Despicable Me

In a world where Pixar sets the standard for animated films, Universal-produced Despicable Me holds its own impressively. Somehow, the elaborate storyline (involving a scheme to steal the moon), stays pleasantly grounded in the formulas we already know and love. Undoubtedly, much of Despicable’s magic comes from the voice-work of funny man Steve Carell, who’s mastered the whole evil-yet-endearing-Russian-sounding villain to a tee. He plays Gru, the dysfunctional criminal who plans to take hostage of our moon in the hopes of earning some much-needed brownie points in the villain world. But things get complicated (and sentimental), when three young orphan girls are added into the mix. After initially adopting them to use as bait for his evil plots, is there any chance that this tough guy might turn into a decent dad? You already know the answer. But hey, with the laugh-out-loud moments provided, and additional voice-over contributions from the likes of Julie Andrews and Will Arnett, the predictability is well worth it. So, if you thought Toy Story 3 was the last decent kid’s movie worth seeing this summer, you might want to reconsider. Feather River Cinemas, Paradise Cinema 7 and Tinseltown. Rated PG