This wonderfully inventive animated yarn tells the story of ruthless baddie Gru (voiced by Steve Carell), who finds his position as the world's greatest villain threatened by up-and-coming youngster Vector (Jason Segel). To re-establish himself as top dog, Gru and his boffin sidekick Dr Nefario (Russell Brand) hatch a plot to steal the moon. Gru adopts a trio of young sisters from the local orphanage to help him infiltrate Vector's lair and purloin his shrink-gun gizmo to accomplish his evil plan. But a growing bond with the orphans threatens to soften Gru's resolve. The ingenious gadgetry and retro-futurist design is reminiscent of Pixar's The Incredibles and, in common with several of that studio's films, Despicable Me also boasts a well-crafted sub-plot about the importance of family. The film is constantly laugh-out-loud funny, and the voice cast (which also includes Julie Andrews as Gru's disapproving mother) is exemplary. And prepare to fall head-over-heels in love with the impossibly cute "minions", Gru's diminutive yellow helpers.

Determined to prove he's the world's greatest supervillain, Gru hatches an audacious plan to steal the Moon. To pull it off, he adopts three orphaned girls—Margo, Edith, and Agnes—intending to use them as pawns in his scheme. But the unexpected bond they form forces him to question the criminal life he's always known.