Despicable Me 3 is a 2017 American computer-animated spy-adventure comedy film. It is the fourth installment in the Despicable Me film series and the sequel to Despicable Me 2 (2013). The film is directed by Pierre Coffin and Kyle Balda, co-directed by Eric Guillon, and written by Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio. It's Illumination's 8th feature film.
In the film, Gru teams up with his long-lost twin brother Dru 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 canceled following adolescence. Steve Carell, Miranda Cosgrove, and Dana Gaier reprise their roles of Felonius Gru, Margo, and Edith Dr. Nefario from the first two films with Julie Andrews returning as Marlena Gru, Gru's mother from Despicable Me (2010) and Kristen Wiig and Steve Coogan return as Lucy and Silas Ramsbottom from Despicable Me 2. They're joined by Trey Parker (co-creator of Comedy Central's South Park), Jenny Slate, and Nev Scharrel (replacing Elsie Fisher).
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 16, 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's Illumination's second film to gross over $1 billion, after Minions in 2015, becoming {its first animated franchise to do so.
A fourth film, Despicable Me 4, was released on July 3, 2024.
Plot[]
Gru, now an agent for the Anti-Villain League (AVL), manages to foil supervillain Balthazar Bratt's robbery of the world's most expensive diamond, the Dumont Diamond. Bratt was a former child actor who portrayed a young supervillain in a popular television series before the show was cancelled as a result of his puberty, and his waning popularity led to him adopting his former persona to become an actual supervillain. After the order from Silas Ramsbottom is announced, Gru arrives to the ship where the heist is happening with his wife Lucy and two of his Minions, and he eventually saves the diamond but is unable to capture Bratt, while the Minions become the host of a beach party of Shaka Hut accidentally. As a result of constantly failing to capture Bratt, Gru and Lucy are relieved of duty by new AVL director Valerie Da Vinci, even though they were successful for stopping Bratt from stealing the diamond.
Gru and Lucy reluctantly tell their children, Margo, Edith and Agnes, of their firing, but assure them that they'll find new jobs someday. All of the Minions leave Gru (except Dave and Jerry) when he refuses to return to villainy despite losing his job. Lucy struggles to adapt in her new role as the children's new mom. The next morning, the family is approached by the butler, named Fritz, of Gru's long-lost twin brother Dru, who lives in a island named Freedonia and longs to meet him. Stunned at this revelation, Gru confronts his mother, in a swimming pool with young Vincenzo and Paolo, and she reveals that after divorcing Gru's father, they agreed to keep one child each and Marlena told his son that his father was dead.
The family decide to meet Dru at his mansion and they are surprised at his immense wealth, which Fritz attributes to their pig farm business. Dru quickly charms Gru's family despite turning off Gru due to his flamboyant personality. Meanwhile, Bratt and his robot assistant, Clive, steal the diamond once again as they intend to use the diamond to power Bratt's giant robot to destroy Hollywood as revenge for cancelling their show. The Minions are arrested after trespassing at a talent show set, in which they perform a parody of the Major-General's Song from The Pirates of Penzance, after which they're sent to the State Prison.
While Lucy takes the children around the surrounding towns, Dru reveals to Gru that his immense wealth is due to his father also being a legendary supervillain. As Dru was constantly dismissed by their father as a disgrace, he turned to his brother to teach him how to be a villain. Alas, Gru is unwilling to revert back to his old ways. To persuade him, Dru brings him on a joyride around Freedonia in their father's car where the siblings bond. Meanwhile, Lucy tries to balance being generous and implementing discipline as a mom, which she has Margo to dance with a young boy named Niko, who soon falls in love with Margo after she accepts his cheese during the celebration in the town.
The Minions exert control among the prisoners at their jail, but their longing for Gru motivates them to escape from the prison. Having discovered that Bratt has stolen the diamond, Dru convinces Gru to steal the diamond for one last heist with Gru secretly intending to bring it to the AVL to reinstate his work. Despite several setbacks, they manage to retrieve the diamond back from Bratt's Lair, but they are rescued by Lucy, who'd followed them earlier. After finding out Gru's true motives, Dru confronts his brother on why he lied to him with the latter insulting him in the process and deciding to leave Dru's mansion. Bratt infiltrates Dru's mansion by disguising as Lucy, kidnaps the children, and once again acquires the diamond which leads Gru, Lucy and Dru to resolve their differences and pursue him. With his robot powered up, Bratt starts to wreck Hollywood.
Having watched Bratt's show as a child, Dru deduces that Bratt plans to re-enact the episode where Bratt cuts off Hollywood and uses inflatable gum to elevate the city to outer space. 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 destroys the robot's core from the inside when Bratt threatens to kill Gru with the laser beam. When Gru recovers, he battles Bratt in a "dance fight" which ends in Gru trapping Bratt in his own gum. The Minions, having rendezvoused and reconciled with Gru, manage to destroy Bratt's gum covering the city.
Soon afterward, Gru and Lucy are reinstated in the AVL and the newly united family celebrate in his house. Dru and a large number of the Minions steal Gru's Airship, on which a "D" graffiti is drawn, and the Dru states to shocked Gru and Lucy that villainy is their family tradition and someone has to keep it going, but Gru and Lucy decide to give them a five-minute head start before going after him, implying an amicable animosity between the family heroes and villain.
Cast[]
- Steve Carell as Felonious Gru / Dru Gru
- Kristen Wiig as Lucy Wilde
- Trey Parker as Balthazar Bratt
- Pierre Coffin as Mel and the other Minions / The Museum Director
- Miranda Cosgrove as Margo Gru
- Steve Coogan as Silas Ramsbottom / Fritz
- Jenny Slate as Valerie Da Vinci
- Russell Brand as Dr. Nefario
- Dana Gaier as Edith Gru
- Nev Scharrel as Agnes Gru, She was originally voiced by Elsie Fisher in the first two films.
- Julie Andrews as Marlena Gru
- Will Arnett as Mr. Perkins
- Andy Nyman as Clive
- Brett Goldstein as Mr. Pom-poo
- Adrian Ciscato as Niko
Additional Voices[]
Production[]
Development[]
Casting[]
Music[]
Marketing and release[]
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- This is the first Illumination film to be produced in a 2.39:1 widescreen aspect ratio; all of that company's previous films were produced in 1.85:1.
- The second Universal's animated film to be produced in a 2.39:1 widescreen aspect ratio, after The Tale of Despereaux.
- This is the first film in the Despicable Me series not to be released in July.
- It is also the first Illumination film to be released in June, followed by The Secret Life of Pets 2.
- This is the first film to have the Illumination logo simply read "Illumination".
- Despicable Me 3 is the second Illumination film to be rated PG for action and rude humor by the MPAA, after Minions.
- Jenny Slate's third Illumination film, after Dr. Seuss' The Lorax and The Secret Life of Pets.
- This is also the second Illumination film was set on Hollywood, after Hop.
- This's s the only despicable me main series film where:
- It does not show the 2010 Title card and where the black screen isn’t shown
- Felonious Gru doesn't freeze anyone with his freeze ray
- Does not feature Russel brand as Dr. Nefario
- The minions confront Felonious Gru
- And when Felonious Gru doesn’t get involved by Balthazar bratts plan
References[]
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