"Despicable Me" Animation with Memorable Characters

"Despicable Me" opening July 9, doesn't measure up to Pixar at its best. Nonetheless, it's funny, clever and warmly animated with memorable characters.

Gru animated character is one of the world’s greatest super-villains, as he uses his arsenal of shrink rays, freeze rays and a small army of minions to pull off the biggest heist in the history of the world.

Steve Carell voiced to Gru character is an evil genius whose plan to steal the moon is sidelined by the arrival of three little girls looking for a father figure, in this animated comedy, one of several films coming out in 3-D. The film's comedy lies in a clash of opposites on a supervillain who loves to mess with everyone while committing high-profile crimes versus three little orphan girls whose wills are every bit as strong as his. Mind you, this supervillain, who goes by the name of Gru, is only marginally successful at villainy. As the banker who finances supervillains in their nefarious schemes points out, Gru's sinister plots "don't turn a profit." This hurts Gru’s feelings.

Where "Despicable Me" falls short of Pixar glory is its predictably. From moment to moment, one can never guess where a Pixar cartoon is headed. Here, it's all too clear. But individual sequences and fresh characters dreamed up by writers Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio (from a story by executive producer Sergio Pablos) are quite wonderful.