Despicable Me

What’s it about?

Gru, a self-proclaimed evil villain, has dreams of becoming a world-famous criminal. As part of his scheme to carry out the biggest heist of all time, he adopts three orphans to use as pawns – but his plans change when the little girls start to see him as their father.

The facts

• Directed by Chris Renaud/Pierre Coffin
• Stars Steve Carrel, Jason Segel, Russell Brand, Kirsten Wiig, Miranda Cosgrove
• English language
• Runtime: 94 minutes
• Won ‘Favourite Animated Movie’ at the 2011 Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards

Why did it get this rating?

This film game was cross-rated by the Film and Video Labelling Body. You can find out more about cross-rating here.

Violence

Animated violence takes place throughout the movie. Weapons such as guns, hammers, cannons, bombs, missiles and lasers are used by characters, although no one is killed or seriously injured.

Characters are shown punching each other, and in one scene a character hits another over the head with a book. No injuries are shown and a lot of the violence is meant to be funny.

Scary scenes

There are moments in this film that may scare tamariki. In one scene, one of the little girls walks into an iron maiden trap and the door slams with her inside. What looks like blood pours from the bottom of the trap, but quickly realise it is just fruit juice and the girl is fine.

In another scene, a man smashes into a wall after a shark chases and bites him.

Further information

• Why are ratings and content warnings important for me and my whānau?
• The ‘Bluey’ parenting hack: How to start those tricky conversations when your kids are young - Blog