We went on our very first cruise during the December break, and loved it. I know we will go on another as soon as we can. For those of you who are cruise-folks, do share your recommendations and tips! We tried to get to the movies screening on the open-air theater screen on the ship’s deck when we could (it was cold!!) and one of the movies playing was the latest Gru-some episode!! So it seemed apt to revive this lost-in-the-dusty-archives post featuring Despicable Me from a Friday in January 2011!!

Next up, is a peek at some empowering reads for Teens and YA – reading I am doing now as a round 2 Cybils judge. You can have a look at the finalists here.

This post contains Amazon and other affiliate links, that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission. Thank you for your support. Please see the full disclosure for more information. That said, please note that I will only recommend products I definitely would (or have already) use myself.

Despicable Me: Then and Now: (S)Mi(le)nions of Motivation

(Did not change my original 2011 post, left it as is except for typos and formatting. Added 2025 notes though to make remarks/comments where I felt like it)

When Gru First Made an Appearance: Part One of Despicable Me

Despicable Me: We rented the DVD from Netflix mainly because of Steve Carrel (The Office is one of our favorite shows to catch up on – thanks to OnDemand). We watched the movie as part of our family movie night series in our “movie-theatre” room, well darkened living room.

(2025 note: If you noticed, we rented the DVD from Netflix to watch the movie, for yes, back then, DVDs came in the mail to us!! And The Office remains a family favorite)

While Despicable Me is not in the same league as Disney/Pixar movies, it has a charm of its own. So where we adults enjoyed it, the kids loved it.

Synopsis

The hero (villain) of the movie is Gru who wants to prove (partly because his mom never appreciated him) that he is the greatest villain in the world and he wants to establish that by stealing the moon. For that, he needs to use the shrink ray, which is in the hands of his nemesis, newbie-nerdy villain Vector.

Vector has one weakness – coco-nutties cookies. Gru knows how to use this weakness. He adopts three girls who can help get through the defenses of Vector’s ultra-modern and secure mansion by selling their cookies, which will contain a batch of Gru’s cookie robots to help steal the shrink ray.  

Shrink ray with him, Gru works on his plans to steal the moon and meanwhile, as he spends more time with the girls, he realizes there is more to life than being a villain.  Tea parties with the girls, pink space suits, reading bedtime stories are part of his routine now along with plans for his evil deeds.

Gru’s helpers include Dr. Nefario and the minions. Dr.Nefario is a genius but hard of hearing and thus invents a ‘fart’ gun instead of a dart gun (it works very well too  the kids loved this sceneJ).

In Summary

Sweet little girls, ‘fart’-gun humor, there-is-good-inside everyone (almost everyone in this movie) ideas blend very well to produce a very pickable movie.

Extras

Also, the bedtime story – Sleepy Kittens – that Gru reads to the girls in the movie is very sweet and when I googled it, found it on Amazon.

Gru writes his own bedtime story to read to the girls and that is a sweet read too:

One Big Unicorn, Strong and free
Thought he was as happy as he could be.
Then three little kittens came around
And turned his whole life upside down.
They made him laugh (haha), they made him cry (moan)
He never should have said goodbye.
And now he knows, he could never part
From those three little kittens that changed his heart

And of course,  if you want the fluffy unicorn that Agnes loves, you can find that too on Amazon! 

And if you want the moon, like Gru, oh boy..
Well, there it is out in the night-sky for all to enjoy.:)

To Now

Since then, we have watched the rest of the movies that this series has put forth. And the latest – Despicable Me 4 – was on board the deck of the Carnival cruise ship (schedules did not permit us to watch it together when the movie came out in July, so we kept putting it off, and ended up watching it when it screened on the cruise).

I think my favorites were the Despicable Me 2 and Minions: The Rise of Gru. What about you? Have you watched one or more of this series? Which one did you like?

The SMilnions of Motivation: 5 Life Lessons from Despicable Me

1. Family First

Gru starts as a supervillain focused on world domination, but his journey is ultimately about love and family. Adopting Margo, Edith, and Agnes changes his priorities and shows how family can transform us for the better.
Lesson: Family is more than just blood ties—it’s about love, support, and being there for one another.

“Don’t Worry, I Will Catch You.”

2. Be You

Whether it’s Gru’s oddball charm, Agnes’s unicorn obsession (oh my, I loved this!), or the Minions’ nonsensical language (my son and I LOLed over the Minions shouting out random words in the latest movie), the movies celebrate individuality.
Lesson: Your uniqueness is your strength—don’t be afraid to stand out or be different. For what makes you different is what makes you you. So Own It, quirks and all!

3. Kindness Is the Real Superpower
Gru’s acts of kindness—adopting the girls, forgiving the Minions, and opening his heart to Lucy—ultimately make him a hero, not a villain.
Lesson: Small, thoughtful gestures can create big, meaningful changes in people’s lives.

4. Resilience Wins the Day (and With Teamwork Makes it All Dream Work!)
Gru, the Minions, and Gru’s family, all faces failures, rejection, and setbacks, but they don’t give up. Instead, they work together to achieve their goals, they adapt and persevere
Lesson: Life will throw challenges at you, but resilience and creativity will help you bounce back. And when you have a squad, it makes it all better

Life is just like that sometimes. We’re hoping for a unicorn, and we get a goat.

5. Humor Is Vital

Whether it’s the Minions’ antics or Agnes’s unfiltered joy, humor is central to the story. Even in serious moments, a good laugh lightens the load.
Lesson: Life’s better with a sense of humor—don’t take things too seriously.

Now, on to motivation from empowering reads.

The Bookish Five: American Wings and Many More

(1 & 2) Book Beginnings and First Line Friday

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAY is hosted by Rose City Reader. What book are you happy about reading this week? Please share the opening sentence (or so) on BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAY! Add the link to your blog or social media post and visit other blogs to see what others are reading.

Happy Friday and welcome to the FIRST LINE FRIDAY, hosted by Reading is My Superpower! It’s time to grab the book nearest to you and leave a comment with the first line.

chp 1

3 Friday 56

THE FRIDAY 56 is now hosted by Anne at HeadFullofBooks. To play, open a book and turn to page 56 (or 56% on your e-reader). Find a sentence or two and post them, along with the book title and author. Then link up and visit others in the linky. 

4 Book Blogger Hop

The purpose of THE BOOK BLOGGER HOP is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, and befriend other bloggers. THE BOOK BLOGGER HOP is hosted by Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer.  

January is National Hobby Month. Do you have any pastimes or interests other than reading that go well with your love of books and literature?

Writing, exploring words, looking for bookish things everywhere – like places to see, games to play, movies to watch, and finding connections in stories around the world.

5 Others of the Many Books I am Reading Right Now

I am reading all these books at this time, not at the same time obviously, but those of you who have multiple current reads going on know what I mean!

• Star Bound: A Beginner’s Guide to the American Space Program, from Goddard’s Rockets to Goldilocks Planets and Everything in Between by Emily Carney and Bruce McCandless III (Astronautics & Space Flight).
• Flamboyants: The Queer Harlem Renaissance I Wish I’d Known by George M. Johnson and illustrated by Charly Palmer (Teen & Young Adult Cultural Heritage Biography ) 
• A Greater Goal: The Epic Battle for Equal Pay in Women’s Soccer-and Beyond by Elizabeth Rusch (Teen & Young Adult Soccer Nonfiction ) 
• Rise Up and Sing!: Power, Protest, and Activism in Music by Andrea Warner and illustrated by Louise Reimer (Teen & Young Adult Musician Biographies)
• Represent: The Unfinished Fight for the Vote by Michael Eric Dyson and Marc Favreau (Teen & Young Adult Politics & Government)

And Now, the End of This Post

Dear reader, what did you think of the Despicable Me movies—do you have a favorite scene or character? And if you’ve read any of the non-fiction reads mentioned, I would love to hear how they inspired you. Also, as always, please share any recommendations for similar reads to inspire as well as movies to enjoy and ROTFL!!

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