Despicable me

For many lovers of animation, the word ''despicable'' will always belong to the epic Daffy Duck, who often said it, with immense, rampaging fury.

Gru, voiced by Steve Carell speaks in hushed tones that sound like a cross between Boris Badenov and Bela Lugosi; physically he's a mixture of lines and curves, with a rounded body, skinny legs and sharply pointed nose. It’s like gothic characters if you think about it. He's an inspirational evil-doer, a lugubrious wannabe-bad guy who's having trouble living up to his job description. He's good at skipping coffee queues or upsetting small children, and he's done a few fiendish things. But they've failed to capture the public imagination, and the manager at the Bank of Evil is reluctant to extend any more credit.

Gru has plenty of support including a technical wizard; Dr Nefario voiced by a surprisingly low-key Russell Brand, but is hard of hearing and prone to error.  He is asked to produce a dart gun, for example, he comes up with a weapon that is bitter rather than piercing. Gru also has an army of what are known as Minions, who are a bit like Santa's elves; their cute, small, busy Simpsons-yellow round things with enormous heads and goggle eyes, they wear blue overalls and communicate in chattering squeaks that make you laugh. For Gru and his crew, things are going down hill. He's an old-school type of vilian, and there's a new kid on the block, Vector, voiced by Jason Segel, who is young, nerdy and ambitious, and is ste

pping on Gru's toes when it comes to attention-grabbing evil. For example steeling the pyramid. To anger Vector and to pursue his impossible dream, Gru gets the help of three small girls from a children's home, the organized Margo voiced by Miranda Cosgrove, the wry Edith voiced by Dana Gaier, and the diminutive and eccentric Agnes a nice, unpredictable performance voiced by Elsie Fisher. And, in a good piece of casting, Julie Andrews plays Gru's mean-spirited, belittling mother.
As the film continues the relationship between Gru and the three little girls starts to change. A highlight in the film of this gradual transformation is a scene that involves Gru reading them a story about three little kittens from a book that comes with its own finger puppets. This movie is has busy and energetic work that packs a lot of detail into the frame, and uses 3D, although there's something almost harsh and inevitable about the inclusion of a roller-coaster ride, no matter how well it's done. Over all this is an engaging movie that feels to be aiming for the bright discovery of the Pixar studios. It is funny and likeable without ever feeling fresh and original. Something for everyone to watch.