June 9, 2010 (Annecy)
July 9, 2010 (United States)
Despicable Me is a 2010 American animated comedy film directed by Chris Renaud and Pierre Coffin and written by Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio. The first feature film produced by Illumination Entertainment, it features the voices of Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Russell Brand, Kristen Wiig, Miranda Cosgrove, Will Arnett, Danny McBride, Jack McBrayer, and Julie Andrews. The story follows Gru, a longtime supervillain who adopts three orphan girls to use as pawns in a villainous scheme but reluctantly develops an emotional attachment to them.
Development of Despicable Me began when writer Sergio Pablos pitched the idea about a main character having villainous attributes to producer Chris Meledandri following Illumination's foundation in 2007. The film was announced in 2008, with much of its creative team attached. Animation was provided by Paris-based studio Mac Guff. Pharrell Williams and Heitor Pereira composed the film's score, with original songs written and performed by the former.
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 million, 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, and won Favorite Animated Movie at the 2011 Kids' Choice Awards. Despicable Me began a successful franchise which includes six succeeding films, beginning with Despicable Me 2 in 2013.
Storyline
Longtime supervillain Felonious 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 devise a plan to steal the Moon. Seeking financial assistance, Gru approaches Mr. Perkins, the president of the Bank of Evil, who orders Gru to procure a shrink ray. Gru and two of his Minions obtain the shrink ray from a research base in Southeast Asia, only for Vector, the villain who was responsible for the Pyramid heist, to ambush them and steal it for himself.
After numerous failed attempts to infiltrate Vector's fortress, Gru notices three orphaned girls, Margo, Edith, and Agnes, being allowed in to sell cookies to Vector. Gru adopts the girls under the guise of a dentist, using them to distract Vector while he reclaims the shrink ray. Afterwards, he tries to abandon the girls at an amusement park but ends up bonding with them. Gru later shows Perkins the shrink ray through a video call, only to be rejected thanks to a presentation gone wrong. Observing Gru's despair, the girls offer him their piggy bank, and the Minions pool their resources to fund the moon heist.
Nefario calculates the day when the Moon is closest to Earth, which unfortunately coincides with the girls' upcoming ballet recital. Believing the girls are too much of a distraction to Gru, Nefario calls the orphanage's owner, Miss Hattie, to take the girls back. Meanwhile, Perkins informs Vector (who's actually Perkins' son) of Gru's current possession of the shrink ray and the latter decides to try to steal the moon himself as a ransom for the girls. The next day, after successfully shrinking and stealing the Moon, Gru rushes back to Earth in hopes of making it to the recital on time, only to find that Vector has kidnapped the girls.
Gru confronts Vector at his fortress, surrendering the Moon in exchange for the girls, but Vector refuses to release them. Enraged, Gru storms the fortress, and Vector activates his escape aircraft. Meanwhile, Nefario and the Minions discover that the shrink ray's effects are temporary; the bigger an object, the faster it reverts to its original size. Gru, Nefario, and the Minions rescue the girls before the Moon returns to its normal size and launches itself back into orbit, destroying Vector's aircraft and leaving him stranded. Gru regains custody of the girls, and they celebrate with a special ballet recital that turns into a dance party.
Also See
- Despicable Me (2010) (Trailers)
- Despicable Me (2010) (TV Spots)
- Despicable Me 2 (2013)
- Despicable Me 3 (2017)
- Despicable Me 4 (2024)
- Minions (2015)
- Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022)
- Minions & Monsters (2026)