DESPICABLE Me 2 is the sequel to the 2010 movie Despicable Me – okay, this is pretty easy to guess for even those who have not seen the first movie, but those who have seen the first movie will never be able to guess that Gru, the guy who wanted to be the greatest thief who ever lived by stealing the moon is now a good family guy living a quiet life looking after his three adopted daughters.

But taking care of three young girls is not as easy as being a bad guy and Gru (voiced by Steve Carell) has his hands full playing father not just to them but also their little pill-shaped minions. Gru finds his life further complicated when he is approached by a secret agent, Lucy (Kristen Wiig), a member of the Anti-Villain League. They need his help to find a criminal who has stolen a secret serum from a top secret lab that can transform harmless animals into monsters with incredible strength. Gru agrees to help out — he has to since this baddie has tested the serum on a few of Gru’s minions.

This bad guy is posing as the owner of a small shop in a mall and Gru eyes everyone there as a suspect, mainly Eduardo (Benjamin Bratt), the friendly owner of a Mexican restaurant nearby.

Visually, the film is pleasing, with the right amount of charm, warmth and humour that a children’s animated movie requires. If you haven’t seen the first movie, Despicable Me, it really doesn’t matter. And if you have, you will find this one a little bit less fun than the first one. But the minions are very cute and funny, something that is the main selling point of these two flicks. It’s not the best animated movie to have hit our cinema screens but it’s fine if you want an outing.