film, commented on Pacino's departure: "So we don't want an unhappy actor, and we want something that is well-realized on all sides. If you don't see eye to eye, sometimes it's easier to (part company) and move on from there."[30] Benjamin Bratt, who had already been considered before Pacino,[30] stepped in to voice Eduardo.[13] Chris Meledandri, producer of the film, admitted that he was not "aware of any of the major animated films of the last 15 years that has brought an actor in at such a late stage".[31] Due to the finished animation, Bratt had to match his timing exactly to the character's mouth movement.[32] Initially, during his five-day recording,[31] he tried to imitate Pacino's voice, but found it impossible, saying "no one can out-Al Pacino Al Pacino". He ended up only using Pacino as an inspiration, and resolved to go with his own interpretation of the character.[33] His work was commended by Variety, saying: "You'd never guess he wasn't the filmmakers' first choice."[21]
Release[edit]
Minion statue in Münster.
Minion advertising column on Kurfürstendamm in Berlin, Germany
Despicablimp circling over San Francisco during its six-month tour over the United States.
Minion Hot air balloon during the Annecy International Animated Film Festival 2013.
Despicable Me 2 premiered on June 5, 2013 at Event Cinemas in Bondi Junction, New South Wales, Australia. Steve Carell and Miranda Cosgrove were present at the red carpet premiere.[8][34] The American premiere was held at Universal CityWalk in Los Angeles on June 22, 2013;[22] Steve Carell, Miranda Cosgrove, Kristen Wiig, Benjamin Bratt, Ken Jeong, Elsie Fisher, Dana Gaier, Nasim Pedrad and composer Pharrell were present at the "yellow carpet" premiere.[35][36] The film was theatrically released in the United States on July 3, 2013.[2] It was digitally re-mastered into IMAX 3D format and released in select international IMAX theatres.[37] This film was also shown in the 4DX format, featuring tilting seats, water sprays, strobe lightning, aroma, wind, pops, and ticklers, in selected countries.[38][39][40][41] Cinépolis opened its first 4DX room at the Centro Comercial Limonar Premier mall in Cali, Colombia, with the release of the film.[42][43][44]
Like with the first film, which didn't have a theatrical release in China, the film's distributor Universal Pictures had troubles releasing the sequel.[45] When it was reported in July 2013 that the film had been denied a theatrical released in China, then the second largest film market in the world, some analysts attributed this to the protection of locally produced animation.[46][47] There were also rumors that it was halted in China because the film's minions too much resembled former Chinese president Jiang Zemin.[48] China's Film Bureau was "furious" about the negative comments, stating that the film was not submitted for censorship approval.[49] In fact, there was reportedly a "commercial conflict" between Universal and Edko (Beijing) Films, the film's local distributor, over which titles are to be imported.[50] Edko had decided that the film "would not do well in China and decided against using one of the precious quota slots for the film."[49] In December 2013, a few weeks after the Universal Pictures' announcement that it would open a Beijing office, it was reported that due to "renewed approaches" Despicable Me 2 would be theatrically released in China on January 10, 2014.[48]
Marketing[edit]
A blimp disguised as a Minion, named "Despicablimp", has been touring the United States since March 2013 in its six-month tour to promote the film's release.[51] As one of the largest airships in the world, measuring 165 feet (50 m) in length, 55 feet (17 m) in height,[51] and weighting 8,000 pounds (3.6 t),[52] it will cross the country three times during its 20,000 miles (32,000 km) long tour, visiting hundreds of events, including the film's premiere in Hollywood.[51] The blimp, an A-150 model of American Blimp Corporation,[53] can be tracked in real-time via GPS at the Despicablimp Command Center website, which allows fans to post photos of the sightings, and compete for various prizes, including for a ride with the blimp.[51]
A free mobile action video game inspired by the Despicable Me franchise, titled Despicable Me: Minion Rush, was released on June 13, 2013. The game, developed by Gameloft, was adapted for iPhone, iPad and Android devices.[54] Played as one of the Minions, it allows customization of the character, who must perform various tasks, including defeating Vector and a new villain created for the game, to earn the title of Minion of the Year.[54][55] The game was downloaded more than 100 million times in the first three months after its release,[56] and won a BAFTA's British Academy Children's Award in the category BAFTA's Kids Vote.[57] For the film's release, Roblox, a massively multiplayer online game, released two virtual items, a Minion and goggles.[58][59] Seven books were released for the film: The Junior Novel,[60] The Anti-Villain League Handbook,[61] Undercover Super Spies,[62] Attack of the Evil Minions!,[63] Make a Minion,[64] and Meet the Minions.[65]
Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment partnered with more than 100 licensing and promotional partners in a deal valued at an unprecedented $250 million.[66] One of the partners was McDonald's, which included in its Happy Meals various Minion toys, some of them unique to a specific country.[67] To take advantage of banana-loving Minions, Chiquita Brands International ran various sweepstakes,[68] and a Minion, voiced by Pierre Coffin, performed the song "Chiquita Banana" in the film.[23] Thinkway Toys released various toys and figures,[69] and Hasbro made special Monopoly and Operation games.[70] Custom 3D glasses, modelled after the Minions' goggles, were released exclusively at Best Buy and Look3D, the producer of the glasses,[71] for use in RealD 3D theatres and with passive 3D home theatre systems.[72]
Home media[edit]
Despicable Me 2 was released in Digital HD on November 26, 2013, and on DVD and Blu-ray on December 10, 2013.[73] The DVD and Blu-ray combo pack features three "mini movies" titled Puppy, Panic in the Mailroom, and Training Wheels.[73] A Walmart exclusive Blu-ray/DVD combo pack included two limited edition Minion toys.[74] In its first week of home entertainment release, 4.5 million physical and digital units had been sold, earning $80 million and breaking several records.[75] The film had the highest first-week sales for a digital title ever and became the best selling animated Blu-ray title in its first week, surpassing its predecessor, which previously held the record.[75]
Reception[edit]
Critical response[edit]
Despicable Me 2 has received generally positive reviews from critics. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 75% approval rating with an average rating of 6.7/10 based on 167 reviews. The website's consensus reads, "Despicable Me 2 offers plenty of eye-popping visual inventiveness and a number of big laughs."[76] Another review aggregator, Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 top reviews from mainstream critics, calculated a score of 62 based on 39 reviews.[77] The film earned an "A" from audiences polled by CinemaScore.[78]
Michael Rechtshaffen of The Hollywood Reporter gave the film a negative review, saying "The new edition doesn't quite catch that inspired spark."[12] Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly gave the film a D, saying "By the end, every child in the audience will want his or her own monster-minion toy. Adults will just regret the way that Despicable Me 2 betrays the original film's devotion to bad-guy gaiety."[79] Stephen Whitty of the The Star-Ledger gave the film three out four stars, saying "Not only a fun cartoon but - that rare thing - a sequel which actually improves on the original."[80] Elizabeth Weitzman of the New York Daily News gave the film two out of five stars, saying "Armed with masses of minions and an excess of adorability, Despicable Me 2 is guaranteed to charm anyone who's out of school and already bored."[81] Soren Anderson of The Seattle Times gave the film two and a half stars out of four, saying "It's fun. It's cheerful. It's lollipop colorful. Best of all, it features lots of minion mischief, which guarantees plenty of laughs. But what it doesn't have is an edge."[82] Peter Howell of the Toronto Star gave the film two and a half stars out of four, saying "It feels at times as if Despicable Me 2 actually is The Minions Movie. Coffin and Renaud and returning screenwriters Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio haven't managed to come up with a dastardly plot to rival the shrinking and stealing of the moon from the previous film."[83]
Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune gave the film two and a half stars out of four, saying "Steve Carell's Slavic inflections as Gru do the trick, as before. Wiig's clever hesitations and comic timing help save the day."[84] Stephen Holden of The New York Times gave the film two and a half stars out of five, saying "It is consistently diverting and so cute you'll want to pet it. Yet it is also weightless and lacks a center."[85] Rafer Guzman of Newsday gave the film two and a half stars out of four, saying "Better, or at least sweeter, than the first, with Wiig adding some much-needed romantic charm to the toddler-level humor."[86] Tirdad Derakhshani of The Philadelphia Inquirer gave the film two and a half stars out of five, saying "If you're looking for quality prepackaged, predigested Hollywood family fun this summer, you could do a lot worse than Despicable Me 2."[87] Keith Uhlich of Time Out gave the film three out of five stars, saying "A fleeter film than its predecessor, Despicable Me 2 delights more often than it disappoints."[88] Alonso Duralde of The Wrap gave the film a negative review, saying "The minions are still wacky scene-stealers -- and once again, we don't get nearly enough of them -- but Gru and his daughters have been blanded down to bad-sitcom level."[89] Claudia Puig of USA Today gave the film two out of four stars, saying "With its predecessor having made a whopping $540 million globally, it's no wonder that Universal saw fit to order a sequel. But it's not enough just to trot out legions of minions and cobble together a plot. Audiences deserve more imagination and inventiveness than this wan recycling."[90]
Sara Stewart of the New York Post gave the film three out of four stars, saying "Sure, it's not as novel as the first time we were here, but directors Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud stay true to the clever, slapstick vibe."[91] James Berardinelli of ReelViews gave the film three out of four stars, saying "Despicable Me 2 feels like a opportunity to get together with some old friends, hang out, and discover what they've been up to."[92] Tom Russo of The Boston Globe gave the film a positive review, saying "The scope of the 'toon espionage-adventure goings-on is surprisingly limited. But the filmmakers so clearly love working on these characters, their creative joy is infectious."[93] Stephanie Merry of The Washington Post gave the film three out of four stars, saying "The animation is beguiling, particularly when Lucy drives her car into the ocean, transforming it into a submarine that scoots around sharks and fish."[94] Peter Debruge of Variety gave the film a positive review, saying "While not quite as charming or unique as the original, Despicable Me 2 comes awfully close, extending co-directors Chris Renaud and Pierre Coffin's delightfully silly sensibility to a bit larger universe."[21] Peter Hartlaub of the San Francisco Chronicle gave the film three out of four stars, saying "It's a credit that the writing can be so funny in the moment, that it takes time to realize there's no cohesive story, zero dramatic tension and nary a practical lesson for either the characters in the film or the people watching in the theater."[95]
James Rocchi of MSN Movies gave the film four out of five stars, saying "Heartfelt and hilarious, smart and silly, action-packed but never violent, Despicable Me 2 is that rare sequel that outshines its beginnings."[96] Colin Covert of the Star Tribune gave the film three out of four stars, saying "For an adult, the predictability could turn you blasé. For kids, revisiting these jokes is a howl. Pinkie promise."[97] Mary F. Pols of Time gave the film a positive review, saying "As a sequel it stands level with the first film, and may have the edge on it."[98] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone gave the film three out of four stars, saying "Co-directors Chris Renaud and Pierre Coffin, who do Minion voices expertly, never let up on the laughs. A fart joke in 3-D may not be three times as wacky, but the high spirits of Despicable Me 2 are irresistible fun."[99] A.A. Dowd of The A.V. Club gave the film a C, saying "What’s missing — and this was the crucial component of part one — is a little sour to undercut the sweet. Like its protagonist, a bad guy gone boringly good, Despicable Me 2 has no edge. It’s fatally nice and insufficiently naughty."[100] Laremy Legel of Film.com gave the film a 6.3 out of 10, saying "Despicable Me 2 is fun, especially near the culmination. Structural issues aside, it’s impossible not to like these characters, all of them, rendered with love, always entertaining even when the story around them doesn’t make much sense."[101]
Box office[edit]
As of December 12, 2013, Despicable Me 2 has grossed $367,212,050 in North America and $551,400,000 in other countries, for a worldwide total of $918,612,050.[6] It is the twenty-seventh highest-grossing film, the fifth highest-grossing animated film, the second highest-grossing 2013 film (behind Iron Man 3), the highest-grossing 2013 animated film, the highest-grossing Illumination Entertainment film,[102] and the second highest-grossing Universal Studios film (behind Jurassic Park).[103] With a budget of $76 million,[5] the film became the most profitable film in the 100 year history of Universal Studios.[104]
Outside North America
Despicable Me 2 is the 34th highest-grossing film, the sixth highest-grossing animated film, the third highest-grossing Universal film,[105] and the second highest-grossing 2013 film.[106] On its first weekend, Despicable Me 2 opened only in Australia with $6.66 million,[107] ahead of Monsters University which opened on the same weekend.[108] The film set an opening-day record in Latvia.[109] In total, it opened at number one in 67 territories,[110] and set opening-weekend records among animated films in Latin America, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam,[111] and Lebanon,[112] as well as opening-weekend records among all films in South Africa and Venezuela.[111] The film topped the box office on two consecutive weekends during July 2013.[113][114]
North America
Despicable Me 2 is the twenty-fourth highest-grossing film, the second highest-grossing 2013 film,[115] the fifth highest-grossing animated film,[116] the sixth highest-grossing 3-D film,[117] and the highest-grossing Illumination Entertainment film.[102] It is the sixth animated film to pass the $300-million mark.[118] The film opened on Wednesday, July 3, 2013 at first place with $35.0 million (including $4.7 million from Tuesday night showings). Its opening-day gross stands as third highest for an animated feature,[119] and the seventh highest among films opening on a Wednesday.[120] The film then dropped 30% to $24.5 million on Thursday,[121] marking the second-largest non-opening Thursday gross.[122] Over the five-day Independence Day weekend (Wednesday-to-Sunday, including Tuesday night showings), the film earned $143.1 million, the highest five-day start for an animated film (ahead of Toy Story 3's $141.0 million five-day debut). During the traditional three-day opening weekend (Friday-to-Sunday), the film earned $83.5 million.[123] The film's three-day opening-weekend gross was the largest among Illumination Entertainment films,[102] the third largest for an Independence Day holiday,[124] the fourth largest among animated films,[125] the seventh largest among films released in July,[126] and the tenth largest among films not released on a Friday.[127] The film topped the box office for two consecutive weekends.[128]
Accolades[edit]
Award Category Recipient(s) Result
Alliance of Women Film Journalists[129] Best Animated Feature Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud Nominated
Annie Award[130] Best Animated Feature Pending
Best Animated TV/Broadcast Commercial Pending
Character Animation in an Animated Feature Production Jonathan Del Val Pending
Character Design in an Animated Feature Production Eric Guillon Pending
Music in an Animated Feature Production Heitor Pereira, Pharrell Williams Pending
Production Design in an Animated Feature Production Yarrow Cheney, Eric Guillon Pending
Storyboarding in an Animated Feature Production Eric Favela Pending
Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production Kristen Wiig Pending
Steve Carell Pending
Pierre Coffin Pending
British Academy Children's Awards (BAFTA)[57] BAFTA Kid's Vote (Feature Film) Won
Critics' Choice Movie Award[131] Best Animated Feature Pending
Best Song "Happy" - Pharrell Williams Pending
Golden Globe Award[132] Best Animated Feature Film Pending
People's Choice Awards[133] Favorite Family Movie Pending
Favorite Movie Pending
Satellite Awards[134] Satellite Award for Best Original Song "Happy" - Pharrell Williams Pending
Soundtrack[edit]