In the crazy world of CG animation there is a deluge of studios and companies putting out work with enormous discrepancies in quality. When comparing a Hollywood made blockbuster with an indie no budget film, the difference can be instantly clear and this is also applicable in the world of CG film making, and often it has nothing to do with the visual look of the film. At the end of the day, if you can afford to do a CG film, then you’re going to get something that looks good and the differences between the top end films and the low end films aren’t glaringly obvious, but it’s the quality of the story and voice acting that makes these films stand apart. Story is king, and the best studios live and die by this rule, and the ones that constantly put out the best work are these ones. So when a brand new studio brought out ‘Despicable Me' it really was a crapshoot as to whether it was going to hit the mark or just turn into one of the large pile of ‘cashing in’, average animated CG films in the market.

“In a happy suburban neighbourhood surrounded by white picket fences with flowering rose bushes, sits a black house with a dead lawn. Unbeknown to the neighbours, hidden beneath this home is a vast secret hideout. Surrounded by a small army of minions, we discover Gru (voiced by Steve Carell), planning the biggest heist in the history of the world. He is going to steal the moon. (Yes, the moon!) Gru delights in all things wicked. Armed with his arsenal of shrink rays, freeze rays, and battle-ready vehicles for land and air, he vanquishes all who stand in his way. Until the day he encounters the immense will of three little orphaned girls who look at him and see something that no one else has ever seen: a potential Dad. The world's greatest villain has just met his greatest challenge: three little girls named Margo, Edith and Agnes.”

The first thing I’ll say with my review is that it was the third film I had seen that day and the first two had been so average that I wasn’t in the best frame of mind at the time. Despite the film being really enjoyable, with some great character voice acting and clever writing, which helped make it a fun ride, my one main criticism is that it was a bit too ‘kiddie’ in its aim. Whereas Dreamworks and Pixar always seem to make films that both adults and kids love, as they never pander to a young audience, this film did lean towards the younger viewer in parts, which made the film feel a bit broad at times.

Regardless of this though, I did enjoy the film but maybe not as much as I would have done if I hadn’t already seen a couple of average films beforehand.

8 out of 10 from me.