Despicable Me 2

Despicable Me 2 is a 2013 American 3D computer-animated comedy film and the sequel to the 2010 animated film Despicable Me. Produced by Illumination Entertainment for Universal Pictures and animated by Illumination Mac Guff, the film was directed by Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud, and written by Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio. Steve Carell, Russell Brand, Miranda Cosgrove, Elsie Fisher, and Dana Gaier reprise their roles as Gru, Dr. Nefario, Margo, Agnes, and Edith respectively. Kristen Wiig, who played Miss Hattie in the first film, voices agent Lucy Wilde, while Ken Jeong, who played the Talk Show Host, voices Floyd Eagle-san. New cast members include Benjamin Bratt as Eduardo "El Macho" Pérez and Steve Coogan as Silas Ramsbottom, head of the fictional Anti-Villain League (AVL).

Despicable Me 2 premiered on June 5, 2013 in Australia and had a wide theatrical release in the United States on July 3, 2013. It received generally positive reviews from critics, and it has grossed over $970 million worldwide against a budget of $76 million. It was nominated for Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and for Academy Award for Best Original Song (for "Happy"), losing both to Walt Disney Animation Studios' Frozen. It became the second-highest-grossing animated film of 2013 and the third highest-grossing film of 2013. It is also the most profitable film in the 101-year history of Universal Pictures. A spinoff/prequel film, Minions, focusing on the little yellow henchmen before they met Gru, was released on July 10, 2015. A sequel, Despicable Me 3, was released on June 30, 2017.

Plot
A mysterious vehicle using a giant magnet steals a highly potent mutagen known as PX-41 from a secret laboratory in the Arctic Circle. The Anti-Villain League (AVL), led by Silas Ramsbottom, sends one of his agents, Lucy Wilde to collect Gru, who was former super-villain. Meanwhile, at Gru's house, it is one of his daughters Agnes's birthday and hosts a party for her, Later Lucy Wilde uses her lipstick taser to get Gru to the AVL headquarters, two minions witness the kidnapping and try to save Gru but get electrocuted by Lucy, When they make it at the AVL Silas Ramsbottom introduces himself (much to Gru and the minions amusement) and tells him he was taken there to track down the culprit of the person who stole the lab and recover the mutagen. However, Gru refuses, claiming that he is now a legitimate businessman of making jelly out of every fruit there is but the jelly turns out to taste horrible and the devoted father to Margo, Edith, and Agnes. Longing to resume his criminal life, Dr. Nefario, Gru's friend and assistant, leaves Gru for new employment. Gru reluctantly agrees to investigate the theft and works with undercover AVL agent Lucy Wilde.

The pair begin their search in the Paradise Shopping Mall, disguised as bakery employees. Gru immediately suspects the Mexican restaurant owner, Eduardo Pérez, of being the infamous "El Macho", a legendary super-villain who supposedly died by riding a shark into the mouth of an active volcano with 250 pounds of dynamite strapped to his chest. Gru and Lucy break into Eduardo's restaurant at night but find no proof. Meanwhile, Agnes, who dreams of having a mother one day, believes that Gru will fall in love with Lucy. Gru denies it, saying his relationship with Lucy is only professional.

Although holding Eduardo as his prime suspect, Gru agrees to pursue others, including wig merchant Floyd Eagle-san. After witnessing Eduardo's two-timing son, Antonio, woo Margo and invite everyone to his Cinco de Mayo party, Gru renews his focus on Eduardo. His neighbor, Jillian, sets him up on a dinner date with her vacuous friend Shannon. The date goes awry, but Lucy arrives and rescues Gru from being humiliated by shooting Shannon with a tranquilizer gun. While they take Shannon home, Gru and Lucy spend personal time together, and Gru falls in love with her.

The next day, the AVL arrest Eagle-san after finding an almost-empty jar of the mutagen in his shop, and the investigation is closed by Ramsbottom. Lucy is reassigned to Australia and gives Gru her lipstick taser as a gift before leaving. A heartbroken Gru, having lacked the courage to ask Lucy out on a date, instead takes the girls to the Cinco de Mayo party. There, he follows Eduardo and discovers a secret musical steps-activated elevator, where he finally finds proof that Eduardo is El Macho.

On her flight, Lucy, realizing that she has also fallen in love with Gru, jumps out of the plane and uses a hang-glider to reach the party. Gru discovers that El Macho, who has hired Nefario as a partner, has been abducting Gru's Minions and using the stolen PX-41 serum to make them rabid and indestructible. El Macho plans to launch rockets full of the mutated Minions into major cities in order to dominate the world. He offers Gru the chance to team up with him, but Gru walks away and El Macho sends one of his minions after him.

Gru takes the girls home and finds a heartbroken Margo as Antonio has chosen another girl to dance with other than her and Gru freezes him, Lucy later arrives at the party right after Gru leaves, but El Macho captures Lucy after Pollito, El Macho's pet chicken, retrieves her AVL ID badge from her purse. Nefario rejoins Gru and tells him that Lucy has been captured, Gru goes back to his fortress with two of his own minions. Meanwhile, back at Gru's house, The minion that El Macho released finds his home and attacks the girls, but Nefario comes to their rescue as he had created an antidote to the serum and puts it in the jelly. Gru enters the fortress with two disguised minions covered with purple paint pretending to be captured to help him enter El Macho's fortress, but one of the minions wipe some paint of his face with his glove revealing to all the purple minions that he is not one of them and the kidnapping was fake, therefore the purple minions attack and corner them, Luckily Nefario, the girls and the rest of Gru's minions who are in normal state arrive with the antidote and returned all the Minions to their normal state. El Macho then applies the mutagen on himself and turns into a monster, but Gru and Nefario defeat him using Lucy's lipstick taser and a fart gun.

Gru finds Lucy strapped to a TNT-loaded shark rocket and starts to untie her, but Pollito launches the rocket, sending it flying towards the same volcano where El Macho previously faked his death. Lucy accepts Gru's invitation for a date, and the pair dive into the ocean seconds before the rocket enters the volcano and violently explodes. Gru rejoins the AVL, and he and Lucy eventually get married, giving Margo, Edith and Agnes a mother and it is revealed that there was still one minion that the PX-41 antidote was never given to him.

Voice cast

 * Steve Carell as Gru, a former villain turned father (and then member of the Anti-Villain League).
 * Kristen Wiig as Lucy Wilde, an Anti-Villain League agent and then Gru's love interest. Wiig previously voiced Miss Hattie in the first film.
 * Benjamin Bratt as Eduardo "El Macho" Pérez, the owner of Salsa & Salsa, a Mexican restaurant in the Paradise Mall, and the mastermind behind the theft of the PX-41 serum. Al Pacino was originally cast in the role and had recorded all his lines, but left the film due to creative differences.
 * Miranda Cosgrove as Margo, the oldest child of the three girls.
 * Russell Brand as Dr. Nefario, Gru's elderly, hearing impaired gadget man.
 * Steve Coogan as Silas Ramsbottom, the director of the Anti-Villain League.
 * Ken Jeong as Floyd Eagle-san, the owner of Eagle Hair Club, a wig store in the Paradise Mall.
 * Elsie Fisher as Agnes, the youngest child of the three girls.
 * Dana Gaier as Edith, the middle child of the three girls.
 * Moisés Arias as Antonio Pérez, Margo's first love interest and Eduardo's son.
 * Nasim Pedrad as Jillian, Gru's irritating matchmaking neighbor who wants Gru to date her friends.
 * Kristen Schaal as Shannon, Jillian's superficial friend.
 * Pierre Coffin as Kevin, Stuart, Bob and additional and evil Minions. According to Coffin, he lent his voice to 899 Minions.
 * Chris Renaud as additional and evil Minions.
 * Renaud also voices an Italian waiter.
 * Vanessa Bayer as Flight Attendant.
 * Nickolai Stoilov as Arctic Lab Guards.

Production
Chris Meledandri, CEO of Illumination Entertainment, said in July 2010 that a sequel was in the works. By June 2011, release was tentatively scheduled for July 3, 2013. Miranda Cosgrove stated on her official Facebook and Twitter page on October 14, 2011 that she had recorded her first lines, while Meledandri confirmed in February 2012 that they had started working on the film.

Casting

In October 2011, The Hollywood Reporter reported that Javier Bardem was negotiating to voice a villain, named El Macho, but the negotiations failed. By February 2012, Al Pacino had joined the cast to voice the villain. In April 2012, producers confirmed that Steve Carell, Russell Brand, Miranda Cosgrove, Dana Gaier and Elsie Fisher were returning to reprise their roles. Kristen Wiig, who voiced Miss Hattie in the original film, voices Lucy Wilde, an agent of the Anti-Villain League (AVL) who recruits Gru to track and take down a tough, Mexican villain named El Macho. Steve Coogan joined the cast as Silas Ramsbottom, the head of the Anti-Villain League.

On May 3, 2013, just a month before the film's premiere, producers announced that Al Pacino had left the film over creative differences about how his character should come to life. At the time of his departure, Pacino's character had already been fully voiced and animated. Chris Renaud, co-director of the film, commented on Pacino's departure: "So we don't want an unhappy actor, and we want something that is well-realized on all sides. If you don't see eye to eye, sometimes it's easier to (part company) and move on from there." Benjamin Bratt, who had already been considered before Pacino, stepped in to voice Eduardo. Chris Meledandri, producer of the film, admitted that he was not "aware of any of the major animated films of the last 15 years that has brought an actor in at such a late stage". Due to the finished animation, Bratt had to match his timing exactly to the character's mouth movement. Initially, during his five-day recording,[29] he tried to imitate Pacino's voice, but found it impossible, saying "no one can out-Al Pacino Al Pacino". He ended up only using Pacino as an inspiration, and resolved to go with his own interpretation of the character. His work was commended by Variety, saying: "You'd never guess he wasn't the filmmakers' first choice."