Despicable Me

Despicable Me is a 2010 American animated comedy film directed by Chris Renaud and Pierre Coffin (in their feature directorial debuts) and produced by Chris Meledandri, Janet Healy, and John Cohen; from a screenplay written by Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio, which was in turn based on an original story by Sergio Pablos. The first feature film produced by Illumination Entertainment, it was distributed by Universal Pictures. Despicable Me stars the voices of Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Russell Brand, Miranda Cosgrove, Kristen Wiig, Will Arnett, and Julie Andrews. In the film, longtime supervillain Gru formulates a plan to steal the Moon. Meanwhile, he starts a family by adopting three orphan girls, and must decide where his commitments lie. Despicable Me debuted at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival on June 9, 2010, and was theatrically released in the United States on July 9, by Universal Pictures. The film received positive reviews from critics and earned $543.2 million worldwide, becoming the ninth-highest-grossing film of 2010. It was nominated for Best Animated Feature Film at the Golden Globe Awards, BAFTA Awards and Annie Awards. The success of Despicable Me launched a multi-billion dollar multimedia franchise, which comprises Despicable Me 2 (2013), Minions (2015), Despicable Me 3 (2017), Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022), and the upcoming Despicable Me 4 (2024). Plot Longtime supervillain Gru has his pride hurt when an unknown rival steals the Great Pyramid of Giza. Gru, his elderly assistant Dr. Nefario, and his army of Minions formulate a plan to steal the Moon. Dr. Nefario worries that the plan will be too expensive, so Gru applies for a loan from Mr. Perkins, the director of the Bank of Evil, who orders Gru to steal a shrink ray first. While at the bank, Gru meets Vector, the budding supervillain who stole the Pyramid. Gru and two of his Minions obtain the shrink ray from a research base, only for Vector to intercept them and steal it for himself.