“Despicable Me” Review & Giveaway

By /

On December 14th, Universal Studios Home Entertainment released “Despicable Me” on DVD and Blu-ray.  If you haven’t seen it yet, you have to check it out!  It’s heartwarming and funny – a movie that both kids and their parents will enjoy.  You can purchase “Despicable Me” on DVD and Blu-ray in stores and online.

“‘Despicable Me is one of those rare titles that moviegoers of all ages have enthusiastically embraced,” said Craig Kornblau, President of Universal Studios Home Entertainment. “It’s not only one of the highest-grossing movies of the year but also one of the most popular animated films of all time. Perfectly timed for the holidays, Despicable Me will be high on everybody’s wish list as the must-have Blu-ray/DVD of the season.”

The latest film from producer Chris Meledandri (executive producer of Ice Age and Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who!) Despicable Me’s all-star cast of unforgettably funny heroes and villains includes Steve Carell (Date Night, Get Smart, Horton Hears a Who!, TV’s The Office), Jason Segel (Forgetting Sarah Marshall, I Love You, Man), Miranda Cosgrove (Nickelodeon’s No. 1 live-action show iCarly), legendary Academy Award® winner Julie Andrews (The Sound of Music, Mary Poppins, The Princess Diaries series), Russell Brand (Get Him to the Greek, Forgetting Sarah Marshall), Kristen Wiig (Date Night, Saturday Night Live), Will Arnett (Monsters vs. Aliens, Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who!, Ratatouille), Danny McBride (Tropic Thunder, Pineapple Express), Jack McBrayer (TV’s “30 Rock”, Forgetting Sarah Marshall) and Jemaine Clement (“Flight of the Conchords”, Dinner For Schmucks).  The hilarious tale of a wannabe super-villain whose life is unexpectedly changed by a trio of determined little orphans packed theaters and delighted families nationwide this summer. 

The ultimate entertainment for the entire family, Despicable Me is packed with never-before-seen bonus features including games, behind-the-scenes featurettes and filmmaker commentaries that will keep the entire family enchanted for hours. 

CRITICS FIND DESPICABLE  DELIGHTFUL

Despicable Me charmed critics across America with Minion madness! Claudia Puig of USA Today described Despicable Me as “Whip-smart. A fun-filled adventure with a whimsical story and terrific voice casting.  Steve Carell as the voice of Gru is hilarious”. Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter praised the film as “An all-around winner.  Funny, clever and warmly animated with memorable characters.” In Touch Weekly’s Matt Sullivan raved, “A blast for all ages. Hilarious!” and Pete Hammond of Boxoffice Magazine wrote, “Rousingly funny, heartfelt and imaginative…blessed with the vocal talents of Steve Carell and loaded with whimsy and smarts.”  Lisa Schwartzbaum of Entertainment Weekly wrote, “The movie works not because of the parts – the voice work, the drawing style, the pleasing, matter-of-fact use of 3D – but because the whole is as much a unified vision as anything the Great and Mighty Pixar produces.”

BONUS FEATURES EXCLUSIVELY ON BLU-RAY™ 3D Combo Pack, Blu-ray Combo Pack, and DVD Double Pack:

·      THREE ALL NEW, MINI-MOVIES Starring THE MINIONS — The fun continues with three all-new mini-movies, created exclusively for the Blu-ray Combo Packs and DVD Double Pack!  Available for a limited time only!  Get more laughs and more minion mayhem with “Home Makeover”, “Orientation Day” and “Banana” – you’ll want to watch them again and again!

·      THE VOICES OFDESPICABLE ME —Go behind-the-scenes with Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Russell Brand, Miranda Cosgrove, Kristen Wiig and Julie Andrews as they give life to their animated characters. Includes character profiles for each of the cast members! 

·      SUPER SILLY FUN LAND—Join Agnes, Margo and Edith at the Super Silly Fun Land Theme Park and play Feed the Creatures and Freeze the Floating Minions to win super cool prizes.

BONUS FEATURES EXCLUSIVELY ON BLU-RAY 3D COMBO PACK AND BLU-RAY COMBO PACK:

·     GRU-CONTROL  – Through a picture-in-picture window, see the making of the film with behind-the-scenes footage and cast/filmmaker interviews

·     MISS HATTIE’S TOP SECRET COOKIE RECIPES—Margo is proud to present the recipes for those wonderful cookies that the loveable orphans under Miss Hattie’s care enjoy so much!

·     BD-LIVE™—Access the BD-Live™ Center through your Internet-connected player to get even more content, watch the latest trailers and more.

o   MY SCENES—Bookmark your favorite scenes from the movie.

·     pocket BLU™ app— For the first time available on iPad®, owners can enjoy a new, enhanced edition of pocket BLU™ made especially to take advantage of the tablet’s larger screen and high resolution display. Consumers will be able to browse through a library of Blu-ray™ content and watch entertaining extras on-the-go that’s bigger and better than ever before.  USHE’s groundbreaking pocket BLU™ app uses iPhone™, iPod® touch, iPad™, Blackberry®, Nokia® Smartphone, Android™, PC and Macintosh to work seamlessly with a network-connected Blu-ray™  player and offers advanced features such as:

o   MINION ME—Exclusively for iPhone® and iPad® — Personalize photos of friends and family by turning them into Minions. Pictures can be customized with glasses, bowties, hats and hairstyles to make it really hilarious! Send it to your friends with a Minion laugh.

o   MINION DOMINION APP—Exclusively for iPhone® and iPad®   Control a Minion by turning, tilting, rotating and shaking your phone. Tap the screen to make him speak, tap it again to hear him laugh. Or do battle with the two-player “minion mash up.” Download to your iPhone and see who can inflict the most damage on the other’s minion.

o  Advanced Remote Control: A sleek, elegant new way to operate your Blu-ray™ player. Users can navigate through menus, playback and BD-Live™ functions with ease.

o  Video Timeline: Users can easily bring up the video timeline, allowing them to instantly access any point in the movie.

o  Mobile-To-Go: Users can unlock a selection of bonus content with their Blu-ray™ discs to save to mobile devices or to stream from anywhere there’s a Wi-Fi network, enabling them to enjoy exclusive content on the go, anytime, anywhere.

o  Keyboard: Enter data into a Blu-ray™ player with your device’s easy and intuitive keyboard to facilitate such Blu-ray™ features as chatting with friends and sending messages.

BONUS FEATURES AVAILABLE ON DVD AND ALL VERSIONS:           

·     The World of Despicable Me

·     Despicable Beats—Director Chris Renaud talks about the cool factor of renowned music producer Pharrell Williams.

·     Gru’s Rocket Builder—In an all-new game, Vector has stolen some of the most famous landmarks from around the world and replaced them with the pieces to Gru’s rocket. Players must return all the stolen landmarks to the correct countries in order to build their own rockets before Vector hacks into the system and steals the rocket plans. The reward for completing the rocket is a launch to the moon!

·     A Global Effort—Learn all about the global effort behind Despicable Me. A director from France and another from the USA, plus an American and English cast created a movie in France, with artists from all over the world for a truly international movie!

·     Commentary with directors Chris Renaud and Pierre Coffin, featuring the Minions!

Visit www.despicableme.com for the latest updates.

SYNOPSIS

In a happy suburban neighborhood surrounded by white picket fences with flowering rose bushes, sits a black house with a dead lawn.  Unbeknownst to the neighbors, hidden deep beneath this home is a vast secret hideout.  Surrounded by an army of tireless, little yellow Minions, we discover Gru (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.
 
One of the world’s greatest super-villains has just met his greatest challenge: three little girls named Margo, Edith and Agnes.
 

Universal Studios Home Entertainment is a unit of Universal Pictures, a division of Universal Studios (www.universalstudios.com). Universal Studios is a part of NBC Universal, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Formed in May 2004 through the combining of NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment, NBC Universal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. NBC Universal is 80%-owned by General Electric, with 20% owned by Vivendi.
 
CAST AND FILMMAKERS

Directed By: Chris Renaud, Pierre Coffin           
Screenplay By: Cinco Paul, Ken Daurio, Sergio Pablos (Story)
Produced By: Chris Meledandri, Janet Healy, John Cohen
Executive Producer: Nina Rowan, Sergio Pablos
Production Designer: Yarrow Cheney
Editors: Pam Ziegenhagan-Stephan, Gregory Perler
Original Music: Pharrell Williams, Heitor Pereira
Cast: Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Russell Brand, Julie Andrews, Miranda Cosgrove, Will Arnett, Kristen Wiig, Jemaine Clement, Danny McBride, Jack McBrayer

TECHNICAL INFORMATION

Blu-ray™ Hi-Def Combo Pack (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy)

Street Date: December 14, 2010
Copyright: 2010 Universal Studios
Selection Number: 61112489
Running Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
Layers: BD-50 + Dual Layer
Discs: 3
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Rating: PG for rude humor and mild action
Technical Info: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Dolby Digital 2.0 DVS, French DTS Surround 5.1,  Spanish DTS Surround 5.1, English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
 
Blu-ray™ Hi-Def 3D Combo Pack (Blu-ray 3D + Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy)
Street Date: December 14, 2010
Copyright: 2010 Universal Studios
Selection Number: 61117231
Discs: 4
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Rating: PG for rude humor and mild action
Technical Info: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Dolby Digital 2.0 DVS, French DTS Surround 5.1,  Spanish DTS Surround 5.1, English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
 
DVD Double Pack (DVD + DVD including Digital Copy)                       
Street Date: December 14, 2010
Copyright:  2010 Universal Studios
Selection Numbers: 61117203 and 61117204
Running Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
Layers: Dual Layer
Discs: 2
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Rating: PG for rude humor and mild action
Technical Info: English 5.1, French 5.1, Spanish 5.1   English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles

DVD
Street Date: December 14, 2010
Copyright:  2010 Universal Studios
Selection Number: 61108837
Running Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
Layers: Dual Layer
Discs: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Rating: PG for rude humor and mild action
Technical Info: English Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Digital 20 DVS, French Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1,  English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles

MY THOUGHTS

I thought this movie was funny and heartwarming and I loved watching it with my boys.  They were excited to sit down with their friends and watch it together.  Afterwards, my 4 year old came up to me and said he wanted to have a “Despicable Me” birthday party for his birthday in January.  LOL  We shall see!  Thank you to Universal Studios Home Entertainment for a fun family movie!

GIVEAWAY

1 lucky reader on The Mommy-Files will win a Grand Prize and 4 lucky readers will win a Runner-Up Prize!!!

Grand Prize includes:

DESPICABLE ME Single Disc DVD
DESPICABLE ME Blu-ray and DVD Beannie (one size fits most)
DESPICABLE ME Blu-ray and DVD Stickers
DESPICABLE ME Blu-ray and DVD Activity Sheets

Runner-Up Prize includes:

DESPICABLE ME Blu-ray and DVD Beannie (one size fits most)
DESPICABLE ME Blu-ray and DVD Stickers
DESPICABLE ME Blu-ray and DVD Activity Sheets

WIN IT!!! (MANDATORY ENTRY)

– Tell me in a comment why you want to win this giveaway!

EXTRA ENTRIES:

– Follow The Mommy-Files on Twitter – 1 ENTRY
– Tweet about the giveaway – 1 ENTRY DAILY
– Become a Fan of The Mommy-Files on Facebook – 1 ENTRY
– Follow me through Google Connect (new on the right side of the blog) – 1 ENTRY
– Subscribe to my blog – 1 ENTRY
– Add my Mommy-Files button to your blog and include the URL – 1 ENTRY
– Comment on any Non-Giveaway post on The Mommy-Files – 1 ENTRY per post comment (no limit)
– Blog about this giveaway and include the URL – 5 ENTRIES

RULES:

– Contest will close at 11:59 p.m. PST on Tuesday, December 21st, 2010! Any entries after this time will be deleted!
– Contest open to U.S. residents only.

I received a copy of “Despicable Me” from Universal Studios Home Entertainment to facilitate this review.  The giveaway was sponsored by Universal Studios Home Entertainment.  All opinions expressed in this post are 100% mine.

132 thoughts on ““Despicable Me” Review & Giveaway”

  10. Lori A.

    I would love to win this for my whole family, but my son in particular. We all enjoyed the movie. I know he’d love the beannie 🙂
    ljatwood at gmail dot com

    Reply
  11. Steph E.

    Our family loves this movie… we saw it in theaters and my son loves it! Our favorite part is at the carnival on the roller coaster! Great giveaway

    Reply
  16. Theresa H

    I want to win to give it to my mom….she loved the movie when we saw it in the theater. So much so that she would recite words and scenes from it for a week after. (We all agreed that it was our favorite movie of the summer)

    Reply
  20. Jackie H

    I loved this movie and since I saw it on a date with hubs (yeah, we love kiddie flix! LOL!) and wanted to share it with the kids. 🙂

    Reply
  32. Brittany

    I haven’t seen the movie but I saw the short movie “Banana” and it was hilarious. I can’t wait to see the real movie

    Reply
  42. LeAnn V

    I want to win this DVD because we missed this movie and the theater, and my daughters are looking forward to seeing it. They love the minions in all the trailers we see.

    Reply
  71. Jackie

    I’d love to win because we havent seen this movie yet and I think it would be a great movie for the family to watch together. I also think the minions are adorable! Thanks for the review and giveaway!
    jackievillano at gmail dot com

    Reply

  75. Pingback: Tweets that mention “Despicable Me” Review & Giveaway : The Mommy-Files -- Topsy.com

  82. pixie13

    I’d love to win this because both my daughter & my son would watch this movie; something that doesn’t happen very often 🙂

    Reply
  118. Patti Hess

    I’d like to win because I would like to see this and have been looking all in the RedBox and Blockbuster machines to rent it but can’t seem to find it

    pattifritz2000 at yahoo dot com
    thanks for the chance

    Reply
  130. Debbie Stanton

    my 4-year old niece, Izabella, loved the movie and had it on her wish list for Christmas… I would love to make her wish come true
    billdebstanton at hotmail dot com

    Reply

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top