Despicable Me 2

Despicable Me 2
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Chris Renaud Pierre Coffin
Written by	Cinco Paul Ken Daurio
Produced by	Chris Meledandri Janet Healy
Starring	Steve Carell Kristen Wiig Benjamin Bratt Miranda Cosgrove Russell Brand Ken Jeong
Edited by	Gregory Perler
Music by	Heitor Pereira (score) Pharrell Williams (songs and themes)
Production company	Illumination Entertainment
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release dates	June 5, 2013 (2013-06-05) (Australia) July 3, 2013 (2013-07-03) (United States)
Running time	98 minutes[1]
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$76 million[2]
Box office	$971 million[3]

Despicable Me 2 is a 2013 American animated comedy film produced by Illumination Entertainment and distributed by Universal Pictures. The sequel to Despicable Me (2010), it was directed by Chris Renaud and Pierre Coffin, produced by Chris Meledandri and Janet Healy, and written by the writing team of Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio. It stars the voices of Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Benjamin Bratt, Miranda Cosgrove, Russell Brand, and Ken Jeong. The film follows retired supervillain Gru as he is recruited by secret agent Lucy Wilde to investigate the theft of a powerful mutagen by El Macho, a supervillain who seeks to achieve world domination.

Development of Despicable Me 2 began in 2010 following the success of the original film, with the directors, producers, and writers returning. Production was underway by February 2012, with the majority of the cast returning to voice the characters, along with new cast members, while animation services were provided by Illumination Mac Guff in France. Al Pacino was cast as the voice of El Macho, recording all of his dialogue, but left in May 2013 over creative differences; Bratt was brought in to replace Pacino, and used him as an inspiration after finding imitating his voice impossible. Heitor Pereira and Pharrell Williams returned for the sequel's music.

Despicable Me 2 debuted in Australia on June 5, 2013, and was theatrically released in the United States on July 3. It received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised its humor and animation. It earned $971 million worldwide, becoming the third-highest-grossing film of 2013 and the most profitable film for Universal Pictures at the time. It was nominated for two awards at the 86th Academy Awards, and received numerous other accolades. A sequel, Despicable Me 3, was released in 2017.