VOD Spotlight: Despicable Me 3
In Despicable Me 3 Gru (voice of Steve Carell) is working hard in the AVL (Anti-Villain League) to keep the bad guys at bay. With his partner Lucy (Kristen Wiig) by his side in life and in the agency, they work to thwart the evil plans that exist in the world. When one such mission ends in failure, Gru and Lucy are let go by the AVL and return to their life as mom and dad to Margo, Edith and Agnes.
Out of the blue, a man comes and proclaims that Gru has a brother who wants to meet him. His brother is Dru (also voiced by Carell) and he has many of the exact opposite traits from his brother. Dru wears white; Gru wears black. Dru has flowing blond hair; Gru’s lack of hair, period, is a calling card. Other fun differences are abundant, but the big reason Dru reached out to his brother is that he wanted to come up with an evil plan and in the past Gru always had one ready to go.
But times have changed, and since the girls entered Gru’s life he’s decided to go straight. However, when an opportunity presents itself to become bad again, Gru just might take it.
Despicable Me 3 takes us back to familiar territory. Gru has evolved from bad guy to good guy, but is still the fun and likable character we remember. And he has the Minions, who have their own little story within the story here, something that is well-suited for them. Instead of having to carry a full film, the Minions rock in the smaller screen time in this film.
The villain here is Balthazar Bratt (Trey Parker), and the wit Parker brings to his character is evident from the first scene. And I love, love, love the dance fights that take place here between Bratt and Gru. Not only are the characters and surroundings drawn well, but the voice work by Parker and Carell is also spot on.
Oh, and Carell. He is perfect for the dueling roles of Gru and Dru: The brothers are brought to life despite their differences by Carell’s amazing vocal stylings.
It’s not perfect, but Despicable Me 3 is like comfort food that we are more than happy to devour.
Despicable Me 3 is available On Demand beginning Dec. 5. Check your cable system for availability.