Despicable Me funnies and nothing to suggest a sequel, which is probably wise." Tasha Robinson of "The A.V. Club" gave the film a B, saying, "Until the "creep + orphans = happy family" formula starts demanding abrupt, unconvincing character mutations, "Despicable Me" is a giddy joy." Marjorie Baumgarten of "The Austin Chronicle" gave the film three out of five stars, saying, "Everyone knows that the villains are usually the most interesting characters in any movie. So the makers of "Despicable Me" were wise to cut to the chase and make the megalomaniacal Gru the central character in this animated film." Released on
Despicable Me 2 stars, saying "The animation is beguiling, particularly when Lucy drives her car into the ocean, transforming it into a submarine that scoots around sharks and fish." Peter Debruge of "Variety" gave the film a positive review, saying "While not quite as charming or unique as the original, "Despicable Me 2" comes awfully close, extending co-directors Chris Renaud and Pierre Coffin's delightfully silly sensibility to a bit larger universe." Peter Hartlaub of the "San Francisco Chronicle" gave the film three out of four stars, saying "It's a credit that the writing can be so funny in the moment, that it takes