Posts Tagged ‘animation’

Movie Review – Big Hero 6 (2014)

This past weekend saw the release of Big Hero 6, the 54th feature film released by Walt Disney Animation Studios.

Set in an alternate version of San Francisco (called San Fransokyo in the film), Big Hero 6 tells a story of a gifted young robot engineer named Hiro who is persuaded by his older brother to apply for an advanced engineering school.  When Hiro’s brother is suddenly killed in a terrible accident (or so it seems), Hiro befriends Baymax, an inflatable nurse robot that was his brother’s last invention.  Hiro soon learns that it was no accident that killed his brother.  With the help of Baymax and his late brother’s friends at the engineering school, the group of them form a super hero team and they track down the killer.

Big Hero 6 (2014) – movie poster

Directed by Don Hall and Chris Williams, Big Hero 6 stars Ryan Potter as the voice of Hiro Hamada and Scott Adsit as the voice of Baymax.  This movie also features the voices of James Cromwell and Alan Tudyk, and a cameo by Marvel Comics legend Stan Lee.  Otherwise, nearly all of the voice actors/actresses are from obscure talents in Hollywood.

Big Hero 6 is set in the near future in San Fransokyo, a blending of San Francisco and Tokyo.  The movie begins with 14-year-old robot engineer Hiro Hamada (voiced by Ryan Potter) participating in a back alley robot fight.  He hustles his way to an easy victory and collects a large amount of money for winning the fight.  This doesn’t go too well with the other contestant, and Hiro has to make a quick getaway.  He’s rescued by his older brother, Tadashi (voiced by Daniel Henney), but they’re both caught by the police along with everybody else at the robot fight.  The robot fighting technically wasn’t illegal, but betting on it was.

The two brothers are soon bailed out of jail by Aunt Cass (voiced by Maya Rudolph), the boys’ aunt and legal guardian.  It’s briefly mentioned that the brothers’ parents died about ten years ago.  Aunt Cass owns a popular bakery and coffee shop, and she and the boys live in an apartment above the cafe.  Tadashi tries to sit down and talk some sense into Hiro, but Hiro is more interested in hustling for money at robot fights instead of going to college and getting an education. Read more…

Movie Review – Sleeping Beauty (1959)

In 1959, Walt Disney Productions released Sleeping Beauty, the company’s sixteenth animated film.

Based on a French fairy tale, Sleeping Beauty tells the story of a young princess who is cursed by an evil sorceress.  If the princess pricks her finger on a spinning wheel before her sixteenth birthday, then she’ll die.  Fortunately for the princess, a good fairly is able to alter the evil spell and change it so that instead of death, the princess will simply fall asleep.  All she needs to do to wake is to receive a kiss by her true love.

Sleeping Beauty (1959) – movie poster

Sleeping Beauty would mark the end of a series of Disney animated films based on fairy tales.  Throughout the 1960s, 70s, and most of the 80s, the Disney animated films focused on other sources for stories.  Disney would not return to making animated films out of fairy tales until the release of The Little Mermaid in 1989.

Sleeping Beauty (1959) – (c) Buena Vista Distribution

Walt Disney’s Sleeping Beauty begins with the opening of the fairy tale book, Sleeping Beauty.  The narrator (voiced by Marvin Miller) begins reading from the story and we learn about King Stefan (voiced by Taylor Holmes) and Queen Leah (voiced by Verna Felton), and how they finally received the gift of the birth of a child.  They name their little princess Aurora (Latin for “dawn”).  In honor of the birth of their daughter, the king and queen declare a holiday so that everybody in the kingdom can pay respect to the princess.

The illustrations in the book transition into the animated film.

One of the honored guests is King Hubert (voiced by Bill Thompson) and his young son, Prince Phillip (voiced by Bill Shirley).  It’s announced that day that Prince Phillip will be betrothed to Princess Aurora, and the kingdoms of Stefan and Hubert will finally be united. Read more…

Movie Review – Dumbo (1941)

In October of 1941, Walt Disney Productions released Dumbo, the fourth full-length Disney animated film.

Dumbo is a simple story that tells the story of Dumbo, a circus elephant who was born with very large ears.  The young elephant faced teasing and ridicule from the circus’s visitors and his fellow elephants.  Dumbo finds an unlikely companion in that of a mouse named Timothy, and the two of them show the world that Dumbo is indeed a very special elephant.

Dumbo (1941) – movie poster

As you’ll see in the film, Dumbo revolves around simplicity in telling its story.  Dumbo himself has no lines of dialogue, and his mother, Mrs. Jumbo, only speaks one line.  The animation itself lacks the levels of detail in previous films like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Pinocchio.  And with a running time of only 64 minutes, Dumbo is one of Disney’s shortest animated films.

Dumbo (1941) – (c) RKO Radio Pictures

Dumbo begins on a stormy night as a flock of storks are delivering babies to circus animals at their winter quarters in south Florida.  The song “Look Out For Mr. Stork” is heard as all sorts of circus animals receive their babies and start their family.  All of the animals except for an elephant named Mrs. Jumbo.  She is saddened as no baby arrives for her. Read more…

Movie Review – The Princess and the Frog (2009)

In December of 2009, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures released its 49th animated film, The Princess and the Frog.

Loosely based on the fairy tale The Frog Princess by E.D. Baker, and the classic Grimm fairy tale The Frog Prince, The Princess and the Frog uses traditional, hand-drawn animation to tell the tale of a spoiled prince who is turned into a frog from a magic spell, and his quest to become human again.  The Disney version adds the lead female character also being turned into a frog, and the two of them have to battle an evil voodoo magician before its too late.

The Princess and the Frog also sets a milestone for Disney princesses as Tiana is the first black princess in the Disney animated films, not that it really matters.  What’s important here is that The Princess and the Frog tells a good story while being set in a fantastic environment.  On top of that, the animation and art work in this film is simply outstanding!

The Princess and the Frog (2009) – movie poster

Directed by Ron Clements and John Musker, The Princess and the Frog stars Anika Noni Rose as the voice of Tiana, the heroine of the film.  Supporting her are Bruno Campos as the voice role of Prince Naveen, Keith David as Doctor Facilier, and John Goodman as Eli “Big Daddy” La Bouff.  Other voice actors in the film include Jim Cummings, Jennifer Cody, Oprah Winfrey and Terrence Howard.

The Princess and the Frog takes place in and around New Orleans, Louisiana.

The film begins in 1912 in the city of New Orleans.  We know that it’s 1912 as a newspaper has an article about Woodrow Wilson being elected as President of the United States.

The Princess and the Frog (2009) – (c) Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Young Tiana and her friend Charlotte La Bouff are listening to Tiana’s mother, Eudora (voiced by Oprah Winfrey), tell the story of The Frog Prince while Eudora finishes making Charlotte’s dress.  When Eudora reaches the end of the story, Tiana finds the idea of kissing a frog to be disgusting and revolting.  While Tiana thinks of it as disgusting, Charlotte states that she would gladly kiss a frog to turn him into a prince.

Charlotte’s father Eli “Big Daddy” La Bouff (voiced by John Goodman) picks up his daughter and takes her home.  Tiana and her mother then head home.  As we can see, while Charlotte and her father live in a wealthy part of town, Tiana and her parents live in a poor area. Read more…

Movie Review – The Transformers: The Movie (1986)

In the mid 1980s, the Transformers were some of the coolest toys in the market.

Here you had robots from outer space living on planet Earth and disguised as everyday vehicles, weapons, and electronic items.  One moment the Transformer is a humanoid-like fighting robot, and the next it’s “hiding” in its alternate form.  You had the Autobots on one side, the Decepticons on the other, and everybody else caught in their crossfire.

Released in 1986, The Transformers: The Movie was an animated film that took place directly between the second and third seasons of The Transformers animated television show.

Directed by Nelson Shin, The Transformers: The Movie features a number of voice actors including Peter Cullen, Judd Nelson, Robert Stack, Scatman Crothers and Leonard Nimoy.

The Transformers: The Movie (1986) – (c) De Laurentiis Entertainment Group

The Transformers: The Movie begins out in space in the year 2005 (about twenty years after the second season of The Transformers television show).  Unicron (voiced by Orson Wells), a roaming artificial planet, approaches and then destroys robot planet Lithone.  As the planet is destroyed, only two of its inhabitants are able to flee.

On the Transformers’ home planet of Cybertron, the evil Decepticons have control of the world.  Meanwhile, the heroic Autobots are using two of Cybertron’s moons as staging areas to strike back against the Decepticons.  They just need more energon cubes before they’ll be ready to attack.  Optimus Prime (voiced by Peter Cullen) orders that a shuttle be sent back to Autobot City on planet Earth, and retrieve the energon. Read more…

Movie Review – Song of the South (1946)

In our youth, many of us have heard of author Joel Chandler Harris‘s animal tales told by fictional character Uncle Remus.

The tales, initially passed down through oral folklore by the African-American slaves, often focused on trickster hero Br’er Rabbit (Brother Rabbit), and his encounters with other friendly and evil animals such as Br’er Fox, Br’er Bear, Br’er Terrapin, and Br’er Wolf down in rural parts of Georgia.  The first of Harris’s Uncle Remus books was published back in 1880.

The tales of Uncle Remus were brought to life by Walt Disney in the 1946 feature film, Song of the South.  Using a combination of live action and animated segments, Song of the South tells a story of a young boy living in Georgia during the Reconstruction Era following the Civil War.  When he runs into trouble in life, he listens to the tales told by Uncle Remus and learns the wisdom behind them.

Directed by Harve Foster and Wilfred Jackson, Song of the South stars James Baskett in the role of Uncle Remus as well as providing the voice of Br’er Fox.  Supporting him are Bobby Driscoll as Johnny, and Luana Patten as Ginny Favers.  Hattie McDaniel has the role of Aunt Tempy, the family’s chef and caretaker.

Song of the South takes place in rural Georgia during the Reconstruction Era after the War Between the States (a.k.a. American Civil War).  It’s a time period where the slaves have been freed though many of them continue to work on plantations as sharecroppers.

Song of the South (1946) – (c) RKO Radio Pictures / Disney

The film begins as seven-year-old Johnny (Bobby Driscoll) arrives at his grandmother’s plantation along with his mother, Sally (Ruth Warrick), and his father, John, Sr. (Erik Rolf).  Accompanying them on the journey from Atlanta is Aunt Tempy (Hattie McDaniel), the family’s cook and caretaker.  She watches out for Johnny as if he was her own son. Read more…

Movie Review – Lego Batman: The Movie – DC Super Heroes Unite (2013)

In honor of this weekend’s release of The Lego Movie, today we’re taking a look at last year’s direct-to-video film, Lego Batman: The Movie – DC Super Heroes Unite.

It’s no secret that Lego construction toys have been becoming increasingly popular since the early 1950s.  What started as basic building blocks quickly expanded through a variety of themes including medieval castles, pirates, outer space, and city pieces.  Many more themes have been added over the years from Star Wars to The Lord of the Rings to just about any popular film these days.

The Lego obsession further continued with the release of the Lego video games, from Lego Island and Lego Racers in the late 1990s to Lego Star Wars, Lego Indiana Jones, Lego Batman, Lego Harry Potter, Lego Lord of the Rings, and more.

Lego doesn’t stop there!

We cannot forget about the 90 Lego Stores, the six Legoland amusement parks, the thousands of different Lego-themed clothes and souvenirs, and two Lego animated television shows.

It was just a matter of time before we started seeing full-length Lego movies.

Lego Batman: The Movie – DC Super Heroes Unite is heavily based on the Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes video game released back in June of 2012.

Lego Batman: The Movie – DC Super Heroes Unite (2013) – (c) Warner Premiere / Warner Bros. Pictures

Lego Batman: The Movie – DC Super Heroes Unite begins as Batman (voiced by Troy Baker) and Superman (voiced by Travis Willingham) arrive at the LexCorp building.  Both of them are confronted and then attacked by Lex Luthor (voiced by Clancy Brown).  Lex uses a Kryptonite ray to attack Superman, and a large crate is dropped on Batman.  It looks like both of the super heroes are defeated.

The film then goes back to two days ago. Read more…

Movie Review – Despicable Me 2 (2013)

Back in 2010, the animated film Despicable Me introduced us to a super villain named Gru and the relationship he develops with three orphaned girls.

The film was not only great but a smash hit with the audiences as well.  It was just a matter of time before a sequel was created.

Despicable Me 2 was released in the summer of 2013.  The animated film brought back Gru, his assistant, the three girls and the army of minions for another adventure.  This time around another villain is set to destroy the world, and it’s up to the Anti-Villain League (AVL) to stop him.  Gru is paired with a young female agent, and the two of them discover the evil plot as well as inner feelings towards each other.

Directed by Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud, Steve Carell returns as the voice of Gru.  Supporting him are Kristen Wiig as Lucy Wilde, Benjamin Bratt as Eduardo “El Macho” Perez, Russell Brand as Dr. Nefario, and Miranda Cosgrove, Dana Gaier and Elsie Fisher in the roles of Margo, Edith and Agnes.

Despicable Me 2 (2013) – (c) Universal Pictures

Despicable Me 2 begins at a top secret research facility up north in the Arctic Circle.  It seems like an ordinary day at the research laboratory until a giant flying magnet suddenly hovers overhead.  The magnet is activated and the whole research facility and everything else that’s metal is pulled into the sky and grabbed by the mysterious flying machine. Read more…

Movie Review – The Croods (2013)

Today we’re taking a look at The Croods, a DreamWorks Animation film that was released in the movie theaters in March of 2013.

The Croods tells a story about a family of cavemen who have survived because they stay in their cave and follow simple rules such as discovering anything new, not being curious, and not going outside at night.  All of that changes one day after the daughter sneaks out at night and discovers another fellow caveman.  This caveman is different as he uses his head instead of strength.  He has discovered fire, knows how to set traps to capture prey, and he knows that the world is about to end.

The Crood’s cave is destroyed by an earthquake, and the family is forced to relocate with the advice of the new caveman.  They discover new things and learn more about themselves while finding a new home in an exotic and hostile world.

Directed by Kirk DeMicco and Chris Sanders, The Croods was written by DeMicco, Sanders and John Cleese as well.  The film’s music was composed by famed Hollywood composer Alan Silvestri.

Nicolas Cage stars in the role of Grug Crood, the incredibly strong and overprotective father of the Crood family.  He’s determined to keep living in his cave and continuing to survive by following their simple rules.  Emma Watson stars as Eep Crood, Grug’s daughter who is tired of living in their cave.  It’s a boring life and she desperately wants to go on an adventure.  Ryan Reynolds also stars in this film as Guy, a nomadic caveboy who uses his brain and ideas to survive in the wilderness.

Also starring in this film are Catherine Keener as Ugga Crood, Grug’s wife; Clark Duke has the role of Thunk, the Crood’s son and middle child; and Cloris Leachman has the role of Gran, Ugga’s elderly but tough mother and the grandmother of the three children.

The Croods (2013) – (c) 20th Century Fox

The Croods begins with Eep Crood (voiced by Emma Watson) narrating the story and telling us how the Crood family has managed to survive.  It turns out that they are the last surviving cavemen family in the area, all because they have followed their father’s strict rules.  Eep is driven crazy by the rules as she’s a curious and rebellious teenager who desperately craves to leave their cave and explore the world.

One morning the father, Grug Crood (voiced by Nicolas Cage), gets the family organized to find some breakfast.  The family races (you’ll notice that they can all run, climb, jump and throw items with superhuman strength) to their hunting ground and locates a wacky bird guarding an egg.  In a series of events that resemble a crazy football play, the Crood family works together, steals the egg, and manages to get the egg back to their cave while avoiding all of the other crazy animals.

Back at their cave, Eep is out exploring when the sun begins to set.  Grug is uneasy as he knows that staying inside of their cave at night is one of the rules he follows for survival.  His hunch is right as a vicious cat-like animal tries to attack him.  He and Eep make it back into the cave without being eaten by the dangerous animal. Read more…

Movie Review – Frozen (2013)

Released a few days ago was Frozen, the latest full-length computer animated film created by Walt Disney Animation Studios.

Frozen is an animated film based loosely on Hans Christian Anderson‘s classic fairy tale, The Snow Queen.  Frozen tells a Scandinavian tale of a fearless princess who seeks the help of others to stop her sister from trapping their kingdom in an eternal winter, a weather condition that will destroy their home.

Directed by Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee, Frozen stars Kristen Bell with the voice acting of Anna, the heroine of the story.  Supporting her are Idina Menzel as Elsa / the Snow Queen and Anna’s older sister; Jonathan Groff as Kristoff, a mountain man who has a pet reindeer named Sven; Santino Fontana as Hans, a prince seeking Anna’s hand in marriage; and Josh Gad as Olaf, a small snowman who aides Anna and Kristoff in their quest.

Before watching Frozen, theater patrons are first treated to “Get a Horse,” a restored Mickey Mouse cartoon from 1928.  What makes “Get a Horse” special is that allegedly this was a previously lost Mickey Mouse film that was recently discovered out in California.  As with the other Mickey Mouse cartoons from that era, it’s Walt Disney‘s voice that we hear for Mickey Mouse.

This is the twenty-first century, and we’re not treated to just the original black-and-white Mickey Mouse cartoon.  This is something quite different and pretty slick.

“Get a Horse” begins with Mickey and the gang driving a large cart down a path.  They soon cross the path of Pete, and of course he has to cause trouble.  At one point Mickey gets “knocked” out of the black-and-white cartoon and appears as a 3D character in our world.  Both Mickey and Pete realized that the movie screen is a barrier between worlds, and the two of them battle each other.  Mickey and his friends gain the upper hand and find a way to defeat Pete and save Minnie Mouse, resulting in a happy ending.

This short cartoon is pretty slick with the blending of classic, 2D black-and-white animation and today’s world of 3D computer animation.  The cartoon itself is harmless fun, and I love the tribute with showing a Disney cartoon before the feature film.  I certainly hope that Disney continues this classic compliment with future films.

Frozen (2013) – (c) Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Frozen takes place in the nineteenth century in the Norwegian kingdom of Arendelle.  During the opening credits we see ice harvesters collect large blocks of ice from a frozen lake.  Among the men is a young boy with an equally young reindeer, both of them also collecting ice from the river. Read more…

Movie Review – Fantasia (1940)

It’s been called a film ahead of its time.

It’s a masterful collection of classical music and fantastic animation sequences.

It’s Fantasia, a full-length feature film released by Walt Disney back in 1940.  Using eight animated sequences, Fantasia visually takes viewers into the world of classical music.  You hear some of your favorite classical pieces of music and see them presented in imaginative methods, telling a story while entertaining and relaxing you.

Hosted and narrated by Deems Taylor, Fantasia includes musical pieces from Johann Sebastian Bach, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Paul Dukas, Igor Stravinsky, Ludwig van Beethoven, Amilcare Ponchielle, Modest Mussorgsky, and Franz Schubert.  You may only be familiar with a couple of those composers now, but by the end of Fantasia you might be fans of them all.  All of the pieces of music recorded for Fantasia were composed by the famed English conductor Leopold Stokowski, and seven of the eight segments were performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra.

Sit back and relax when viewing Fantasia.  Turn down the lights, lie back in your favorite chair, and sip a nice glass of wine.  As you’ll see, Fantasia is a completely different style of the other animated films produced by Walt Disney.

Fantasia (1940) – (c) Walt Disney Productions

Fantasia begins as if you’re attending an orchestra concert.  The curtains open, the musicians arrive and begin tuning their instruments, and our gust host, Deems Taylor, walks on stage and greets us.

“Toccata And Fugue In D Minor” by Johann Sebastian Bach

Fantasia (1940) – (c) Walt Disney Productions

Our first animated musical segment is German composer Johann Sebastian Bach‘s “Toccata And Fugue In D Minor.”  This segment begins with live-action shots of Leopold Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra.  The orchestra begins playing and we see various colors in the background.  The animation slowly takes over the screen and soon we’re seeing abstract colors and animations in synchronization with the classical music.  As the music grows louder and more intense, so do the fantastic animations moving around on the screen. Read more…

Movie Review – Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (2001)

As I child, I was one of many who often fantasized about flying around on jet packs or riding rockets to distant planets (often during math class).

That’s the kind of spirit prevalent in 2001′s CGI animated movie, Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius.  Jimmy Neutron, a genius and inventor still stuck in elementary school, gets to fulfill that science-fiction adventure and more in this animated film.

I honestly don’t remember Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius when it was released in the movie theaters back in 2001.  The top movies back then were DreamWorks’ Shrek along with Disney/Pixar’s Monsters, Inc.  Actually, the only reason I decided to watch and review the Jimmy Neutron film was that the Jimmy Neutron’s Nicktoon Blast ride was just added to Florida-Project.com, a website dedicated to the history and future development of the Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando theme parks.

The ride at Universal Studios Florida was a lot of fun, so I figured I might as well see what the movie was like.  I don’t watch the Nickelodeon cartoons any more (not since those glory days back in the early 1980′s), but I will check out the occasional animated movie if it looks interesting.  Or if there’s heavy influence of it in a theme park.

Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (2001) – (c) Paramount Pictures

Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius begins with an Air Force base detecting an unknown presence in the skies.  The base commander scrambles four fighters to check it out.  The unidentified flying object turns out to be Jimmy Neutron and his friend Carl going on a rocket ride (it looks like the Mark II rocket they use in “Jimmy Neutron’s Nicktoon Blast” at Universal Studios Florida).  The boys fly into the upper atmosphere and Jimmy launches a toaster that was converted into a satellite.

Back at home, Jimmy’s parents are wondering if he’ll be on time for the school bus.  The boys race back home and Carl parachutes back to the ground.  Jimmy, meanwhile, makes a crash landing in his rocket, skidding across several roofs until he finally stops.  His mom is angry with him being on the roof again.  Whatever.  Jimmy uses his inventions to help him get ready for school.  He still misses the school bus, and Jimmy has to use yet another invention to make it to class on time. Read more…

Movie Review – Shrek (2001)

Continuing with yesterday’s animation talk of Despicable Me, today we’re taking a look at DreamWorks Pictures’ hit 2001 animated movie, Shrek.

Back in the late 1990s and early part of 2000, computer animation was still on the rise with hit CGI films such as Antz (1998), A Bug’s Life (1998), and Toy Story 2 (1999).  The Disney films were still generally considered to be the better of the animated movies, but little did the public know what kind of animated movie DreamWorks was about to release.

For the most part, the heroes of animated movies and kids films were always clean cut characters, people who were admirable and looked up to because of their personality and appearance.  2001′s Shrek introduced kids and adults to a new kind of hero in animated films, something generally revered to as vile and disgusting —- an ogre of all creatures.

Shrek is a DreamWorks Pictures CGI movie set in a fairytale world.  But as we quickly see, this movie is more of a parody of fairy tales.  You’ll see some of your favorite classic fairytale characters cast in a new light, most of it being hilariously funny.  With the help of talented voice actors and actresses such as Mike Meyers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz and John Lithgow, Shrek is one wild ride of a movie experience.

Shrek (2001) – (c) DreamWorks Pictures

Shrek begins innocently with the main character, an ogre named Shrek (voiced by Mike Meyers), reading a fairy tale out loud to himself.  We quickly realize that he’s doing so while sitting in an outhouse, taking care of “business.”  He rips off a page an uses it for toilet paper.  We’re then briefly introduced to Shrek’s daily life in the swamp as he takes a mud bath, farts in a pool of water, and cooks himself dinner.  Angry villagers form a mob and try to rid the ogre from the swamp, but Shrek quickly sends them running back home.  Essentially, he seems like the complete opposite of what you would expect from a hero. Read more…

Movie Review – Despicable Me (2010)

Full-length animated movies have been around since Walt Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs premiered back in 1937.

While hand-drawn animation still exists today, many of the animated cartoons and movies are produced on computers, from the backgrounds and settings to the characters themselves.  As the technology and process of creating animated films continues to improve, it won’t be long until more companies make their stake in the animation industry.

That brings us to today’s review of the animated movie, Despicable Me.  Released in the summer of 2010, Despicable Me was the first feature film from the newly created Illumination Entertainment studio.  Illumination Entertainment is a subsidiary of Universal Studios, with Comcast as the primary owner.

Despicable Me is an animated movie about a villain striving to become an elite super-villain.  This villain, Gru hits a brick wall when a competitor villain steals an important weapon.  Gru hatches a plan that requires adopting three young orphaned sisters, and using them to open a hole in his competitor’s security.  As we see, the sisters win the affection of Gru, and the badass super-villain finds a soft side inside of him.

Despicable Me (2010) – (c) Universal Pictures

Despicable Me begins with the shocking news that the Great Pyramid of Giza had been stolen by an unknown super-villain, and the missing pyramid had been replaced by a lifelike inflatable structure.  To make matters worse, the theft was described as a move that makes all other villains look lame.  Next we meet Gru (voiced by Steve Carell), a person who enjoys bringing sorrow and misery to innocent people.  He drives his tank-like car with a rocket engine like a banshee, and his home is the most dreadful and scariest looking house in the neighborhood. Read more…