It’s all happened so fast. “Despicable Me” — a romp about an awkward supervillain-turned-hero voiced by Steve Carell and supported by these goofy, little, yellow Minions from a new animation studio then called Illumination Entertainment — arrived less than 15 years ago. Today, “Despicable Me” is a huge franchise, in fact the most successful animated empire in history, with $4.
6 billion tallied up for what’s now called simply Illumination and its parent company, Universal Pictures. You can understand, then, why the series’ sixth entry, is landing in theaters only two years after its predecessor, prequel “Minions: The Rise of Gru,” was released. (That film alone earned nearly a cool billion bucks worldwide.
) While sufficiently entertaining and, as is the “Despicable” way, seasoned with just the right amount of gleeful subversiveness, this latest adventure cooked up for the Fourth of July crowds isn’t the franchise’s strongest. This isn’t exactly a new issue for “Me,” but “4” is, unquestionably, overstocked with characters. Director (and franchise co-creator) Chris Renaud has his hands full with Gru, wife Lucy (Kristen Wiig), adopted daughters Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), Edith (Dana Gaier) and Agnes (Madison Polan) and the newest member of the family, baby boy Gru Jr.
— along with that horde of minions (again voiced, hilariously, by Pierre Coffin). And that’s BEFORE you factor in the requisite villain, the Will Ferrell-voiced but forgett.