Despicable Me 3
Despicable Me 3 is a 2017 American computer-animated comedy film produced by Illumination for Universal Pictures. It is the third installment in the Despicable Me film series and the sequel to Despicable Me 2. The film is directed by Pierre Coffin and Kyle Balda, co-directed by Illumination production/character designer Eric Guillon, and written by Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio.
In the film, Gru teams up with his long-lost twin brother Dru in order to defeat a new enemy named Balthazar Bratt, a former child actor, obsessed with the 1980s, who grows up to become a villain after having his show cancelled following adolescence. Steve Carell, Miranda Cosgrove, and Dana Gaier reprise their roles of Felonious Gru, Margo, and Edith from the first two films with Julie Andrews returning as Marlena Gru, Gru's mother from Despicable Me, and Kristen Wiig and Steve Coogan returning as Lucy and Silas Ramsbottom from Despicable Me 2. They are joined by Trey Parker, Jenny Slate, and Nev Scharrel.
Despicable Me 3 premiered on June 14, 2017, at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival, and had a theatrical release in the United States on June 30, 2017, by Universal Pictures in 3D, RealD 3D, Dolby Cinema, and IMAX. The film received mixed reviews from critics and grossed over $1 billion worldwide, making it the fourth-highest-grossing film of 2017, the highest-grossing Despicable Me film, the eighth-highest-grossing animated film of all time, and the 38th-highest-grossing film of all time. It is Illumination's second film to gross over $1 billion, after Minions in 2015, becoming the first-ever animated franchise to do so.
Plot
Former villain Gru is now an agent for the Anti-Villain League. He and his partner and wife Lucy Wilde are sent to foil the plans of Balthazar Bratt, a former child actor from the 1980s that turned evil after his TV show, “Evil Bratt”, got cancelled due to Bratt hitting puberty. Gru manages to stop Bratt from stealing the Dumont Diamond, a giant pink diamond, but is unable to capture him. As a result of failing to capture Bratt, Gru and Lucy are dismissed from the AVL by its irrational new director Valerie Da Vinci, following the retirement of the AVL's former director, Silas Ramsbottom.When Gru and Lucy return home, Gru and Lucy reluctantly tell their kids, Margo, Edith, and Agnes, of their dismissal, but assure them they will find new jobs. Most of Gru's Minions leave him when he refuses to return to villainy despite losing his job and the fact that his old sidekick Dr. Nefario had accidentally frozen himself in carbonite, with only two Minions named Dave and Jerry staying due to them not being there when the others leave with their new leader, Mel. Meanwhile, Lucy struggles to adapt to her new role as the children's new mom. The next morning, when a butler named Fritz arrives at the Gru house, Gru discovers that he has a twin brother named Dru, who lives in a distant country named Freedonia, who longs to meet him. Shocked to learn he has a twin, Gru confronts his mother, who reveals that shortly after they were born, she and her husband got divorced, they each took one son to raise on their own and promised never to see each other again. The family decides to travel to meet Dru, and they are surprised at his immense wealth, and the size of the mansion, which Fritz attributes to their pig farm business. Meanwhile, the Minions are arrested for trespassing at a talent show set, shortly after they finish performing. Bratt manages to steal the diamond again, intending to use it to power a giant robot and destroy Hollywood as revenge for having his show cancelled.
Dru reveals to Gru that their recently deceased father was a legendary super-villain known as "the Bald Terror", whose villainous activities are the real source of the family's wealth. As Dru was dismissed by their father as a disgrace, he asks his brother to teach him how to be a villain. When Gru refuses to revert to his old ways, Dru takes him on a joyride around Freedonia in their father's technologically advanced car and the siblings bond. Meanwhile, Lucy tries to balance her new tasks as a mom, which she exhibits after turning away a young boy named Niko who had fallen for Margo in the midst of a traditional cheese festival, while Edith and Agnes stumble into a local tavern and learn from the bartender about a mythical unicorn which lurks in a nearby forest. Gru tries to convince Agnes that unicorns are imaginary, but decides against it to avoid hurting her feelings. The next day, Agnes and Edith set out into the woods to track the mythical 'unicorn', only to find a one-horned goat whom Agnes adopts and dubs "Lucky". Meanwhile, the Minions' longing for Gru motivates them to escape from prison and return to their former master.
Gru convinces Dru to steal the diamond, with Gru secretly intending to bring it to the AVL, which he hopes will convince Da Vinci to rehire him and Lucy. Despite several setbacks, they manage to retrieve the diamond and are rescued by Lucy after narrowly escaping. After finding out Gru's true motives, Dru confronts his brother about his lie. In return, Gru insults Dru's incompetence and decides to leave Freedonia, ending their relationship. Bratt, disguised as Lucy, kidnaps the children, and once again acquires the diamond. Gru and Dru resolve their differences and pursue him after finding the real Lucy.
With his robot powered by the diamond, Bratt terrorizes Hollywood, intending to send it into space with the use of superpowered gum. Lucy saves the children while Gru and Dru weaken Bratt's robot with the weapons of their father's car. Gru is knocked unconscious when the car is destroyed, and Dru manages to destroy the robot's core from the inside when Bratt threatens to kill Gru. When Gru recovers, he battles Bratt in a dance fight, using it as a distraction to grab his weaponized keytar, and defeats him. Having rendezvoused with Gru, the Minions manage to destroy the gum already covering the city, and Gru and Dru reconcile.
Soon afterward, Gru and Lucy are reinstated in the AVL and the newly united family celebrate in Gru's home. Lucy is acknowledged by the children as their mother. Lured back to villainy, Dru, along with most of the Minions, steals Gru's aircraft, with Gru's emblem replaced with a "D" graffiti. Gru and Lucy decide to give them a five-minute head-start before engaging pursuit.
Voice cast
- Steve Carell as Felonious Gru, the spy and former supervillain turned Anti-Villain League agent, Margo, Edith, and Agnes's adoptive father, and Lucy's husband.
- *Carell also voices Dru Gru, Gru's long-lost twin brother and the girls' adoptive uncle.
- Kristen Wiig as Lucy Wilde, an Anti-Villain League agent, Gru's wife and the girls' adoptive mother.
- Trey Parker as Balthazar Bratt, a supervillain and former child star who grows up to become obsessed with the character he played in the 1980s and is bent on world domination.
- Miranda Cosgrove as Margo Gru, Gru and Lucy's oldest and clever adopted daughter.
- Dana Gaier as Edith Gru, Gru and Lucy's middle tomboyish adopted daughter.
- Nev Scharrel as Agnes Gru, Gru and Lucy's youngest innocent and immature adopted daughter. She was previously voiced by Elsie Fisher in the first two films.
- Pierre Coffin as Mel, Kevin, Stuart, Bob, and the Minions.
- *Coffin also voices a Museum Director.
- Steve Coogan as Silas Ramsbottom, the director of the Anti-Villain League, who retires at the start of the film.
- *Coogan also voices Fritz, Dru's butler.
- Julie Andrews as Marlena Gru, Gru and Dru's mother.
- Jenny Slate as Valerie Da Vinci, a tyrannical member of the Anti-Villain League who becomes the new AVL director.
- Andy Nyman as Clive, a robot who is Bratt's sidekick.
- Adrian Ciscato as Niko, a boy from Freedonia who falls in love with Margo.
Production
Soundtrack
The soundtrack for Despicable Me 3 was released on June 23, 2017. Pharrell Williams released the new song "Yellow Light" for the soundtrack, which was made available through digital download and streaming. Some songs are unavailable on iTunes and Google Play.Track listing
Notes- signifies a co-producer
- signifies an additional producer
Charts
Release
The film premiered on June 14, 2017, at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival, and was released in the United States theaters on June 30, 2017. It was the first film by Illumination to be released in Dolby Vision and to be in the 2.39:1 anamorphic format.The first official trailer for the film was released on December 14, 2016; with the second released on March 14, 2017. A secondary trailer, designed for TV usage was released on April 21, 2017. A third trailer was released on May 24, 2017.
Home media
Despicable Me 3 was released on DVD, Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D, and Ultra HD Blu-ray in the United Kingdom on November 6, 2017. In the US, Despicable Me 3 was released on digital download on November 21, 2017, and was released on DVD, Blu-ray, and Ultra HD Blu-ray on December 5, 2017. The releases also included a short film, titled The Secret Life of Kyle.Reception
Box office
Despicable Me 3 grossed $264.6 million in the United States and Canada and $770.2 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $1.034 billion, against a production budget of $80 million. On September 8, it passed the $1 billion threshold, becoming the second Despicable Me film, second non-Disney-animated film, third film of 2017, and the sixth animated film to pass the mark. It became the first film since The Fate of the Furious in April 2017 to make over a billion dollars. Deadline Hollywood calculated the net profit of the film to be $366.2 million, when factoring together all expenses and revenues, making it the third-most-profitable release of 2017.In North America, the film opened alongside The House and Baby Driver, as well as the wide expansion of The Beguiled, and was projected to gross $85–95 million in its opening weekend. It played in 4,529 theaters, setting the record for widest release of all time, beating the amount set by ' in 2010. It held the record for nearly a full two years until it was broken again by ' in 2019, which released in 4,662 theaters. It made $4.1 million from Thursday night previews, down slightly from the $4.7 million of the second film and $6.2 million made by Minions, and $29.2 million on its first day. It went on to debut to $72.4 million, slightly below expectations and the lowest of the series since the first film, but still topped the box office and was the fourth-best opening for Illumination. It also opened to more than the next five films did combined. In its second weekend the film grossed $33.6 million, finishing second at the box office behind newcomer .
Internationally the film was released in five markets on June 16, 2017, and grossed $9.9 million in its opening weekend. In its third week of release the film opened in 46 more markets, grossing $95.6 million. The film's largest markets were China, Japan, the UK, Germany, and France.
Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 58% based on 190 reviews and an average rating of 5.69/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Despicable Me 3 should keep fans of the franchise consistently entertained with another round of colorful animation and zany—albeit somewhat scattershot—humor." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 49 out of 100 based on 37 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale, down from the first two films' and the spin-off's "A".IGN gave the film a score of 6/10, saying, "It's not much, but Despicable Me 3 is at least enough for the younger fans of the franchise." Peter Debruge of Variety wrote, "Despicable Me 3 is unwieldy, but it mostly works, as co-directors Pierre Coffin and Kyle Balda never lose sight of the film's emotional center, packing the rest with as much humor as they can manage. The jokes come so fast and furious, the movie can hardly find room for Heitor Pereira's funky score, and though Pharrell Williams has contributed five new songs to sell soundtracks, the movie hardly needs them." Alonso Duralde of TheWrap gave the film a mixed review, saying: "Ultimately, none of these flaws will matter to the throngs of little kids who have made the previous Despicable Me movies into giant global hits."
Sandy Schaefer for Screen Rant gives the film a 3 out of 5 stars saying "Despicable Me 3 offers enough in the way of zany, irreverent entertainment to please steadfast fans of the franchise." Jordan Mintzer for The Hollywood Reporter gave the film a positive review saying "This rather clever, breakneck-paced cartoon gives fans exactly what they want: Like the new nemesis voiced by Trey Parker, it shoots multiple machine-gun bursts of bubblegum at the audience, asking them to chew and enjoy" Peter Travers of Rolling Stone gave the film three out of four stars, saying "Pierre Coffin and co-director Kyle Balda keep the plot spinning merrily. Pharrell Williams contributes five new songs to the mix, including the hummable "There's Something Special." It's no mystery why Illumination's franchise is still something special after three go-rounds—the box-office gross is a whopping $1.5 billion and counting."
Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly gave the film a 'B' grade, saying "What shines through is the visual wit and innate sweetness of the storytelling, and Carell's cackling, cueball-skulled misanthrope a reformed scoundrel who can still have his cake, and arsenic too." Stephen Whitty of the New York Daily News gave the film 3.5 out of 5 stars, saying "The film has to rush at the end, to wrap up all these different stories, and it still leaves one of them open-ended."
Accolades
| Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
| 45th Annie Awards | Best Animated Feature | Chris Meledandri and Janet Healy | rowspan="17" |
| 45th Annie Awards | Animated Effects in an Animated Production | Bruno Chauffard, Frank Baradat, Nicolas Brack and Milo Riccarand | - |
| 45th Annie Awards | Character Design in an Animated Feature Production | Eric Guillon | - |
| ACE Eddie Awards | Best Edited Animated Feature Film | Claire Dodgson | - |
| Art Directors Guild | Production Design in an Animated Feature | Olivier Adam | - |
| Cinema Audio Society Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Motion Picture – Animated Film | Carlos Sotolongo, Randy Thom, Tim Nielson, Brandon Proctor, Greg Hayes and Scott Curtis | - |
| Central Ohio Film Critics Association | Best Animated Film | Despicable Me 3 | - |
| 23rd Critics' Choice Awards | Best Animated Film | Pierre Coffin and Kyle Balda | - |
| Denver Film Critics Society Awards | Best Animated Film | Despicable Me 3 | - |
| Golden Trailer Awards 2017 | Best Animation/Family | Despicable Me 3 | - |
| Golden Trailer Awards 2017 | Best Animation/Family Poster | Despicable Me 3 | - |
| Golden Reel Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing Feature Animation | Dennis Leonard, Tim Nielsen, Matthew Hartman, Mac Smith, Andre J.H. Zweers, Christopher Flick, Richard Gould, John Roesch, Shelley Roden and Slamm Andrews | - |
| Hollywood Music in Media Awards 2017 | Best Original Song – Animated Film | "There's Something Special" for Pharrell Williams | - |
| Houston Film Critics Society Awards 2017 | Best Animated Film | Despicable Me 3 | - |
| Legionnaires of Laughter Legacy Awards 2018 | Best Children's Comedy Film | Despicable Me 3 | - |
| Producers Guild of America Award | Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Picture | Chris Meledandri and Janet Healy | - |
| Movieguide Awards | Best Movie for Families | Despicable Me 3 | - |
| Nickelodeon Brazil Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite Animated Film | Despicable Me 3 | rowspan="2" |
| Nickelodeon Mexico Kids' Choice Awards 2017 | Favorite Movie | Despicable Me 3 | - |
| 2018 Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite Animated Film | Despicable Me 3 | rowspan="13" |
| Nickelodeon Argentina Kids' Choice Awards 2017 | Favorite Movie | Despicable Me 3 | - |
| Nickelodeon Colombia Kids' Choice Awards 2017 | Favorite Movie | Despicable Me 3 | - |
| North Texas Film Critics Association | Best Animated Film | Pierre Coffin, Kyle Balda and Eric Guillion | - |
| Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards | Best Animated Film | Despicable Me 3 | - |
| Saturn Awards | Best Animated Film | Despicable Me 3 | - |
| St. Louis Film Critics Association | Best Animated Feature | Pierre Coffin and Kyle Balda | - |
| 16th Visual Effects Society Awards | Outstanding Visual Effects in an Animated Feature | Pierre Coffin, Chris Meledandri, Kyle Balda and Eric Guillon | - |
| 16th Visual Effects Society Awards | Outstanding Animated Character in an Animated Feature | Eric Guillon, Bruno Dequier, Julien Soret, Benjamin Fournet for "Bratt" | - |
| 16th Visual Effects Society Awards | Outstanding Created Environment in an Animated Feature | Axelle De Cooman, Pierre Lopes, Milo Riccarand, Nicolas Brack for "Hollywood Destruction" | - |
| 16th Visual Effects Society Awards | Outstanding Model in a Photoreal or Animated Project | Eric Guillon, Francois-Xavier Lepeintre, Guillaume Boudeville, Pierre Lopes for "Dru's Car" | - |
| 16th Visual Effects Society Awards | Outstanding Effects Simulations in an Animated Feature | Bruno Chauffard, Frank Baradat, Milo Riccarand, Nicolas Brack | - |
| Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Awards 2017 | Best Animated Feature | Pierre Coffin and Kyle Balda | - |