Role: voice of Gru’s Mom

Year: 2010

Synopsis

Gru (Steve Carell), a super-villain, has his pride injured when an unknown super-villain steals the Great Pyramid of Giza; an action that is described as making “all other villains look lame”. Gru decides to do better by shrinking and stealing the moon, an idea based on his childhood dreams of being an astronaut, which were always discouraged by his mother (Julie Andrews). The plan is quite expensive, and Gru seeks a loan from the Bank of Evil. The Bank’s president, Mr. Perkins (Will Arnett), is impressed by the plan but will only provide the money if Gru can obtain a shrink ray first.

Gru and his minions steal a shrink ray from a secret base in Asia, but the up-and-coming super-villain, Vector (Jason Segel), who was also responsible for the Pyramid theft, immediately steals it from Gru. Gru attempts to break into Vector’s fortress to get the shrink ray back, but is defeated by numerous booby traps.

However, he notices three orphan girls, Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), Edith (Dana Gaier), and Agnes (Elsie Fisher), easily walk into the base to sell Vector cookies. Gru, faking his credentials, adopts the girls from Miss Hattie’s Home for Girls, planning on using them to infiltrate Vector’s base. However, Gru has much difficulty nurturing them properly between their own rambunctiousness, their ballet classes, and his own ineptitude as a parent.

Eventually, Gru and the girls arrive at Vector’s fortress, and Gru manages to steal the shrink ray. The girls suggest a day at the local theme park, whereupon Gru agrees, believing he can leave the girls there. He warms up to the girls over the course of the day. Later, Gru returns to the Bank of Evil for his loan, but Perkins rejects him again, stating that they would rather see a younger super-villain, such as his son Vector, complete the theft. As Gru mopes about at home, the girls offer the contents of their piggy bank to fund the plan. Gru, inspired, sacrifices parts of his lair to construct the spacecraft. Gru plans to steal the moon when it is nearest the Earth, but this ends up being the same day as the girls’ ballet recital. Gru becomes conflicted, and Dr. Nefario, seeing this as interfering with the plan, arranges for the girls to be returned to the orphanage.

Gru proceeds with his plan to steal the moon, successfully shrinking it to fit in his hand, but is too late for the recital. He then receives a note from Victor, who has kidnapped the girls, telling him to give him the moon in exchange for them. Gru makes the trade, but Vector reneges on the deal, flying off with the girls and the moon. Meanwhile, Dr Nefario has discovered that the effects of Shrink Ray are not permanent; the bigger the object, the faster it will regain its normal size. As the moon starts to expand in Vector’s ship, Gru, Dr. Nefario, and the minions pull off a daring mid-air rescue of the girls, just as the moon explodes out from Vector’s ship and launches itself back into orbit.

Some time later, Gru has readopted the girls and treats them as his daughters, and he writes them a bedtime storybook framed around his own experience. The girls perform their own ballet recital for Gru, his mother, Dr. Nefario, and the minions, with the movie ending as they all get on stage to dance to “You Should Be Dancing”.