Gru is a supervillain determined to prove he’s the greatest by stealing the Moon. To pull off his plan, he adopts three orphaned girls—Margo, Edith, and Agnes—intending to use them as part of his scheme. However, as Gru bonds with the girls, his cold, villainous exterior begins to melt.
Direction
Renaud and Coffin balance slapstick with genuine emotional beats.
Visual Effects
Illumination's debut — minions were never meant to take over.
Director
Pierre Coffin
Steve Carell
Gru (voice)
Jason Segel
Vector (voice)
Miranda Cosgrove
Margo (voice)
Dana Gaier
Edith (voice)
Elsie Fisher
Agnes (voice)
Russell Brand
Dr. Nefario (voice)
Julie Andrews
Gru's Mother (voice)
Will Arnett
Mr. Perkins (voice)
Kristen Wiig
Miss Hattie (voice)
Pierre Coffin
Tim / Bob / Mark / Phil / Stuart (voice)
Chris Renaud
Dave (voice)
Jemaine Clement
Jerry (voice)
Jack McBrayer
Carnival Barker / Tourist Dad (voice)
Danny McBride
Fred McDade (voice)
Mindy Kaling
Tourist Mom (voice)
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Steve Carell improvised much of his dialogue; the accent was his idea and initially terrified the studio.
This launched Illumination as a major studio and accidentally created cinema's most overexposed mascots. The minions were supposed to be disposable henchmen.
US
