AWFULLY GOOD

This is how a good animated series gets even better, says Keith Tamkei

T he rich vein that Illumination Entertainment hit in 2010 with

Despicable Me just keeps on delivering glowing film nuggets.

There has been a franchise follow-up in Despicable Me 2 and a spin-off in the Minions film — both successful, although not flawless. But the company’s latest, Despicable Me 3, shows what perfect measures of humour and heart look like when mixed into animated storytelling.

Ex-villain Gru (voiced by Steve Carrell) and his wife Lucy (Kristen Wiig) now work for a covert agency, the Anti-Villain League, and are settling into a comfortable groove between home and professional life. Gru and Lucy’s family of three adopted daughters, a mutant dog and hundreds of clownish yellow minions create an odd but happy family unit.

Circumstances take a dive for Gru, however, when Balthazar Bratt (Trey Parker), an ’80s child star who has turned supervillain because of the cancellation of his TV show, steals the world’s largest diamond.

During the heist, Gru fails to apprehend Bratt, which results in his dismissal from the agency by its new director. While she is attempting to defend her husband, Lucy is also ordered out.

Suddenly, the family has lost its two breadwinners, a situation that produces one of the most heartwarming scenes in the film.

With few options, the lure of returning to a life of villainy grows more attractive. This choice is supported by Gru’s newly discovered twin brother Dru (also Carrell), who wants Gru to continue in the successful family trade.

The emotional subtleties that Gru demonstrates in his interactions with his brother — the kind that are found in all sibling relationships — feel authentic, dynamic and relatable.

Financial hardship and family challenges are themes most adults will appreciate, and the humour will strike a chord with young and old, combining slapstick with strong ’80s references — one being shoulder pads with built in Pez-like bubblegum dispensers.

The success of this franchise has always hinged on a strong family yarn, but in this outing, these elements of the story are surely the strongest, making it the best of all the

Despicable Me follow-ups.