Production Notes & Screen Credits - SYE Publicity

UNIVERSAL PICTURES Presents<br />

A CHRIS MELEDANDRI <strong>Production</strong><br />

STEVE CARELL<br />

JASON SEGEL<br />

RUSSELL BRAND<br />

KRISTEN WIIG<br />

MIRANDA COSGROVE<br />

WILL ARNETT<br />

DANNY MCBRIDE<br />

JACK MCBRAYER<br />

and<br />

JULIE ANDREWS<br />

Executive Producers<br />

NINA ROWAN<br />

SERGIO PABLOS<br />

Based on a Story by<br />

SERGIO PABLOS<br />

<strong>Screen</strong>play by<br />

CINCO PAUL & KEN DAURIO<br />

Produced by<br />

CHRIS MELEDANDRI<br />

JANET HEALY<br />

JOHN COHEN<br />

Directed by<br />

CHRIS RENAUD<br />

PIERRE COFFIN<br />

– 1 –

---

CAST<br />

Gru . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . STEVE CARELL<br />

Vector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JASON SEGEL<br />

Dr. Nefario . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . RUSSELL BRAND<br />

Gru’s Mom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JULIE ANDREWS<br />

Mr. Perkins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . WILL ARNETT<br />

Miss Hattie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . KRISTEN WIIG<br />

Margo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MIRANDA COSGROVE<br />

Edith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DANA GAIER<br />

Agnes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ELSIE FISHER<br />

Tim the Minion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PIERRE COFFIN<br />

Bob the Minion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PIERRE COFFIN<br />

Mark the Minion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PIERRE COFFIN<br />

Phil the Minion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PIERRE COFFIN<br />

Stuart the Minion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PIERRE COFFIN<br />

Dave the Minion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CHRIS RENAUD<br />

Jerry the Minion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JEMAINE CLEMENT<br />

Carnival Barker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JACK MCBRAYER<br />

Fred McDade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DANNY MCBRIDE<br />

Tourist Dad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JACK MCBRAYER<br />

Tourist Mom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MINDY KALING<br />

Anchorman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ROB HUEBEL<br />

Egyptian Guard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . KEN DAURIO<br />

Talk Show Host . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . KEN JEONG<br />

Additional Voices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CHARLES BRIGHT<br />

KATIE LEIGH<br />

RANJANI BROW<br />

SCOTT MENVILLE<br />

HOLLY DORFF<br />

EDIE MIRMAN<br />

JACKIE GONNEAU<br />

AL RODRIGO<br />

WENDY HOFFMANN<br />

JAKOB ROSTON<br />

JAMES KYSON LEE<br />

HANS TESTER<br />

TONY LEE<br />

DEBI MAE WEST<br />

CREW<br />

Directed by . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CHRIS RENAUD<br />

PIERRE COFFIN<br />

Produced by . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CHRIS MELEDANDRI<br />

JANET HEALY<br />

JOHN COHEN<br />

<strong>Screen</strong>play by . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CINCO PAUL &<br />

KEN DAURIO<br />

Based on a Story by . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SERGIO PABLOS<br />

Executive Producers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . NINA ROWAN<br />

SERGIO PABLOS<br />

<strong>Production</strong> Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . YARROW CHENEY<br />

Editors . . . . . . . . . PAMELA ZIEGENHAGEN-SHEFLAND<br />

GREGORY PERLER<br />

Score by . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PHARRELL WILLIAMS<br />

HEITOR PEREIRA<br />

Original Songs and Themes by . . PHARRELL WILLIAMS<br />

Music Produced by . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HANS ZIMMER<br />

Music Supervisor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . KATHY NELSON<br />

Art Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ERIC GUILLON<br />

Character Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . CARTER GOODRICH<br />

Computer Graphics Supervisor . . . BRUNO CHAUFFARD<br />

Associate Producer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ROBERT TAYLOR<br />

<strong>Production</strong> Supervisor . . . . . . . . . CHRISTELLE BALCON<br />

Animation Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . LIONEL GALLAT<br />

Animation Supervisor . . . . . LAURENT DE LA CHAPELLE<br />

Supervising Animators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PIERRE AVON<br />

NICOLAS BAUDUIN<br />

BARTHÉLÉMY BOIROT<br />

LUC DEGARDIN<br />

JEAN HEMEZ<br />

PIERRE LEDUC<br />

ELISABETH PATTE<br />

JULIEN SORET<br />

Layout Supervisor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . KYLE BALDA<br />

Stereo Supervisor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JOHN RA BENSON<br />

Lighting Supervisor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . NICOLAS BRACK<br />

Effects Animation Supervisor . . . . . . . PIERRE VILLETTE<br />

Global Technology Supervisor . . . . . . . . . BRUNO MAHE<br />

Character Supervisors<br />

Modeling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JÉRÔME GORDON<br />

Cloth & Hair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BENJAMIN LE STER<br />

Rigging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DAMIEN GAUTRON<br />

Surfacing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ADRIEN BORZAKIAN<br />

Set Supervisors<br />

Modeling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FRANÇOIS LAUNET<br />

Surfacing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FABIEN POLACK<br />

Compositing Supervisors . . . . . . . . . . CÉLINE ALLÈGRE<br />

ANTONIN SEYDOUX<br />

Stereo Compositing Supervisor . . . . BENOIT PHILIPPON<br />

Assistant CG Supervisors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DAVID PELLÉ<br />

DELPHINE POTEVIN<br />

<strong>Production</strong> Managers . . . . . . . . . . JEAN LUC FLORINDA<br />

CHRISTINA DESILVA ROWELL<br />

JILL RAGAWAY<br />

Story Supervisor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DAVE ROSENBAUM<br />

– 2 –

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Story Artists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . KEITH BAXTER<br />

DAVID BERTHIER-DUVERNEUIL<br />

MATT FLYNN<br />

STEPHAN FRANCK<br />

JOHN HOLMQUIST<br />

MIKE KIM<br />

JAVIER LEDESMA<br />

STEVE MOORE<br />

JUAN PABLO NAVAS<br />

MARK O’HARE<br />

JUAN D. POZUELO<br />

JAMES SUHR<br />

Additional Story Artists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CAL BRUNKER<br />

DEREK EVANICK<br />

JUN FALKENSTEIN<br />

JOHN INFANTINO<br />

PIET KROON<br />

RITA LICHTWARDT<br />

GLEN MCCOY<br />

RAYMIE MUZQUIZ<br />

WILBERT PILJNAAR<br />

PETER SHIN<br />

ADAM VAN WYK<br />

DAVID WACHTENHEIM<br />

Sequence & Set Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAUL MAGER<br />

VINCENT MASSEY<br />

LOIC RASTOUT<br />

BRIAN WOODS<br />

Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SERGIO CASAS<br />

OLIVIER DELABARRE<br />

CLÉMENT GRISELAIN<br />

CARLOS FELIPE LEON<br />

Additional Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MARCOS CALO<br />

DAVID CATROW<br />

MAREC FRITZINGER<br />

ROBIN JOSEPH<br />

MARTIN TRYSTRAM<br />

PHILIPPE TILIKETE<br />

Additional Character Design . . . . . . . . . . ERIC GUILLON<br />

CHRIS RENAUD<br />

PAUL MAGER<br />

PHILIPPE TILIKETE<br />

Character Animation and Computer Graphics provided by . .<br />

MAC GUFF, PARIS<br />

Mac Guff Senior Executive . . . . . . . . . . JACQUES BLED<br />

Head of <strong>Production</strong> . . . . . . . . . . . . ARNAULD BOULARD<br />

Layout & Stereo Manager . . . . . . . . . . . SOLENN COLAS<br />

Layout Lead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . RÉGIS SCHULLER<br />

Stereo Lead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . VALÉRIE GABRIEL<br />

Layout Artists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GUY-LAURENT HOMSY<br />

GÉRALD CLEVY<br />

JAIRO BAMBANG OETOMO<br />

SÉBASTIEN TIFFON<br />

HENRI ZAITOUN<br />

Character Animation Manager . . . . . . . . . . . JOY POIREL<br />

Character Animation Leads . . . . . . . . . PATRICK DELAGE<br />

FABRICE JOUBERT<br />

Character Animators . . . . . . . . . . . . . HICHEM ARFAOUI<br />

SALEM ARFAOUI<br />

JEAN-FRANÇOIS BARTHELEMY<br />

ARNAUD BERTHIER-DUVERNEUIL<br />

XAVIER BOLOGNA<br />

DANIEL CALLABY<br />

JÉRÔME CHARTON<br />

BRICE CHEVILLARD<br />

CÉLINE CHOTARD<br />

MICHAEL CROUZAT<br />

SIMON CUISINIER<br />

JONATHAN DEL VAL<br />

BRUNO DEQUIER<br />

SAMUEL DEVYNCK<br />

MOISE ESSAME<br />

MATHILDE FABRY<br />

AUDREY FOBIS<br />

VINCENT GARCIA<br />

JEAN-CHARLES GONIN<br />

BENOIT GUILLAUMOT<br />

BASILE HEIDERSCHEID<br />

GUILLAUME HERENT<br />

YANNICK HONORE<br />

SILKE JAGER<br />

KARIN KEMPF<br />

SÉBASTIEN KUNERT<br />

BENOIT LACOSTE<br />

DIANE LAFORET<br />

FRANÇOIS LAURENT<br />

CHLOÉ LANG-WILLAR<br />

ADRIEN LIV<br />

MAX MALEO<br />

STÉPHANE MANGIN<br />

GIUSI MARONE<br />

GAËL MATCHABELLI<br />

RENAUD MEGANGE<br />

MATHIEU MENARD<br />

LOIC MIERMONT<br />

DAVID NASSER<br />

ELENA ORTEGO<br />

GWÉNOLÉ OULC’HEN<br />

CHRISTEL POUGEOISE<br />

NICOLAS PROTHAIS<br />

ERIC PREBENDE<br />

PATRICK PUJALTE<br />

– 3 –

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MITJA RABAR<br />

CORENTIN SACRE<br />

JEAN VINCENT SALES<br />

JULEN SANTIAGO<br />

SÉBASTIEN TIFFON<br />

MIRCO TOMADINI<br />

CLÉMENTINE TRONEL<br />

LUCAS VALLERIECOLINE VEITH<br />

EMMANUEL VERGNE<br />

JORGE VIGARA ALONSO<br />

Cloth & Hair Leads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ABDOU KARIMI<br />

ROMAIN PRIVAT DE FORTUNIE<br />

Cloth & Hair Animators . . . . . . . . STANISLAS ABELANET<br />

ADRIEN CHARTIE<br />

LOIC DAVID<br />

JEREMY DELCHIAPPO<br />

CHRISTOPHE LE DEROUT<br />

STEVEN DUPUY<br />

AXEL GRAUX<br />

THOMAS HAAS-CHRISTENSEN<br />

JOSSELIN JALLUT<br />

SYLVIE LIMARION MAHU<br />

MATHIEU MALARD<br />

PIERRE-ANDRÉ PERUCAUD<br />

URIELL PRISER<br />

FABIEN RIXENS<br />

DAVID RODRIGUES<br />

KEN SHIMIZU<br />

SÉBASTIEN STOIANOV<br />

SIMON TROUILLER<br />

MAXIME VALLON<br />

THOMAS VILPORT<br />

MILAN VOUKASSOVITCH<br />

Effects Animation Manager . . . . . . . . . . . ANAÏS PERLOT<br />

Effects Animation Lead . . . . . . . . . . . MATHIEU NEGREL<br />

Effects Animators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . XAVIER BREUIL<br />

NICOLAS CROCHET<br />

MATHIEU GÉRARD<br />

JÉRÔME HERENG<br />

VINCENT HOUZE<br />

JEAN-FRANÇOIS MACE<br />

LUDOVIC RAMISANDRAINA<br />

MILO RICCARAND<br />

JOSSELIN TONNELLIER<br />

NICOLAS ZBOROVSKA<br />

Character Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . DELPHINE LE ROCH<br />

Character Modeling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DAVID ARNOULD<br />

JULIEN BADOIL<br />

ROMAIN COTE<br />

DAVID FOURRAGE<br />

ADRIEN MONTERO<br />

Rigging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . NICOLAS COMBECAVE<br />

MATHIEU TRINTZIUS<br />

GUILLAUME BARLIER<br />

GUILLAUME BOUDEVILLE<br />

DAVID LIEBARD<br />

PIERRE LOIC HAMON<br />

LARSON LIBERLIN DE SHORIBA DIOP<br />

Surfacing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . VIRGINIE TARAVEL<br />

BLANDINE CHANTEUR<br />

CHARLES CHOREIN<br />

JÉRÉMIE DROULERS<br />

BENJAMIN FOURNET<br />

JIMMY LAPLAIGE<br />

AURÉLIE MONFAIT<br />

MAXIME LEDUC<br />

SÉBASTIEN NAIT-MERABET<br />

JULIEN ODIC<br />

GABRIEL PICARD<br />

JULIEN ROCCHI<br />

Sets & Props Managers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .<br />

NATHALIE VANCAUWENBERGHE<br />

DENIS WALGENWITZ<br />

Set & Props Modeling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HERVÉ ARPHI<br />

FRANCK CLARENC<br />

JÉRÔME CORDIER<br />

MARTIN COUSTENOBLE<br />

NICOL JEAN DUFLAUT<br />

AURÉLIEN HULOT<br />

CAROLINE LALOUETTE<br />

LUDOVIC RAMIERE<br />

NICOLAS VALADE<br />

FABIEN YORGANDGIAN<br />

Set Dressing Supervisor . . . . . . . . AXELLE DE COOMAN<br />

Lighting & Compositing Managers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .<br />

EMMANUELLE CARLIER<br />

KARINE FRIANG<br />

DELPHINE LASSERRE<br />

Lead Lighting Artists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SELIM DRAÏA<br />

SOPHIE GUILLOIS<br />

THIERRY NOBLET<br />

MAX TOURRET<br />

DAMIEN VIATTE<br />

Lighting Artists . . . . . . . . . . . . . ALEXANDRE BERMOND<br />

SAIDOU BERNABE<br />

VINCENT BLANQUÉ<br />

CÉDRIC BURKARTH<br />

JUSTINE CODRON<br />

LIONEL CUENDET<br />

THOMAS DAIRAIN<br />

VIVIAN DAVID<br />

BERTRAND DE BECQUE<br />

– 4 –

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EPHRAÏM DROUET<br />

PIERRE GOBILLARD<br />

SÉBASTIEN GOURDAL<br />

SIMON GREZES<br />

MATHIEU GROS<br />

STEPHAN GUÉRIN<br />

MATHIEU LE MEUR<br />

PIERRE LOPES<br />

OLIVIER MARTINY<br />

MATHIEU MOLINA<br />

ROMAIN SILVA MACEDO<br />

HUGUES SSOSSE<br />

Lead Compositing Artists . . . . . MARIE CLAIRE BAZART<br />

MARIE BOURGUET<br />

BERTRAND BREUZE<br />

YANN LEROUX<br />

STÉPHANIE MACHURET<br />

MARION ROGER<br />

FRANÇOIS TURQUETY<br />

LAETITIA YUNG<br />

Compositing Artists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FLORIAN BESTEL<br />

MATTHIEU CHATELIER<br />

SOLEN COLLIGNON<br />

CLÉMENT DARBOIS<br />

ANTOINE DOUADI<br />

LOIC FLAMAND<br />

LUCIEN FOSTIER<br />

PHILIPPE HUBERDEAU<br />

DEAN KOONJUL<br />

JOLA KUDELA<br />

FRANÇOIS LE BASTARD<br />

JEANNE LOYER<br />

SERGEÏ LOURIÉ<br />

OLIVIER LUKASZCZYK<br />

GASTON MARCOTTI<br />

ALEXIS PERASTE<br />

SIMON RAFIN<br />

DANE RAPAPORT<br />

STÉPHANIE SAILLARD<br />

MARINE SAMYN<br />

JEREMY SÉGUIN<br />

GEROME VIAVANT<br />

ANTHONY VOISIN<br />

KEVIN WILLMERING<br />

Stereo Compositing Artists . . . . . . . . . . THOMAS ASSIE<br />

JÉRÔME AULIAC<br />

JEAN NICOLAS COSTA<br />

RUDYARD CRETENET<br />

CHRISTOPHE DUFLAUT<br />

DELPHINE GARRELIS<br />

KEVIN KERGOAT<br />

KHALED LABIDI<br />

THOMAS LEFEBVRE<br />

PIERRE YVES MOULARD<br />

YVAN-ANDRÉ NGNODJOM<br />

MAYÀ PELLE<br />

JULIEN ROGER<br />

NIRANJAN SIVAGURUNATHAN<br />

VINCENT MARTIN<br />

Compositing Technical Director Leads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .<br />

NATHALIE BONNIN<br />

EMMANUELLE DE AMEZAGA<br />

Compositing Technical Directors . . . . . . DÉMIAN BOUDE<br />

BENOIT FOURNOL<br />

MATHIEU GOUBY<br />

JULIEN THEBAULT<br />

Lead Matte Painter . . . . . . . . . . . JEAN-DENIS COINDRE<br />

Matte Painters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FRANÇOIS BELLIART<br />

JÉRÔME BILLET<br />

Pipeline Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . WASSILA LMOUACI<br />

Pipeline Supervisors . . . . PIERRICK BRAULT-VANDAME<br />

EMMANUEL PREVOT<br />

Pipeline Technical Directors . . . . . . DAMIEN BELLANTAN<br />

MICHAEL BETHUNE<br />

PIERRE BRINDEL<br />

FRÉDÉRIC BRUNA<br />

JULIEN DEPOORTERE<br />

HENRI DESOUS<br />

ALEXANDRA HOFF<br />

MATTHIEU GOUIN<br />

PATRICK GUILLERM<br />

LAURENT HUBERT<br />

ELODIE LABBE<br />

QUENTIN RICCI<br />

Supervising Technical Director . . . . . ETIENNE PÊCHEUX<br />

IT Department . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MICHEL ROY<br />

DAVID LEROUX<br />

DAVID GUEDJ<br />

FLAVIO PEREZ<br />

MOSTAFA YACOUBI<br />

Rendering Supervisor . . . . . . . . . . THOMAS FONCELLE<br />

Render Wranglers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SYLVAIN BLEROL<br />

DAVID CANCELA<br />

ILYAS CHODKIEWIEZ<br />

Head of Research & Development . . PHILIPPE DELORME<br />

Research & Development Team . . . . . . THOMAS METAIS<br />

SÉBASTIEN MASINO<br />

JULIEN FRANTZ<br />

ALEXANDRE VERLHAC<br />

ERIC PLACOLY<br />

DAMIEN COUREAU<br />

LUDOVIC LEFEVE-GOURMELON<br />

– 5 –

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Financial Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . GARY WOHLLEBEN<br />

Assistant <strong>Production</strong> Accountants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .<br />

HUMBERTO MEZA, JR.<br />

CARLOS ROCADAS<br />

JULIEN SABOURDIN<br />

LOETITIA VILLENEUVE<br />

JULIEN VIRGILE<br />

Editorial Managers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ALEX DOWDING<br />

MIKE BAUM<br />

Additional Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . STEVE LIU<br />

PATRICK VOETBERG<br />

CLAIRE DODGSON<br />

1 st Assistant Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ED FULLER<br />

Assistant Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GILAD CARMEL<br />

KAREN HATHAWAY<br />

MIKE ROSTKER<br />

Editorial Conformation . . . . . . . . . . . FANNY BOUQUARD<br />

<strong>Production</strong> Staff<br />

Art Coordinators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . KATIE BALLENTINE<br />

AMELIE PEYRACHE<br />

Editorial Coordinator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JOSH MORGAN<br />

Lighting & Compositing Coordinator . . MARION LOLOUM<br />

Marketing Coordinators . . . . . . . . . AMBER CHAMBERS<br />

CELINE LOCATELLI<br />

Story <strong>Production</strong> Assistant . . . . . . . . DANIEL DOTTERER<br />

Editorial <strong>Production</strong> Assistant . . . . . . . . TYLER WERRIN<br />

General <strong>Production</strong> Assistant . . . . . . . . . JEFF COWARD<br />

Assistants to Chris Meledandri . . . . . . . . . . LISA HOLME<br />

KRISTIN WONG-WARD<br />

LYNLEY BIRD<br />

KELLY MARTIN<br />

Assistants to Janet Healy . . . . . . . . . . . JESSICA STONE<br />

NAIRYE APELIAN<br />

Assistants to John Cohen . . . . . . . . . . ANDREW SHORT<br />

KRISTIN MACLAREN<br />

Assistants to Jacques Bled . . . . . . . . . SOLANGE LOBO<br />

VIRGINIE GROSS<br />

Casting Consultant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MARY HIDALGO<br />

Post-<strong>Production</strong> Supervisor . . . . . . JEANNINE BERGER<br />

Post-<strong>Production</strong> Sound Services by . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .<br />

SKYWALKER SOUND, A LUCASFILM LTD. COMPANY<br />

MARIN COUNTY, CALIFORNIA<br />

Sound Designer/Supervising Sound Editor . . . . . . . . . . . .<br />

CHRISTOPHER SCARABOSIO<br />

Supervising Sound Editor . . . . . . . . . DENNIS LEONARD<br />

ADR Supervisor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DANIEL LAURIE<br />

Sound Effects Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . DAVID C. HUGHES<br />

STEVE BISSINGER<br />

JEREMY PAUL BOWKER<br />

Re-recording Mixers . . . . CHRISTOPHER SCARABOSIO<br />

TOM JOHNSON<br />

Sound Design Consultant . . . . . . . . . . . . . RANDY THOM<br />

Foley Supervisor . . . . . . . . . . . . LUKE DUNN GIELMUDA<br />

Foley Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E. LARRY OATFIELD<br />

Assistant Supervising Sound Editor . . . . COYA ELLIOTT<br />

Assistant ADR Editor . . . . . . . CHRISTOPHER BARNETT<br />

Assistant Sound Effects Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .<br />

JESSICA LEMES DA SILVA<br />

Assistant Sound Designer . . . . . . . . . . . LEFF LEFFERTS<br />

Foley Artists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MICHAEL LYLE<br />

SEAN ENGLAND<br />

Foley Mixer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CHRISTOPHER BARNETT<br />

Foley Recordist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . COREY TYLER<br />

Mix Technicians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . NATHAN NANCE<br />

ZACH MARTIN<br />

Digital Transfer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JOHN COUNTRYMAN<br />

MARCO ALICEA<br />

Recordist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CLINT SMITH<br />

Digital Editorial Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . DAVID HUNTER<br />

TIM BURBY<br />

DANNY CACCAVO<br />

Engineering Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . STEVE MORRIS<br />

DOUG FORD<br />

HOWIE HAMMERMANN<br />

Supervising Music Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . VICKI HIATT<br />

Music Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SLAMM ANDREWS<br />

Assistant Music Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . DANIEL SCOLARI<br />

Recording Engineer . . . . . . . . . . . . ANDREW COLEMAN<br />

Recording Engineer Assistants . . . . . . . . . MIKE LARSON<br />

SEBASTIAN ZULETA<br />

SATOSHI NOGUCHI<br />

RAMON RIVAS<br />

JOSH GUDWIN<br />

DUSTIN CAPULONG<br />

GHAZI HOURANI<br />

GUILLERMO LEFELD<br />

SAM ALLISON<br />

Recording Studios . . . . . . . . MIDNIGHT BLUE STUDIOS<br />

THE RECORD PLANT<br />

Mixing Engineer . . . . . . . . . . . . . FABIAN MARASCUILLO<br />

Mixing Engineer Assistants . . . . . . . . . . . . . JASON DALE<br />

BRANDON JONES<br />

ELIZABETH GALLARDO<br />

Mixing Studios . . . . . . . . . . . . . HIT FACTORY CRITERIA<br />

GERMANO STUDIOS<br />

Additional Music by . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JOHN SPONSLER<br />

TOM GIRE<br />

Orchestrators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BRUCE FOWLER<br />

WALT FOWLER<br />

– 6 –

---

RICK GIOVINAZZO<br />

KEVIN KASKA<br />

Music Preparation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . REPRISE MUSIC<br />

Orchestra Contractors . . . . . . . . DECRESCENT/ROTTER<br />

Music <strong>Production</strong> Services . . . . . . . . . . . STEVE KOFSKY<br />

Girl Vocalists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .<br />

CENTRE FOR YOUNG MUSICIANS, LONDON<br />

Choirmaster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . LYNDA RICHARDSON<br />

Choral Coordinator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JENNY O’GRADY<br />

Music Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GAVIN GREENAWAY<br />

Choir Engineer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . GEOFF FOSTER<br />

Choir Recorded at . . . . . RAK RECORDING STUDIO LTD<br />

Score Coordinator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ANDREW ZACK<br />

Score Recorded at . . . . . . 20 TH CENTURY FOX STUDIO<br />

Scoring Crew . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DENIS ST. AMAND<br />

TIM LAUBER<br />

TOM STEEL<br />

GREG DENNON<br />

Score Recorded and Mixed by . . . . . ALAN MEYERSON<br />

Music Mixed at . . . REMOTE CONTROL PRODUCTIONS<br />

RCP Studio Manager . . . . . . . . . . . CZARINA RUSSELL<br />

Digital Intermediate by . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . EFILM<br />

Digital Intermediate Colorist . . . . . . . . . . . JASON HANEL<br />

Digital Intermediate Producer . . . . NICOLAS PETERSON<br />

Digital Intermediate Editor . . . . . . . . . . LISA TUTUNJIAN<br />

Color Timer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TERRY CLABORN<br />

Location Laboratory Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-MAC<br />

End Title Roll . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ROKIT STUDIO<br />

Marketing Animation . . . . . . . . . . . SAMUEL TOURNEUX<br />

NICOLAS CAZAUX<br />

ANTOINE COLLET<br />

LUCAS VAN ROSSUM<br />

JÉRÔME TRANNOY<br />

SOUNDTRACK ON STAR TRAK<br />

ENTERTAINMENT/INTERSCOPE RECORDS<br />

“SWEET HOME ALABAMA”<br />

Written by Edward King, Gary Rossington,<br />

Ronnie Van Zant<br />

Performed by Lynyrd Skynyrd<br />

Courtesy of Geffen Records<br />

Under license from Universal Music Enterprises<br />

“DESPICABLE ME”<br />

“FUN, FUN, FUN”<br />

“PRETTIEST GIRLS”<br />

“ROCKET’S SONG”<br />

Written and Performed by Pharrell Williams<br />

Produced by Pharrell Williams of The Neptunes<br />

Courtesy of Star Trak Entertainment/Interscope Records<br />

“GAROTA DE IPANEMA”<br />

Written by Antonio Jobim, Vinicius De Moraes<br />

“BOOGIE FEVER”<br />

Written by Frederick Perren, Keni St. Lewis<br />

Performed by The Sylvers Courtesy of Capitol Records<br />

Under license from EMI Film & Television Music<br />

“THE WAY IT IS (VECTOR’S THEME)”<br />

Written by Pharrell Williams and D.A. Wallach<br />

Performed by D.A. Wallach<br />

Produced by Pharrell Williams of The Neptunes<br />

Courtesy of Star Trak Entertainment/Interscope Records<br />

“COPACABANA”<br />

Written by Barry Manilow, Jack Feldman, Bruce Sussman<br />

Performed by Various Studio Musicians<br />

Courtesy of Stingray Music<br />

“MY LIFE”<br />

Written by Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke<br />

Performed by Robin Thicke<br />

Produced by Pharrell Williams of The Neptunes<br />

Courtesy of Star Trak Entertainment/Interscope Records<br />

“YOU SHOULD BE DANCING”<br />

Written by Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb, Maurice Gibb<br />

Performed by The Bee Gees<br />

Courtesy of Reprise Records<br />

By arrangement with Warner Music Group<br />

Film & TV Licensing<br />

Location support provided by Peninsula Films<br />

John Bernard<br />

Frederic Greene<br />

THIS MOTION PICTURE HAS BENEFITED FROM THE<br />

TAX CREDIT FOR THE PRODUCTION OF FOREIGN<br />

MOTION PICTURES IN FRANCE.<br />

Special Thanks<br />

CHRISTOPHE ASSELIN<br />

JEAN-JACQUES BENHAMOU<br />

RODOLPHE CHABRIER<br />

FRÉDÉRIC GUY<br />

CHRISTINE LAGARDE<br />

JACQUES LE PAPE<br />

ERIC MARTINET<br />

AGNÈS RAULT<br />

PHILIPPE SONRIER<br />

MARTIAL VALLANCHON<br />

– 7 –

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NO. 46025<br />

MOTION PICTURE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA<br />

THIS MOTION PICTURE IS PROTECTED UNDER THE LAWS OF<br />

THE UNITED STATES AND OTHER COUNTRIES. UNAUTHORIZED<br />

DUPLICATION, DISTRIBUTION OR EXHIBITION MAY RESULT IN<br />

CIVIL LIABILITY AND CRIMINAL PROSECUTION.<br />

THE CHARACTERS AND EVENTS DEPICTED IN THIS<br />

PHOTOPLAY ARE FICTITIOUS. ANY SIMILARITY TO ACTUAL<br />

PERSONS, LIVING OR DEAD, IS PURELY COINCIDENTAL.<br />

COPYRIGHT © 2010 UNIVERSAL STUDIOS<br />

All Rights Reserved.<br />

Animated Universal Studios Logo<br />

© 1997 Universal Studios<br />

Country of First Publication: United States of America.<br />

Universal Studios is the author of this motion picture for<br />

purposes of the Berne Convention and all national laws<br />

giving effect thereto.<br />

<strong>Credits</strong> as of April 23, 2010.<br />

– 8 –

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(L to R) Edith (DANA GAIER), Gru (STEVE CARELL), Agnes (ELSIE FISHER) and Margo (MIRANDA COSGROVE) roller coast away.<br />

Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment<br />

invite you and your family to their inaugural<br />

3-D CGI feature, Despicable Me. From producer<br />

CHRIS MELEDANDRI (Ice Age, Dr. Seuss’ Horton<br />

Hears a Who!) comes the story of one of the world’s<br />

greatest super-villains who meets his biggest challenge<br />

when three children enter his life.<br />

In a happy suburban neighborhood surrounded by<br />

white picket fences and flowering rose bushes sits a<br />

black house with a dead lawn. Unbeknownst to the<br />

neighbors, hidden deep beneath this home is a vast<br />

secret hideout. Surrounded by an army of mischievous<br />

little minions, we discover Gru (STEVE<br />

CARELL of Get Smart, Horton Hears a Who!, television’s<br />

The Office) planning the biggest heist in the<br />

history of the world. He is going to steal the moon<br />

(Yes, the moon!).<br />

Gru delights in all things wicked. Armed with his<br />

arsenal of shrink rays, freeze rays and battle-ready<br />

vehicles for land and air, he vanquishes all who stand<br />

in his way. That is, until the day he encounters the<br />

immense will of three little orphaned girls who look<br />

at him and see something that no one else has ever<br />

seen: a potential Dad.<br />

– 9 –

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Gru tells the minions about his new mission: to steal the moon.<br />

Appearing alongside Carell in Despicable Me are<br />

comedy stars JASON SEGEL (Forgetting Sarah<br />

Marshall, I Love You, Man), MIRANDA COSGROVE<br />

(Nickelodeon’s No. 1 live-action show iCarly) and<br />

legendary Academy Award ® winner JULIE ANDREWS<br />

(The Sound of Music, Mary Poppins, The Princess<br />

Diaries series).<br />

The troupe of established and emerging comedic<br />

actors who joins them includes RUSSELL BRAND<br />

(Get Him to the Greek, Forgetting Sarah Marshall),<br />

KRISTEN WIIG (Date Night, TV’s SNL), WILL<br />

ARNETT (Monsters vs. Aliens, Dr. Seuss’Horton Hears<br />

a Who!), DANNY MCBRIDE (Tropic Thunder,<br />

Pineapple Express) and JACK MCBRAYER (TV’s 30<br />

Rock, Forgetting Sarah Marshall).<br />

Despicable Me is directed by Oscar ® -nominee<br />

CHRIS RENAUD (Annie Award-winning short No<br />

Time for Nuts, director of upcoming Dr. Seuss’ The<br />

Lorax) & PIERRE COFFIN (Pat et Stanley). The<br />

film is produced by Meledandri, JANET HEALY and<br />

JOHN COHEN. Leading the talented behind-thescenes<br />

team are editors PAMELA ZIEGENHAGEN-<br />

SHEFLAND (Open Season, The Emperor’s New<br />

Groove) and GREGORY PERLER (Enchanted,<br />

Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit),<br />

– 10 –<br />

as well as production designer<br />

YARROW CHENEY and art<br />

director ERIC GUILLON.<br />

Creating the original songs<br />

and themes for the film is<br />

Grammy Award-winning artist<br />

and blockbuster music producer<br />

PHARRELL WILLIAMS, who<br />

composes the score with<br />

HEITOR PEREIRA (It’s Complicated,<br />

Beverly Hills Chihuahua).<br />

The music is produced by<br />

Academy Award ® winner HANS<br />

ZIMMER (The Lion King, The<br />

Dark Knight, Sherlock Holmes).<br />

The 3-D CGI film is based on a story by<br />

SERGIO PABLOS and a screenplay by CINCO<br />

PAUL & KEN DAURIO (Horton Hears a Who!,<br />

Dinner for Schmucks). The animated comedy’s<br />

executive producers are NINA ROWAN (Oscar ® -<br />

winning animated short Bunny) and Sergio Pablos.<br />

BEFORETHE<br />

PRODUCTION<br />

Finding Illumination:<br />

Meledandri Joins Universal<br />

In early 2007, Universal Pictures began to<br />

build its family and animation film business by<br />

bringing aboard blockbuster producer Chris<br />

Meledandri to shepherd the initiative. Meledandri<br />

had spent many years at 20 th Century Fox, where<br />

he founded the studio’s animation division and<br />

oversaw the launch of its blockbuster Ice Age franchise.<br />

With the creation of Meledandri’s new<br />

production company, Illumination Entertainment,<br />

Universal would finance and distribute a slate of

---

live-action and animated films that would be led<br />

by the successful filmmaker.<br />

Meledandri, who had been an executive at Fox<br />

for 13 years, became founding president of 20 th<br />

Century Fox Animation during his tenure at the<br />

studio. He headed that division for eight years,<br />

amassing more than $2 billion in global box-office<br />

revenue for the studio. The producer oversaw Fox’s<br />

1998 acquisition of the East Coast-based, small<br />

visual-effects house Blue Sky Studios and its<br />

transformation into the studio’s successful CGanimation<br />

arm, which employs more than 250<br />

artists. While there, Meledandri also supervised<br />

and/or executive produced such blockbusters as<br />

Robots, Alvin and the Chipmunks, The Simpsons<br />

Movie and Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who!<br />

Offers Meledandri about the transition: “I<br />

found that I could not turn away from the extraordinary<br />

opportunity that Universal offered me: the<br />

entrepreneurial aspect, the excitement about a new<br />

company, the breadth of the production mandate to<br />

include all forms of animation, as well as live<br />

action, and the studio’s ideas about movies—<br />

specifically their commitment to quality, as well as<br />

their ideas about how to market movies in an<br />

increasingly competitive marketplace.”<br />

ABOUTTHE<br />

PRODUCTION<br />

So Despicable:<br />

The Project Begins<br />

“The original concept of Despicable Me was pitched<br />

to me by Sergio Pablos, who is a Spanish animator based<br />

with a small animation studio in Spain,” explains Chris<br />

Meledandri. “We immediately knew that screenwriters<br />

Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio were the team to write the<br />

screenplay.” The writers had worked with the producer<br />

on the global hit Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who!, and<br />

Meledandri felt they had just the sensibility to bring<br />

Sergio Pablos’ original story to life.<br />

Paul and Daurio had navigated intricate animated<br />

worlds before with Meledandri. In their last film<br />

together, they gave life to Dr. Seuss’ beloved character<br />

Horton, telling the story of a gentle elephant<br />

who hears a faint cry for help from a dust mote that’s<br />

floated past. The film, directed by Jimmy Hayward<br />

and Steve Martino, was an enormous hit and solidified<br />

the two as comedy scribes. For their newest<br />

project, they elaborated upon Pablos’ idea of one of<br />

His minions are in awe of Gru’s plan.<br />

– 11 –

---

Gru uses his freeze ray to get to the front of the line.<br />

Cohen liked exploring<br />

the notion that<br />

each of us has a bit of<br />

wickedness inside just<br />

waiting to be expressed.<br />

He continues: “Gru<br />

offers a wish fulfillment.<br />

When you’re waiting in<br />

line at a grocery store—<br />

and the person in front<br />

of you has 25 items in<br />

the express line and<br />

decides to pay with a<br />

check—that would be<br />

the world’s greatest super-villains, a man who finds the perfect time to use a freeze ray. There’s a great deal<br />

more to life than reveling in wicked deeds.<br />

of comedy that springs from a character who gets to act<br />

From the beginning, it was important to Illumination<br />

to construct a tale that would put a trademark When it was time to select the project’s directors,<br />

out some of the things we wish we could do.”<br />

stamp on the types of films the production house would Meledandri turned to Academy Award ® -nominated<br />

be creating. That would not involve two-dimensional filmmaker Chris Renaud and acclaimed Sorbonnetrained<br />

animator Pierre Coffin to helm the project.<br />

heroes or antagonists. Reflects Meledandri: “The idea<br />

of making an animated film in which the villain is your Renaud’s years of collaboration with Marvel and DC<br />

protagonist is unusual and very challenging. By the end Comics allowed him to illustrate some of the most<br />

of the film, Gru has undergone a transformation, and iconic characters of the modern era. For his part,<br />

it’s that transformation that’s made possible by starting Coffin has created several of the most viewed<br />

him in a place where there are aspects of him that are animated shorts on YouTube, including “The Lion<br />

downright unlikable. You would not have a sense of Sleeps Tonight.”<br />

appreciation for the journey he’s gone on as a character “Chris Renaud is somebody who I’ve worked<br />

had we not started him at that point.”<br />

with for many years, going back to Fox and Blue Sky<br />

Fellow producer John Cohen knew that Studios,” Meledandri comments. “He came up<br />

Despicable Me would stand out by showing the side through our story department and started out as a<br />

of our humanity of which we’re not always so proud. storyboard artist, but his experience prior to joining<br />

“For a while, we’ve wanted to make a movie about a us involved a much deeper level of animation experience.<br />

His roots come from the comic book world,<br />

villain told from the villain’s perspective,” he says.<br />

“Chris heard this idea that came from Sergio Pablos, where early on in his career he illustrated comic<br />

who is a terrific animator. Sergio and Nina Rowan, books. Chris has a wonderful sense of story and how<br />

who are executive producers, brought this original to translate that into imagery. We had a particularly<br />

idea to Chris, and he immediately fell in love with it. successful experience with him directing a short at<br />

It’s a great, clear concept for a movie with comedy Blue Sky called No Time for Nuts, which was nominated<br />

for an Oscar ® built in and a very unique character at the core.”<br />

.”<br />

– 12 –

---

Coffin comes to this side of the industry from his<br />

work in celebrated animated shorts such as Flying<br />

Fish Tobby Who Aimed for the Stars and Pings. “He’s<br />

worked on a number of short animation pieces that<br />

are absolutely extraordinary,” continues Meledandri.<br />

“Pierre has that gift of being able to capture and<br />

define personality with the most subtle of movements.<br />

My attention was drawn to Pierre while<br />

visiting Paris and being shown about 15 minutes of<br />

his work. I knew that he could bring a sense of<br />

personality and character to this film that would be<br />

wonderful in defining the character of Gru and<br />

finding his vulnerability, as well as his edge.”<br />

While Renaud’s strength is in storyboarding,<br />

fellow director Coffin’s primary work has been in<br />

animated performance. Indeed, that is primarily how<br />

the two men split their Herculean responsibilities as<br />

they crafted Despicable Me. Management of the<br />

lighting, compositing and art direction teams would<br />

be divided between the two.<br />

Good vs. Evil<br />

Who’s Who in Gru’s World<br />

While it’s initially a bit uncertain who is naughty<br />

and who is nice in Despicable Me, all will be revealed<br />

as the story unfolds. Below is a guide to the dastardly<br />

and delightful players in<br />

Gru’s world:<br />

Gru (Steve Carell)<br />

is a villain who<br />

finds great pleasure<br />

in doing deliciously<br />

wicked things to other<br />

people. Whether it’s freezing<br />

a long queue of customers<br />

ahead of him at a coffee shop<br />

or creating a balloon animal<br />

for a small boy just to pop it,<br />

Gru gets to do all of the<br />

things we only wish we could. He’s on track to<br />

become the greatest villain of all time by committing<br />

the crime of the century, but Gru’s about to face his<br />

toughest challenge yet: Fatherhood.<br />

Gru’s nemesis, the nerdy Vector (Jason<br />

Segel), is way too geeky to be this cocky.<br />

Holed up in his sleek house/fortress,<br />

Vector can usually be found in his orange warmup<br />

suit, playing video games while plotting his next<br />

move. His favorite weapon is a gun that fires live piranhas.<br />

Unfortunately for him, Vector has a hard time<br />

keeping the carnivores inside the gun’s barrel...<br />

The eldest of the three orphans, Margo<br />

(Miranda Cosgrove) is naturally protective<br />

of her two sisters. Raised without a family,<br />

she distrusts most people and knows the only ones the<br />

girls can count on are one another. A tough cookie<br />

and a strong protector, Margo is not afraid to challenge<br />

Gru as he tries to parent the girls. He has finally<br />

met his match.<br />

The kid who tests all limits, Edith (newcomer<br />

DANA GAIER) might just be the<br />

last girl in the orphanage you would run to<br />

adopt. Wearing a hat pulled down over her eyes and<br />

eager to test out Gru’s dangerous weaponry, she is<br />

seen as a bit of a scoundrel. Though this middle child<br />

needs (and wants) limits, she’ll never let you know it.<br />

Orphanage matron Miss Hattie (KRISTEN WIIG) lectures Agnes, Margo and Edith.<br />

– 13 –

---

Gru tries to ignore his nemesis, Vector (JASON SEGEL).<br />

Small, mischievous<br />

yellow creatures,<br />

the minions<br />

(Pierre Coffin, Chris Renaud<br />

and JEMAINE CLEMENT)<br />

form Gru’s not-so-bright<br />

pit crew. Hardworking and<br />

devoted to their leader and<br />

his mad exploits, the<br />

minions are content to<br />

serve as his crash test<br />

dummies. When they meet<br />

Gru’s adopted children,<br />

however, they find three<br />

An innocent little girl who loves unconditionally<br />

and wants desperately to be<br />

Miss Hattie (Kristen Wiig) runs the local<br />

little girls who are just as much fun as they are.<br />

loved, the youngest of the three orphans<br />

orphanage where Margo, Edith and Agnes<br />

lives to hug. Agnes (scene-stealing newcomer ELSIE<br />

live before they are sent to live with Gru. A<br />

FISHER) is obsessed with unicorns and says random, seemingly kind and concerned caretaker, Miss Hattie<br />

sweet things. She longs for nothing more than parents is actually a stern Southern belle who believes in<br />

to make her family complete…and that unicorn tough love and big business. If you’re not making<br />

wouldn’t hurt.<br />

your quota by selling cookies, you’re headed for Miss<br />

Gru’s Mom (Julie Andrews): Behind Hattie’s “Box of Shame.”<br />

every great villain is a disapproving<br />

Gru’s noodge of a next-door neighbor, Fred<br />

mom. Nothing Gru has done has been<br />

McDade (Danny McBride) is, naturally, the<br />

good enough for his judgmental grump of a<br />

president of the homeowner’s association.<br />

mother. While she believes she’s quite smart in Quick to point out any minor infractions of the neighborhood<br />

code, McDade is a constant thorn in Gru’s<br />

her parenting approach, the 80-year-old still treats<br />

Gru like he’s eight years old. Her overly critical side. He just needs to keep an eye on his dog unless he<br />

attitude has inspired him toward ever-increasing wants to incur the wrath of Gru.<br />

feats of villainy in order to impress his<br />

An unforgiving loan manager who runs the<br />

harrumphing mom.<br />

Bank of Evil, Mr. Perkins (Will Arnett) has<br />

Gru’s resident mad scientist, Dr. Nefario<br />

long funded Gru’s wicked plans. A monster<br />

(Russell Brand) looks to be approximately of a man who has grown unsatisfied with Gru’s imperfect<br />

track record, Perkins has reached the end of his<br />

150 years old and vacillates between<br />

flashes of brilliance and black holes of spaciness. financing rope and refuses to give Gru a loan to fund his<br />

Always hard at work building his boss the latest in intricate plot to steal the moon.<br />

incredible vehicles and weaponry, Nefario is (sometimes)<br />

sharp as a tack. His hearing, however That<br />

McBrayer and The Office’s MINDY<br />

The tackiest tourists you’ll encounter (Jack<br />

began to fade at least 50 years ago.<br />

KALING), this family is on vacation with<br />

– 14 –

---

their young son. Armed with wild clothes, disposable<br />

cameras and bad fanny packs, the tourists are in for a<br />

more exciting trip than they could ever dream of when<br />

they discover someone has stolen the Great Pyramid.<br />

The Carnival Barker (also voiced by Jack<br />

McBrayer) at Super Silly Fun Land has no<br />

intention of allowing Margo, Edith or Agnes<br />

out of the park with a prized stuffed animal. Calling out<br />

taunts like “Someone’s got a frowny face!” will only<br />

motivate Gru to pull out the big guns to win Agnes her<br />

beloved unicorn.<br />

A cross between a bulldog and a piranha<br />

with the attitude to match, Kyle is Gru’s<br />

guard dog. The recipient of many unwelcome<br />

hugs by Agnes, Kyle isn’t sure whether he<br />

wants to swallow the little girls whole, or just cuddle<br />

up next to them.<br />

Populating<br />

Despicable Me:<br />

Casting Comic Talent<br />

When bringing together the cast for Illumination’s<br />

first animated feature, the directors and producers of<br />

Despicable Me were adamant about selecting actors<br />

who could not only bring out the humor of their<br />

voices, but also channel<br />

their comic physicality to<br />

inspire the many animators<br />

who worked on the project.<br />

Cohen explains: “The way<br />

we approached the casting<br />

is that we wanted to find<br />

the absolute best improvisational<br />

comedians out<br />

there. They brought a<br />

level of spontaneity and<br />

naturalistic performances<br />

to the film.”<br />

To choose the comedy’s primary super-villain, a<br />

character who is at his wit’s end trying to become the best<br />

in his profession, the team members had to look no<br />

further than a former collaborator. Performer Steve<br />

Carell is known to millions of fans through his roles on<br />

television’s The Office and popular films including The<br />

40-Year-Old Virgin, Get Smart and Date Night, but it was<br />

his voice that most interested the filmmakers. He first<br />

worked with Meledandri on Horton Hears a Who!, in<br />

which he vocalized the role of the Mayor of Who-ville.<br />

“Steve has great pathos in his voice, but his voice<br />

also carries his comedy effectively,” says Meledandri.<br />

“Working with him is unique because he comes to the<br />

process as an actor, an improviser and a writer. It’s rare<br />

that Steve will not give you a version of the scene that<br />

everybody agrees has just taken that comic or dramatic<br />

sequence and made it significantly better. The process<br />

of working with him is one of discovery. You never<br />

quite know where he’s going, and yet he always takes<br />

you to a place that’s a more elevated level than where<br />

you started.”<br />

When the team sat down with Carell to discuss his<br />

ideas about a vocal approach to Gru, Carell made the<br />

observation that great villains in movies have very<br />

memorable voices, and he didn’t want the audience to<br />

pinpoint the accent. Explains Meledandri: “Carell<br />

started to play with different vocals that involved<br />

Bank of Evil manager Mr. Perkins (WILL ARNETT) taunts Gru.<br />

– 15 –

---

Gru and two of his minions get their game faces on.<br />

gets under Gru’s skin. When<br />

you’re competing for stealing<br />

the moon, you can’t<br />

really be friends.”<br />

A newcomer to the world<br />

of animation, Segel was<br />

excited for his first time out.<br />

He also had a chance to tap<br />

into his geeky side when he<br />

came up with the voice for<br />

Vector. “I’d never done anything<br />

like this,” says Segel.<br />

“The closest I’d come to it<br />

accents, and he came up with one that lands somewhere was puppetry, but this was pretty spectacular. I didn’t<br />

between Ricardo Montalban and Bela Lugosi. As soon realize that I wouldn’t be working with other actors. You<br />

as he started playing with that voice, it began to inform read all the lines on your own, so it’s a real exercise in<br />

our visual conception of the character.”<br />

imagination. To get into character as Vector, I tried to<br />

It wasn’t only the opportunity to play a villain that find my dorky self from when I was really young. I’d left<br />

attracted Carell to the project. “The story is really it behind, but I re-channeled.”<br />

sweet,” he offers. “That’s what drew me to it. As crazy as Just as Gru is struggling to impress his considerably<br />

Gru sounds and as diabolical and mean and awful as he dour mother, Vector will do anything to get attention<br />

is, there is humanity to him. It comes out in little bits, from his aloof and evil father. Segel explains: “My character’s<br />

relationship with his father is a bit strained in the<br />

all the way through. It says a lot about how people can<br />

change, and how aspects of a person can come to the film. He doesn’t have faith in me and that’s actually one<br />

surface, given a different circumstance. People aren’t of the driving forces, as it is with most villains. It comes<br />

either good or evil…there’s always some good to evil down to a weird relationship with your parents.”<br />

and there’s always some evil within good. When you see Teen superstar Miranda Cosgrove of television’s<br />

someone who on the surface just seems despicable, and juggernaut hit iCarly joined the Despicable Me production<br />

as Margo, the eldest of the three sisters whom Gru<br />

then they’re not, that’s interesting and fun to explore.”<br />

Carell also appreciated how Gru was in competition adopts. A veteran of Nickelodeon since her time on<br />

with Vector to win the title of World’s Best Villain. “It’s Drake & Josh, Cosgrove has helped to build her show<br />

very frustrating for Gru to be the second-best villain in about an entrepreneurial teen who produces webcasts<br />

the world, because he’s a perfectionist,” the actor adds. with her best friends into the highest rated live-action<br />

“He’s somebody who takes pride in his work, and he show on the network and the No. 1 series on all of television<br />

among kids 2-11. Indeed, an episode of iCarly<br />

wants to be the best at being bad. But there’s someone out<br />

there who is upstaging him…and he doesn’t like it a bit.” holds the record as Nickelodeon’s highest-rated and<br />

To play Gru’s archnemesis, Vector, the team chose most-watched live-action telecast in the history of the<br />

comedy actor/writer Jason Segel. A formidable opponent<br />

to Gru, Vector is described by Carell as “younger inherent knack for physical comedy on iCarly that<br />

network. It was Cosgrove’s deadpan vocal timing and<br />

and with a lot of technology at his disposal. He really snagged her the part of Margo.<br />

– 16 –

---

As the most suspicious of the orphans whom Gru As well, the filmmakers discovered young Elsie<br />

attempts to dupe into doing his malevolent deeds, Fisher to play Margo and Edith’s littlest sister, Agnes.<br />

Margo remains vigilant in protecting her little sisters. Whenever the directors needed Agnes to dissolve<br />

The directors and producers knew they wanted into a fit of giggles, Fisher was always game to<br />

Cosgrove to be their Margo the moment they met her. provide the laughs. In fact, some of the biggest laughs<br />

Renaud explains their choice: “The role is a tough of the production came from off-the-cuff deliveries<br />

role, and Miranda landed something important for us. that Fisher gave. Whether it was when she was asked<br />

The girls are the soul of the movie, and Margo—more to vocalize what Agnes would say when she gets the<br />

than even the other two—is the conscience for Gru unicorn of her dreams (“It’s so fluffy!!!”) or how she<br />

and she’s the big sister to everybody…including Gru. would deliver one of Paul and Daurio’s lines when<br />

It was an important choice to get Miranda, who has Gru demands the girls not bother him (“Does this<br />

fantastic acting capability and gave Margo exactly the count as annoying”—before she playfully taps her<br />

voice we needed, one with weight to it.”<br />

cheeks), Fisher never failed to amaze the filmmakers<br />

What sealed the deal for Cosgrove was the chance with her natural comic timing.<br />

to work with a fellow comic performer she admired. For Fisher, she loved knowing that her character<br />

“Steve Carell is one of my favorite actors,” she says. would be getting a father of her own. She says, “I<br />

“So when I found out he was a part of the film, it was have a really great dad, so I know it’s important for<br />

icing on the cake. The whole story’s fun. I love that Agnes to have one too.”<br />

he’s the villain, and that the villain is the lead for once. One of the greatest finds of the production was<br />

Gru ends up having this amazing heart and being a when beloved actress Julie Andrews signed on to voice<br />

really nice guy in the end. I love stories like that. I also Gru’s demanding, never-pleased mother. At every<br />

liked being the oldest orphan, the one who is keeping opportunity, she’s poo-pooed Gru’s many successful<br />

it all together. I get to say a lot of witty, fun things.” diabolical ventures and let him know he’s never good<br />

Cast as the middle sister, Edith, was newcomer enough. Meledandri remembers his first meeting with<br />

Dana Gaier. Describing Edith, the young actress says: the legend: “When we asked Julie to become involved<br />

“She’s mischievous and sarcastic. She’s really a in the movie, her reaction was an initial excitement, and<br />

troublemaker, which is<br />

something I can almost<br />

relate to because I make<br />

trouble with my sister.<br />

Edith likes to touch lots<br />

of things when she’s<br />

told not to. She’s the<br />

kind of person that<br />

really doesn’t listen, but<br />

it’s just because she’s<br />

curious and likes to explore.<br />

It’s all in fun for<br />

me and for Edith. We<br />

really love our sisters.”<br />

Agnes cuddles an unwilling Kyle while Margo and Edith look on.<br />

– 17 –

---

Gru’s resident mad scientist, Dr. Nefario (RUSSELL BRAND), advises the minions.<br />

European, English white<br />

bread. I knew that Steve was<br />

going for a very low, slightly<br />

halting voice. So I thought,<br />

‘Well, where would he have<br />

gotten that Wouldn’t he have<br />

gotten that from Mum Maybe<br />

they came from a sort of<br />

Middle European background<br />

and then came over here.’”<br />

Describing his on-screen<br />

mother, Carell laughs: “If there<br />

was a less appropriate person<br />

then a resistance when she learned about the character. to play a nasty, terrible mom, it would be Julie<br />

She plays a character in this film that is almost the anti- Andrews. But she’s fantastic.” He deadpans: “Maybe<br />

Mary Poppins, someone who is a mean and nasty and there’s a side of her that’s really awful, and it comes<br />

demanding mother.”<br />

out in this movie.”<br />

Writers Paul and Daurio had imagined a mother Helping to bring Gru’s plans to fruition and protect<br />

who wants her son to be the best that he can be, but who his fortress from interlopers (be they girls selling<br />

is also a woman with a quite awful parenting methodology.<br />

“Julie’s response was that not only had she never scientist-in-residence, Dr. Nefario. Brought onto the<br />

cookies or overly friendly/nosy neighbors) is Gru’s mad<br />

played anybody like this, but that she had never met production to voice the dotty and hearing-impaired<br />

anybody remotely like this,” Meledandri continues. inventor was British comic performer Russell Brand.<br />

“That initial resistance very quickly turned into her Brand explains that he tried different vocal tones<br />

excitement about taking on a challenge and performing with the filmmakers until they found one that fit the<br />

a role that was unlike anything she had done before.” character they’d imagined. “I looked at how Nefario<br />

When describing our super-villain’s often scowling, walks and how he thinks and tried to have a reaction to<br />

nagging kickboxer of a mother, Andrews laughs: “Gru’s it. He sounds sort of like a Ray Winstone-y gangster, but<br />

mother is a terrible lady. I was sometimes appalled at what with a mellowness underneath. I also had to add some<br />

my character was trying to do, and sometimes it cracked age to the voice. I made a vocal cake out of vibrations<br />

me up so badly.” However, she loved the project enough in my throat.”<br />

to trust Renaud and Coffin’s vision. “The film has such The role of the raging, blustering Mr. Perkins was<br />

heart,” the actress notes. “Ultimately, it’s about the power given to Carell’s fellow Horton Hears a Who! comic<br />

of love and about the wonder that children have. These voice talent, Will Arnett. The actor, who has a number<br />

three little children have no idea that there’s such a thing of animated films—from Ratatouille to Monsters vs.<br />

as evil or anything else. They just want to be loved.” Aliens—to his credit, had to delve into his wicked side<br />

Just as Carell adopted a curious accent for his character,<br />

so did Andrews find a signature voice. Of Gru’s manager. Perkins wants nothing more than to see the<br />

when he composed the voice for the Bank of Evil’s<br />

mother’s vocals, she explains: “Her voice ends up being loan-seeking Gru grovel at his feet while his own son,<br />

a little European and a little bit Jewish, German, Middle Vector, beats Gru in their race to steal the moon.<br />

– 18 –

---

“I wanted him to have a holier-than-thou, haughty<br />

accent that was snobby and moneyed,” Arnett<br />

explains. “I thought he should sound like he was<br />

working his way through sentences. He almost eats<br />

the words; he chews them over and devours every<br />

situation that he’s in. He’s a monster in human form.<br />

The writers created such a great moody world, and it<br />

was a terrific opportunity to get into a really heavy,<br />

awful, growling, animalistic and beastlike character.”<br />

Not all of the villains in Despicable Me are male.<br />

Perhaps the most evil mastermind of the players in<br />

Gru’s world is Miss Hattie, the proprietor of the<br />

orphanage where we meet Margo, Edith and Agnes.<br />

If she is not plunking down girls in her “Box of<br />

Shame” for a perceived slight, Miss Hattie may be<br />

found sending her orphan army out into inclement<br />

weather to hawk minty mints, choco swirlies and<br />

coconutties cookies.<br />

When the filmmakers searched for the perfect<br />

villainess, they recruited the woman of a thousand<br />

faces and voices herself, Saturday Night Live veteran<br />

Kristen Wiig. “I grew up watching animated movies;<br />

they were such a big part of my youth,” notes the<br />

actress. “I always try to do something different with my<br />

voice, especially coming from SNL. It’s really exciting<br />

to do that and then have my character built around it.”<br />

Wiig met with the<br />

filmmakers to discuss the<br />

inspiration behind Miss<br />

Hattie. “We had an afternoon<br />

of finding her<br />

voice,” she says. “We<br />

discussed Miss Hattie<br />

sounding sweet, but not<br />

saying nice things. We<br />

found this saccharine,<br />

Southern lady who is not<br />

really meant to be<br />

trusted…but she sounds<br />

nice on the phone.”<br />

30 Rock’s Jack McBrayer was one of the only performers<br />

who provided vocals for multiple characters in<br />

Despicable Me. “When I first met the team, they showed<br />

me pictures of what my first character would be, which<br />

is this larger, Southern gentleman… a tourist. I was also<br />

asked to play the Carnival Barker, and both of these<br />

characters look exactly like me.”<br />

Suburban Gothic:<br />

Visual Style of the<br />

Animated Comedy<br />

When the filmmakers were determining what the<br />

world they had imagined would look like on film,<br />

they instinctively knew that Gru should never plot his<br />

villainy in a boring, humdrum neighborhood.<br />

Explains Cohen: “The look of Despicable Me and the<br />

world of the movie is very much inspired by a Charles<br />

Addams and Edward Gorey sensibility. The art<br />

director of the movie, Eric Guillon, and the production<br />

designer, Yarrow Cheney, have come up with a<br />

bright and vibrant visual aesthetic that’s unlike any<br />

other animated movie you’ve ever seen.”<br />

Meledandri elaborates on the film’s distinctive<br />

design elements: “The characters are largely carica-<br />

Gru fends off an errant laser as Agnes, Margo and Edith laugh.<br />

– 19 –

---

Gru samples a snack brought by Agnes, Margo and Edith.<br />

provides a dynamic movement<br />

and interest that is<br />

apparent at first glance. But<br />

it’s his imaginative view of<br />

the world that sets him<br />

apart. He made a cohesive<br />

world for Despicable Me,<br />

and I never tire of exploring<br />

all the incredible pieces of<br />

imagery because they are<br />

fun, comedic, inventive and<br />

totally his own.”<br />

To find inspiration for<br />

the film, the team looked<br />

tures of human characters. They’ve been designed by to one of its first drawings. Offers Renaud: “One of<br />

one of the great CG character designers, CARTER the first things Eric designed was Gru’s car, which<br />

GOODRICH, who among many other films designed remains identical to the way he originally drew it. We<br />

the characters for Ratatouille. There is sophistication looked at that car and said, ‘Wow, I’ve never seen a<br />

to the design language of this film that at first glance car like that before!’ The world grew out of that in a<br />

might skew a little bit older. The environments are weird way. That was the image we first started referring<br />

to: ‘This is our world. This is Gru’s car.’”<br />

designed by Eric Guillon, who is such a great talent.”<br />

Producer Healy, who has worked with designer When they imagined how Gru would move, directors<br />

Renaud and Coffin were inspired by physical<br />

Goodrich before, admits: “I love how complex,<br />

humorous and interesting Carter’s character designs comedians from Peter Sellers to Rowan Atkinson.<br />

are. He captures so much about humanity in each of The super-villain is a towering presence with hunched<br />

his drawings; he is just prolific. What I love about shoulders and a hooked nose. But when he needs to<br />

the characters he designed is that there is a huge do so, Gru can move with the grace of a cat. Tonally,<br />

range of types, but the people all inhabit the same the filmmakers created a “Spy vs. Spy” world in<br />

world. Carter’s work demonstrates the diversity in which Gru would be subject to all sorts of explosions<br />

our world, and he always gives us a unique twist of and attacks—from rocket launchers to domestic<br />

personality. His people have appeal, and I want to sharks—and live to fight again.<br />

know more about them. That’s always a good start for It was clear to all involved that they had no<br />

building a character performance.”<br />

interest in creating a universe for Gru and his<br />

Reflecting upon the art director, she adds: “Eric has extended family and foes that had a photorealistic<br />

a sense of fun and humor in all of his designs. His color quality to it. They wanted the film to have a unique<br />

palette is sophisticated and not overly flashy, allowing color palette and a distinct stylization. But the details<br />

the shapes and whimsy to be at the forefront. He can within the world would need to be quite striking in<br />

draw in many styles, and all of them have a freshness their hyperrealism—an incredulous fantasyland for a<br />

and a unique appeal. Eric strongly contrasts shapes in super-villain that was populated with very true-tolife<br />

his compositions, and the variety of the linework details.<br />

– 20 –

---

Gru is deliciously wicked, and his surroundings<br />

reflect that. The keen observer of Despicable Me can<br />

find elements throughout the film that offer nods to<br />

the brooding humor. In a direct nod to the father of<br />

The Addams Family, there is a painting on the wall in<br />

Gru’s lair in which a boulder is falling off a cliff and<br />

about to squash a hapless tour bus that is motoring by.<br />

Stuffed game mounted on the wall showcase—what<br />

else— predator swallowing prey that is swallowing<br />

weaker prey. As well, in the Bank of Evil, as Gru<br />

walks through the main corridor, the pillars progressively<br />

show hapless victims squished by the columns.<br />

These are simply some of the many tongue-in-cheek<br />

references inserted by the team.<br />

For the environmental design, Coffin brought art<br />

director Guillon, an artist with whom he has worked<br />

for many years, onto the production. “Eric actually<br />

spoke maybe three or four words of English,”<br />

Meledandri explains. “Pierre has tremendous confidence<br />

in Eric. From the very first images that Eric<br />

drew, the suggestion of both color and style of the<br />

world was absolutely present. His artwork is so<br />

extraordinary that when he creates a piece of what we<br />

call ‘visual development’ or ‘visual design,’ he does it<br />

in a way that when you look at it, you say, ‘Oh my<br />

gosh!’ The personality that he places in his design is<br />

extraordinary. There’s a whimsy to it; there’s warmth<br />

and a distinctive edge.”<br />

As they considered creating locations for Despicable<br />

Me, the directors and producers knew that there had to<br />

be a significant discrepancy between the Gothic lines of<br />

Gru’s black house (first imagined by production designer<br />

Cheney) and the postmodern visuals of the spoiledrotten<br />

Vector’s fortress. Offers Meledandri: “The array<br />

of styles was designed by Pierre and Chris and Eric to<br />

reflect how the characters fit into this world. Gru lives<br />

in a black house in this picture-perfect suburban neighborhood<br />

where the only blight on the neighborhood is his<br />

home, with its hint of a Gothic style. His vehicle is probably<br />

the least environmentally conscious vehicle ever<br />

placed on Earth. It’s all a bit ragged since he’s a character<br />

who is no longer in his prime.”<br />

Gru and his minions are on an ambitious mission.<br />

– 21 –

---

Two of the minions struggle with the shrink ray as Edith, Margo and Agnes return from Vector’s.<br />

Adorable Gibberish:<br />

Amassing a Minion Army<br />

Born out of the animation process were the scenestealers<br />

the production came to know as Gru’s<br />

minions. Though not in the original pitch, the<br />

adorable (yet incredibly mischievous) minions<br />

quickly became favorites for the animators as they<br />

built Gru’s world. Renaud laughs: “Minions tend to<br />

work best when there are at least 20 of them. So that’s<br />

20 more characters to animate. Almost every scene<br />

with them became a crowd scene, which was technically<br />

very challenging.”<br />

According to producer Janet Healy, the minions<br />

represent “a melding of the wonderful talents of each<br />

director.” She commends: “They are a result of the<br />

special collaboration of two of the nicest and most<br />

talented directors one can hope to work with. Chris<br />

conceived their initial design<br />

and their mission as Gru’s<br />

underground mole people,<br />

and Pierre added the silly<br />

animation style and most of<br />

the voices. But the directors<br />

brought these characters to<br />

the screen together and had<br />

huge fun defining them. The<br />

result is wonderful comedic<br />

moments that add another<br />

layer of interest and humor,<br />

and it came from the deeply<br />

Conversely, Meledandri explains of Gru’s rival’s funny brains and imaginations of Chris and Pierre.<br />

lair: “His nemesis, Vector, is a rich-kid brat who has Once they gave them names and special funny hairstyles—and<br />

decided who was a monoc or a binoc—<br />

been denied nothing in life. He lives in a very modern,<br />

state-of-the-art massive video game console, which the personalities of the minions started to emerge. I<br />

has been paid for by his rich banker father. The had trouble remembering who was Jerry or Dave or<br />

dueling styles are reflective of the character conflict Tim, but the directors always knew. The scenes just<br />

that’s going on between these two guys.”<br />

kept getting more special, and the fact that all minions<br />

are similar is what makes them funny.”<br />

– 22 –<br />

The voices of the workers were largely the<br />

creation of Coffin. While the team was pondering<br />

different vocals they could give the creatures, Coffin<br />

came to work one day with a voice test the entire<br />

crew loved. They compressed the sound, and the<br />

minions were born. The two men subsequently<br />

designed a language for Gru’s army that is intended<br />

to be an indescribable vocal expression, and the<br />

directors and New Zealand actor Jemaine Clement<br />

split up the voice work.<br />

Coffin worked with his fellow director to develop<br />

the complex language for the minions. To help us<br />

understand them, every once in a while a word of<br />

English sneaks out during a scene. Renaud and Coffin<br />

discovered how to compress the sound of their voices<br />

so that they were able to tweak slightly both their and<br />

Clement’s voices for each little guy’s vocals.<br />

“The language is much more about sound than it<br />

is about any kind of meaning,” says Meledandri.

---

“Pierre works very quickly to present his ideas visually,<br />

and not just in a still form. He’s much more<br />

comfortable communicating an idea by bringing it to<br />

life with some limited animation. From the very first<br />

time we were introduced to the idea of these characters,<br />

they were immediately appealing. We had a<br />

sense from day one that the minions were slowly<br />

going to try to take over the movie; they’re irresistible<br />

in their combination of innocence and mischief.”<br />

Adds Cohen: “They’ve created this incredibly<br />

unique language for the minions, where a lot of times<br />

it sounds like it’s gibberish. You hear all kinds of<br />

languages being incorporated into the way they<br />

speak. Then occasionally, you hear a word or two of<br />

English, and that gives you a sense of what the<br />

minions are actually saying.”<br />

While the comic actors improvised certain lines in<br />

the film, it was Steve Carell who actually helped to<br />

name the minions. During vocal sessions as Gru, he<br />

would throw out a name to the minions, such as Dave<br />

or Tim. Though there were tons of them, and many<br />

look the same, Carell was certain that Gru would know<br />

each of his happy workers. Once the directors heard<br />

Carell calling them out by name, they thought it was a<br />

terrific idea to give several other of the minions names<br />

that would match their unique personalities.<br />

Not only is Despicable<br />

Me Illumination’s first film,<br />

it is also the first project<br />

that the Meledandri team<br />

has produced in 3-D.<br />

Before the layout began,<br />

the producers and directors<br />

knew that Gru’s world would be further<br />

embraced by audiences if an extra dimension was<br />

added. They requested that Paul and Daurio look for<br />

opportunities to utilize 3-D as they crafted their<br />

script, but only when it made logical sense. The<br />

screenwriters were guided in their decision making<br />

to insert 3-D suggestions in such scenes as when Gru<br />

and Vector fire their array of missiles, when airships<br />

fly past or when smoke trails from a vehicle float out<br />

across the audience.<br />

Whether it be during the death-defying shrink-ray<br />

heist, explosions in midair from errant missiles or on<br />

the rollercoaster ride on which Gru takes the three<br />

girls, the animators aimed to bring the audience into<br />

the journey with the characters of the movie. The<br />

filmmakers also discovered that they could use the<br />

space as an opportunity to create comedic effect.<br />

Since this was a relatively new domain for them, it<br />

gave them the chance to deliver laughs that come at<br />

very unexpected times.<br />

Meledandri was adamant that the team consciously<br />

used the space appropriately, as opposed to a<br />

simple 3-D transfer of a 2-D look. He reflects: “The<br />

utilization of the dimensional space helps to define<br />

the visual look of the film. There are many sequences<br />

in the film where we simply take advantage of the<br />

Space for<br />

Comedy:<br />

Shooting<br />

in 3-D<br />

Gru sits miserably through the girls’ ballet class.<br />

– 23 –

---

Gru’s Mom (JULIE ANDREWS) shows Agnes, Edith and Margo Gru’s childhood photos.<br />

seeing the importance<br />

of 3-D and<br />

how the audiences<br />

embraced it. Having<br />

an element that is<br />

completely built<br />

creates a cool experience.<br />

The thing<br />

with designing in this<br />

media is that you<br />

can’t trick the camera,<br />

so everything<br />

has got to be there<br />

for it to feel like a<br />

true experience.”<br />

dimensional space in subtle ways. Our goal is always<br />

to immerse the audience in the film and to make<br />

them feel like the film’s environment is expanding<br />

around them. We also use the action to put the audience<br />

right smack in the middle of it. Chris Renaud<br />

and Pierre Coffin had tremendous fun in staging and<br />

boarding these sequences.”<br />

“From the beginning, we envisioned this as a 3-D<br />

movie,” adds Cohen. “We needed to find someone<br />

who understood how to make a 3-D movie and how<br />

to tell a story from shot to shot and scene to scene.<br />

We found a fantastic stereographer in JOHN<br />

BENSON, who was 3-D specialist on Coraline. He<br />

moved to Paris and worked on this movie from the<br />

very beginning.”<br />

From the start, the filmmakers knew that they<br />

wanted Despicable Me to be in 3-D. They explored<br />

different scenarios in which to utilize the extra<br />

space, and then began to layer the story with more<br />

and more 3D-friendly sequences. The filmmakers<br />

even built a model of the entire rollercoaster at<br />

Super Silly Fun Land to enhance the way it appears<br />

on screen in 3-D. Renaud offers: “We layered 3-D in<br />

more and more as the movie went along. We were all<br />

– 24 –<br />

A Global <strong>Production</strong>:<br />

From France to the U.S.<br />

As the team began preproduction on Despicable<br />

Me, Meledandri searched across the world to find<br />

production houses that would be ideal partners in<br />

animating the film. As they built Illumination, they<br />

felt it was important to choose the shops that were the<br />

best fit for each production in the pipeline. After<br />

visiting a number of studios, the producer traveled to<br />

France to investigate shops that embraced this<br />

country’s tremendous traditions in animation.<br />

The filmmaker would find the perfect fit at the<br />

Paris-based digital visual effects studio Mac Guff.<br />

Meledandri explains: “France has one of the<br />

greatest animation schools in the world called<br />

Gobelins. They have a sense of comedy in France<br />

that has a great connection to our sense of comedy<br />

here. I visited a number of studios, and within an<br />

hour after arriving at Mac Guff, I knew that these<br />

were right partners. I had a tremendous amount of<br />

confidence in the people that I met and in the work<br />

that I saw.”

---

As Illumination was building its production<br />

process, it set out to create a very efficient, streamlined<br />

approach to make the first of its films.<br />

Considering the technology and artistry that was<br />

available, the crew began preproduction in Los<br />

Angeles. There, they conducted a good deal of the<br />

storyboarding and engaged in the initial editing and<br />

designs. As Illumination built up its team in France,<br />

it began to transition character animation and<br />

computer graphic work to Mac Guff.<br />

Illumination moved about 15 people to France to<br />

live full-time. There, they would work on the<br />

production under producer Janet Healy’s leadership;<br />

together, they became a very tight group. Offers<br />

Meledandri of the process: “The technology that we<br />

use to work collaboratively is relatively simple. We<br />

used Skype and iChat because there’s such an ease of<br />

use that we preferred. These are both very low-key<br />

and casual, everyday forms of communication…<br />

rather than fancy state-of-the-art teleconferencing.<br />

We had linked editing rooms and due to the time<br />

difference, we had a production working 24 hours. It<br />

was a tremendously cohesive process.”<br />

Renaud found Mac Guff to be “a world-class<br />

studio.” He commends: “There’s a dedication to<br />

craft that is secondto-none.<br />

What’s interesting<br />

about France<br />

is that they have an<br />

education system that<br />

supports animation<br />

and the visual arts,<br />

which is not easily<br />

found everywhere on<br />

the globe.”<br />

Healy agrees: “We<br />

initially looked at<br />

studios all over the<br />

world, and we recognized<br />

that Mac Guff<br />

had a uniquely talented crew and a very stable, fullfeatured<br />

set of CG tools. They had just finished a<br />

French film that showed a lot of production value.<br />

Our instincts were right: the leadership at the studio<br />

was amazing to partner with on a daily basis, and the<br />

artists have terrific talent and remarkable technical<br />

understanding. We are still astonished at how<br />

straightforward, good-natured and productive the<br />

team is, and how well they collaborate.”<br />

The producer explains the process of bringing<br />

this international crew together: “Seven Americans<br />

came to France as the key leadership. The group<br />

included one of the directors, me as producer, the<br />

associate producer, the editor and the assistant editor,<br />

the stereographer and the production designer.<br />

Everyone else we needed was available within the<br />

Mac Guff team. We brought decades of feature<br />

animation experience from the leading American<br />

animation studios, and that experience helped the<br />

Mac Guff team undertake more complexity in their<br />

images. We understood the paradigm of driving a<br />

production with constant story improvements, always<br />

rewriting, reboarding, trying versions and making<br />

changes—no matter how far into the process we<br />

were. This dynamic ability to strive to improve the<br />

Gru reads the kitten-loving Agnes a book.<br />

– 25 –

---

Edith, Agnes and Margo play a game while a Carnival Barker (JACK MCBRAYER) and Gru watch.<br />

represented on our<br />

crew, and in Paris we<br />

have people from the<br />

U.K. Our philosophy<br />

was based on the<br />

notion that if you’re<br />

going to make a movie<br />

for a global audience,<br />

the complexion of<br />

your crew should be a<br />

global one.”<br />

The trans-Atlantic<br />

process also extended<br />

to the vocal talent, as<br />

work at every stage was the key difference between some sessions were recorded in Paris while actors<br />

how we were used to working and how European were in Los Angeles. Explains Renaud: “We did<br />

studios have usually worked in the past.”<br />

our first few sessions with each actor in person, so<br />

When it came to the process discussions—such that we could work out who the character is.” Once<br />

as translating artwork to modeling in CG, how Renaud and Coffin were in Paris, the filmmakers<br />

rough layouts would get in stereo, or how animation<br />

would be approved—the team had similar one another and try different takes of the dialogue<br />

and actors iChatted or Skyped so they could see<br />

expectations and a mutual understanding of the reads. “It was very important to us to read the<br />

workflow. There were about 14 departments that actors’ body language,” Renaud notes.<br />

worked in CG, and the artists had unique specialties. The production crew connected Renaud and<br />

As well, the many dependencies between departments<br />

made management of the duties complex. they could hear each of the actor’s performances.<br />

Coffin to a high-quality ISDN audio line so that<br />

Initially, workflow conversations took some time, The actors recorded the audio in Los Angeles,<br />

but the crew members approached the CG manufacturing<br />

work similarly and found that their ways With the nine-hour time difference, production<br />

which was then delivered to the studio in Paris.<br />

of problem solving and past experiences shared ran on a 24-hour cycle, as teams worked<br />

much in common.<br />

constantly on two sides of the ocean.<br />

With the American team taking French lessons Working with a director via Skype was a new<br />

and French crew members taking English lessons, it experience for some of the talent. “It was pretty<br />

was an education for crew on both sides of the crazy having the director all the way in<br />

Atlantic. Whenever Meledandri addressed the team Paris…strange to work with somebody but not be<br />

as a whole, an interpreter was used. Of the global in the same room with them physically,” recalls<br />

company, the producer adds: “We’ve got an McBrayer. He laughs: “I think they were nine hours<br />

American director and a French director. We’ve had ahead, so they could tell the future.”<br />

crew working in Canada, New Jersey, Los Angeles<br />

and the Midwest. We had numerous nationalities<br />

– 26 –

---

Having a Bad, Bad Day:<br />

Music of<br />

Despicable Me<br />

In the past several years, Grammy Award-winning<br />

artist Pharrell Williams of The Neptunes and<br />

N.E.R.D. has written and produced for such blockbuster<br />

global musicians as Gwen Stefani, Justin<br />

Timberlake, Usher, Madonna, Kanye West and<br />

Shakira. In 2009, Billboard magazine named The<br />

Neptunes producers of the decade, and Williams and<br />

his collaborators have played an enormous role in<br />

shaping the culture of the music landscape. Naturally,<br />

the next step for the artist was to explore the interplay<br />

between music and movies.<br />

Williams has been interested in scoring music for<br />

feature films for some time, and he became more<br />

eager to work in this realm after observing Jack<br />

Johnson’s musical involvement in creating the bestselling<br />

soundtrack to Universal’s animated Curious<br />

George. Williams expressed his interest to friend and<br />

music supervisor KATHY NELSON. He remembers:<br />

“I told Kathy that the very next time something comes<br />

your way, you call me and let me know what it is. She<br />

said, ‘Pharrell, I really like you, but I’m not going to<br />

just give you anything.<br />

I’m going call you<br />

when it’s the right<br />

thing.’ And I got the<br />

call for Despicable Me.”<br />

A longtime animation<br />

fan, Williams was<br />

eager to take on the<br />

challenge of crafting<br />

original songs and<br />

themes for his first<br />

film. “What I like about<br />

the philosophy on<br />

Despicable Me is that<br />

the filmmakers don’t make children’s films. They<br />

make films for humans that use some of the tricks and<br />

treats of youthful entertainment, but at the same time,<br />

there’s an amazing storyline.”<br />

Though the task of scoring his first feature<br />

seemed daunting, Williams was grateful that he was<br />

surrounded by Academy Award ® winner Hans<br />

Zimmer as the film’s music producer and skilled<br />

guitarist Heitor Pereira as fellow composer. Says<br />

producer Meledandri: “The moment that we showed<br />

Pharrell the imagery, it took him about 30 minutes to<br />

say, ‘I’ll work on this film in any way possible.’ He<br />

was immediately struck by the character designs and<br />

the notion of the story; his enthusiasm never waned.<br />

“Pharrell, like our directors, took on the<br />

challenge of doing something that he had never<br />

done before; this is the first time he’s scored a feature<br />

film,” Meledandri continues. “We knew that there was<br />

going to be an opportunity in the film for a number of<br />

songs that would be used as song score. What’s resulted<br />

from his songs is a group of musical themes that he’s<br />

worked on with the talented Heitor Pereira and<br />

legendary Hans Zimmer.”<br />

Williams’ collaboration with Pereira began as<br />

Williams watched preliminary footage of the film and<br />

then created musical ideas he thought would fit into<br />

Two of the minions feign innocence as Agnes, Edith and Margo look on.<br />

– 27 –

---

each sequence. Pereira would then expand upon some<br />

of Williams’ ideas and come up with additional<br />

creative works. On working with Pereira, Williams<br />

says: “Heitor took those pieces and songs, and he<br />

connected the dots. He is the glue in this house of<br />

cards. He scored some incredible scenes and embellished<br />

some of the scenes that I scored and took those<br />

to the next level.”<br />

Williams composed several original songs for the<br />

film, including the title track, “Despicable Me.” The<br />

artist was inspired by the whimsical narrative of the<br />

lyrics from Annie, and he wanted to write lyrics that<br />

were as kid-friendly as that musical, but also as<br />

moody as Gru’s character. He elaborates: “I’ve<br />

never made a song about having a bad day and<br />

being in a super bad mood. So I thought I would<br />

make it really fun but, at the same time,<br />

if you were to hear it without the<br />

lyrics, it would sound like<br />

this track that you’d<br />

want to hear coming out<br />

of someone’s truck.”<br />

Music producer<br />

Hans Zimmer’s storied<br />

career in film has resulted<br />

in his composing unforgettable<br />

scores for live-action blockbusters<br />

such as Rain Man, Twister and Thelma<br />

& Louise, as well as the worldwide hits Sherlock<br />

Holmes and films from the Pirates of the Caribbean<br />

series. But it was his instantly classic composition for<br />

1994’s The Lion King that brought Zimmer an Oscar ®<br />

for Best Original Score and ignited his passion to<br />

craft the music behind such modern animated classics<br />

as Shark Tale, Madagascar and Kung Fu Panda. His<br />

frequent music partner and world famous guitarist,<br />

Heitor Pereira, has collaborated with him on many a<br />

project. Despicable Me is their latest effort.<br />

Universal Pictures Presents A Chris Meledandri<br />

<strong>Production</strong>: Steve Carell in Despicable Me, starring<br />

Jason Segel, Russell Brand, Kristen Wiig, Miranda<br />

Cosgrove, Will Arnett, Danny McBride, Jack<br />

McBrayer and Julie Andrews. The original songs and<br />

themes are by Pharrell Williams; the score is by<br />

Pharrell Williams and Heitor Pereira. Despicable<br />

Me’s editors are Pamela Ziegenhagen-Shefland and<br />

Gregory Perler; the production designer is Yarrow<br />

Cheney. The 3-D CGI film’s executive producers are<br />

Nina Rowan and Sergio Pablos. It is based on story by<br />

Sergio Pablos and from a screenplay by Cinco Paul &<br />

Ken Daurio. The film is produced by Chris Meledandri,<br />

Janet Healy, John Cohen, and it is directed by<br />

Chris Renaud & Pierre Coffin. © 2010 Universal<br />

Studios. www.despicable.me<br />

****<br />

– 28 –

---

ABOUT THE<br />

CAST<br />

STEVE CARELL (Gru) has emerged as one of the<br />

most sought-after comedic<br />

actors in Hollywood. He first<br />

gained recognition for his<br />

contributions as a correspondent<br />

on Comedy Central’s<br />

Emmy Award-winning The<br />

Daily Show With Jon Stewart,<br />

and has successfully segued<br />

into primetime television and<br />

above-the-title status in the<br />

film world with equal aplomb.<br />

Carell’s first lead feature, The 40-Year-Old<br />

Virgin, which he co-wrote with director Judd<br />

Apatow, opened at No.1 and remained there for two<br />

straight weekends. The surprise hit of 2005 went on<br />

to gross more than $175 million worldwide and had<br />

No. 1 openings in 12 countries. The success of the<br />

film has continued as it has also generated more than<br />

$100 million in DVD sales in North America alone.<br />

AFI named the film as one of the 10 Most Outstanding<br />

Motion Pictures of the Year and it took<br />

home Best Comedy Movie at the 11 th annual Critics’<br />

Choice Awards. The film also earned Carell and<br />

Apatow a co-nomination for Best Original <strong>Screen</strong>play<br />

by the Writers Guild of America.<br />

Carell starred as Maxwell Smart, opposite Anne<br />

Hathaway and Alan Arkin, in Get Smart. The film<br />

grossed more than $230 million worldwide. Due to<br />

the success of the film, Warner Bros. recently<br />

announced it will release a sequel in 2011. He also<br />

lent his voice as the Mayor of Whoville in 20 th<br />

Century Fox’s animated film Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears<br />

a Who!, based on the children’s book written by Dr.<br />

– 29 –<br />

Seuss. The film was directed by Jimmy Hayward<br />

(Finding Nemo, Monsters, Inc.) and Steve Martino,<br />

and Carell played opposite Jim Carrey, which helped<br />

launch the film to international success by earning<br />

more than $295 million worldwide. In 2006, he<br />

starred with Greg Kinnear and Toni Collette as part of<br />

an ensemble cast in the black comedy Little Miss<br />

Sunshine, which earned an Academy Award ® nomination<br />

for Best Picture and won the <strong>Screen</strong> Actors<br />

Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast<br />

in a Motion Picture.<br />

Carell’s previous film credits include Anchorman:<br />

The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Bruce Almighty, Bewitched<br />

and Dan in Real Life. Carell currently stars in the<br />

American adaptation of Ricky Gervais’ acclaimed<br />

British television series The Office. The show is in its<br />

sixth season and continues to flourish in the ratings. For<br />

playing the role of Michael Scott, Carell has earned<br />

three Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Lead<br />

Actor in a Comedy Series. In 2006, Carell earned a<br />

Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor<br />

in a Television Series—Musical or Comedy and has<br />

received four more nominations since then. The show<br />

won two <strong>Screen</strong> Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding<br />

Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series.<br />

Carell’s endeavors and successes in acting, writing<br />

and producing were an organic segue into the creation<br />

of his new production company, Carousel <strong>Production</strong>s.<br />

Born in Massachusetts, Carell now resides in Los<br />

Angeles with his wife, actress Nancy Walls (NBC’s<br />

Saturday Night Live), whom he met while at The<br />

Second City improv group in Chicago, where both<br />

were members. He is the proud father of a daughter<br />

and a son.

---

JASON SEGEL (Vector) most recently starred On the television front, Segel is in his fifth year starring<br />

as Marshall, opposite Alyson Hannigan, Josh<br />

opposite Paul Rudd as a quirky,<br />

alpha-male stockbroker named Radnor and Neil Patrick Harris, in the CBS hit comedy<br />

Sydney Fife in the box-office series How I Met Your Mother. TV Guide recently<br />

hit I Love You, Man, for pegged it as a “returning favorite” and it was touted by<br />

Paramount Pictures. With John Time magazine as one of the “Ten Best Shows of 2005.”<br />

Hamburg (Meet the Parents) as However, it was his recurring role as Eric on Undeclared,<br />

writer/ director/producer and the FOX series about college freshmen that was<br />

Donald De Line (The Italian named one of Time magazine’s “Ten Best Shows of<br />

Job) also producing, the team 2001,” that first put him in the minds and hearts of television<br />

viewers.<br />

produced a film full of laughout-loud<br />

awkwardness, managing to turn Segel and In 1999, Segel portrayed Nick on Freaks and Geeks,<br />

Rudd into a memorable comedic duo. The film grossed Judd Apatow’s Emmy Award-nominated television series<br />

more than $71 million at the domestic box office. for NBC. Segel played a lanky, fun-loving freak dreaming<br />

Segel landed his first major motion picture starring<br />

role as Peter in Universal Pictures’ Forgetting Bonham of Led Zeppelin, and won the eye of Apatow.<br />

of stardom as a rock-and-roll drummer like his idol, John<br />

Sarah Marshall, which he also wrote. Released in Segel just wrapped the highly anticipated remake of<br />

April 2008, produced by Judd Apatow and Shauna Gulliver’s Travels, starring alongside Jack Black and<br />

Robertson, and directed by Nicholas Stoller, the film opposite Emily Blunt. The film is scheduled to be<br />

went on to make more than $100 million worldwide released in December 2010.<br />

and led Segel’s writing skills to be desired by many Segel was born and raised in Los Angeles and<br />

studios. Segel, along with Stoller, signed with Disney continues to reside there.<br />

to write and direct the next Muppets film. Segel wrote<br />

a Dracula musical performed by puppets, which was RUSSELL BRAND (Dr. Nefario) recently brought<br />

a personal idea and passion he incorporated into<br />

Forgetting Sarah Marshall<br />

Forgetting Sarah Marshall that emboldened him to<br />

character Aldous Snow back to<br />

pitch his concept for a Muppets movie.<br />

life in Universal Pictures’<br />

As another result of the film’s success, Segel was<br />

comedy Get Him to the Greek.<br />

asked to co-produce a spin-off titled Get Him to the<br />

Forgetting Sarah Marshall,<br />

Greek, in which Jonah Hill and Russell Brand<br />

which was written by and<br />

reunited as co-stars. The film, written and directed by<br />

starred Jason Segel, grossed<br />

Nicholas Stoller, was released in June 2010.<br />

more than $100 million at the<br />

In June 2007, Segel was summoned by Apatow to<br />

worldwide box office. The<br />

share the great success of the comedy Knocked Up,<br />

year 2008 also saw Brand star<br />

with stars Seth Rogen, Katherine Heigl, Paul Rudd and in the Disney film Bedtime Stories, which also featured<br />

Leslie Mann. The film grossed more than $140 million Adam Sandler and Keri Russell. It was in September<br />

domestically and won the People’s Choice Award for 2008 that Brand cemented his fame in the U.S., when he<br />

Favorite Movie Comedy. Segel’s feature film credits hosted the MTV Video Music Awards (VMA).<br />

also include Slackers, New Jersey Turnpikes, SLC The year 2009 saw the U.S. release of Brand’s writing<br />

Punk!, Can’t Hardly Wait and Dead Man on Campus. debut “My Booky Wook: A Memoir of Sex, Drugs and<br />

– 30 –

---

Stand-Up.” The autobiography, already a huge success and Andrew Jarecki’s All Good Things, opposite Ryan<br />

in the United Kingdom, went on to stay on The New York Gosling, Kirsten Dunst and Frank Langella. She also<br />

Times best-seller list for five weeks in a row. Continuing contributed her voice to the recently released animated<br />

his stand-up tour in the U.S., Brand’s third live DVD was feature film How to Train Your Dragon, starring Gerard<br />

released after originally airing on Comedy Central. The Butler and Jay Baruchel, for DreamWorks Animation.<br />

year 2009 ended on an even brighter note for Brand Wiig made her big-screen debut to universal high<br />

when he assumed the role as host of the MTV Video praise as Katherine Heigl’s passive-aggressive boss in<br />

Music Awards for the second year in a row and garnered Judd Apatow’s smash-hit comedy Knocked Up. Her<br />

the biggest VMA audience since 2004, with nearly nine additional film credits include Mike Judge’s Extract,<br />

million viewers.<br />

with Jason Bateman, Ben Affleck and Mila Kunis; Drew<br />

Brand recently started production on the remake Barrymore’s directorial debut Whip It, starring Ellen<br />

of Arthur, in which he takes on the role of the title Page; Greg Mottola’s Adventureland, with Ryan<br />

character for Warner Bros. In addition, he is due to Reynolds, Kristen Stewart and Jesse Eisenberg; David<br />

take on the voice of the Easter Bunny in the Koepp’s Ghost Town, with Ricky Gervais; and Jake<br />

Universal Pictures/Illumination Entertainment liveaction/CGI-animated<br />

hybrid comedy Hop, opposite Apatow-produced film in which she starred opposite<br />

Kasdan’s Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, another<br />

James Marsden.<br />

John C. Reilly.<br />

In addition to acting, Brand continues to work on his Wiig’s past television credits include guest-starring<br />

second book.<br />

on NBC’s Emmy-winning series 30 Rock, the HBO<br />

series Bored to Death, with Jason Schwartzman, and<br />

A comedic star born from the Saturday Night Live HBO’s The Flight of the Conchords.<br />

stage, KRISTEN WIIG (Miss A native of Rochester, New York, Wiig worked as a<br />

Hattie) has become one of the main company member of the Los Angeles-based<br />

most sought-after talents in improv/sketch comedy troupe The Groundlings. As a<br />

film and television today. Wiig Groundlings alumna, she joins the ranks of such SNL<br />

recently earned her first Emmy castmates as Maya Rudolph, Will Ferrell, Phil Hartman,<br />

nomination for Outstanding Will Forte and Jon Lovitz.<br />

Supporting Actress in a Comedy<br />

Series for her incredible<br />

Wiig lives in New York City.<br />

work playing such memorable MIRANDA COSGROVE (Margo) is one of Hollywood’s<br />

hottest young stars.<br />

characters as the excitable<br />

Target Lady, Lawrence Welk singer Doonese, the hilarious<br />

one-upper Penelope, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi<br />

on the Emmy Award-nomi-<br />

She can currently be seen<br />

and Suze Orman, among others.<br />

nated iCarly, Nickelodeon’s<br />

Wiig will soon start production as the lead in an<br />

highest-rated live-action show.<br />

untitled comedy that she co-wrote with Annie Mumolo.<br />

A January 2010 episode titled<br />

She was recently seen in MacGruber, in which she<br />

“iSaved Your Life” attracted 12<br />

starred opposite fellow SNL cast member Will Forte and<br />

million viewers, beating out its<br />

Ryan Phillippe. Her upcoming films include Greg<br />

time slot competition on both<br />

Mottola’s Paul, co-starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost,<br />

broadcast and cable television.<br />

– 31 –

---

The episode also has the distinction of being the most Cosgrove’s voice-over credits include Here Comes<br />

watched telecast on cable that entire week. On the show, Peter Cottontail: The Movie (as Munch the mouse) and<br />

Cosgrove stars in the title role (Carly Shay) as a teenager What’s New, Scooby-Doo (as Miranda Wright).<br />

who lives with her twenty-something brother/guardian She is also one of the faces of Neutrogena, alongside<br />

Gabrielle Union, Hayden Panettiere, Susie Castillo,<br />

and produces webcasts from a makeshift loft studio<br />

with her two best friends. Not only is the show a success Vanessa Hudgens, Jennifer Garner, Diane Lane and<br />

in the U.S., it has broad international appeal as well. Emma Roberts.<br />

iCarly has won the Kids’ Choice Award (KCA) for In her spare time, Cosgrove enjoys horseback<br />

Favorite TV Show, the Australia KCA for Favorite riding, fencing, bike riding, tennis, shopping, traveling<br />

and writing. Born and raised in Los Angeles,<br />

Comedy and the Germany KCA for Favorite TV Show.<br />

Cosgrove received Kids Choice Award nominations she currently lives there with her family.<br />

for Favorite Television Actress in 2009 and 2010 and a<br />

Teen Choice Award nomination for Choice TV Actress: WILL ARNETT (Mr. Perkins) has been an<br />

Comedy in 2009; won the Nickelodeon U.K. Star of the<br />

extremely busy man of late. He<br />

Year Award in 2010; received a nomination for Favorite<br />

can currently be seen in the<br />

International TV Star from the 2008 Australia Kids’<br />

Warner Bros. and Legendary<br />

Choice Awards; and received a nomination for Favorite<br />

Pictures Western action film<br />

Female TV Star from the 2008 U.K. Kids’ Choice<br />

Jonah Hex, based on the DC<br />

Awards. iCarly was nominated for a Creative Arts<br />

comic of the same name. In the<br />

Emmy Award in 2009 and a Teen Choice Award in<br />

film, Arnett stars opposite<br />

2009 and won Kids’ Choice Awards in 2009 and 2010.<br />

Megan Fox, Josh Brolin and<br />

Cosgrove recently signed with Columbia Records<br />

John Malkovich. This fall, he<br />

and recorded her first album, “iCarly,” which features<br />

will return to television on<br />

four original songs that she sings. Her debut solo FOX’s much anticipated new comedy series Running<br />

album, “Sparks Fly,” hit stores on April 27, 2010. She Wilde, opposite of Keri Russell. Arnett will play an<br />

co-wrote the first single, “Kissin’ U,” with influential extremely wealthy Beverly Hills man who falls for an<br />

producer Dr. Luke.<br />

environmental activist. He will star and write for the<br />

She received rave reviews for her work in Richard series alongside writer/director Mitchell Hurwitz.<br />

Linklater’s School of Rock as Summer Hathaway, the Arnett was most recently seen starring in the Walt<br />

overachieving preppy manager of Jack Black’s rock Disney Pictures’ romantic comedy When in Rome,<br />

band. Her other film credits include Yours, Mine and opposite Kristen Bell, and in the live-action/CGI film<br />

Ours and Keeping Up With the Steins. Her theater G-Force, opposite Penélope Cruz, Nicolas Cage,<br />

credits include Back Again, with the Orison group. Steve Buscemi and Zach Galifianakis, for Disney and<br />

Cosgrove got her big break when she landed the Jerry Bruckheimer Films. Last year, he voiced a character<br />

in DreamWorks’ hugely successful, 3-D ani-<br />

highly sought-after role of Megan Parker on<br />

Nickelodeon’s megahit Drake & Josh. She played the mated adventure film Monsters vs. Aliens, alongside<br />

deceptively sweet, mischievous little sister whose Reese Witherspoon, Paul Rudd and Seth Rogen,<br />

scene-stealing role led to her own show, iCarly. She which opened at No. 1 at the box office. He also<br />

recently appeared in Merry Christmas, Drake & Josh starred in the basketball comedy Semi-Pro, opposite<br />

on Nickelodeon.<br />

Will Ferrell and Woody Harrelson, and lent his voice<br />

– 32 –

---

to the hugely successful, animated comedy Horton DANNY MCBRIDE (Fred McDade) first gained<br />

Hears a Who! In 2007, he was seen opposite Will<br />

industry awareness with his<br />

Ferrell and Arnett’s wife, Amy Poehler, in the figure<br />

starring role in David Gordon<br />

skating comedy Blades of Glory, and co-starred<br />

Green’s All the Real Girls,<br />

opposite Will Forte in The Brothers Solomon.<br />

winner of the 2003 Special<br />

In 2006, Arnett earned his first Emmy nomination<br />

Jury Prize at the Sundance<br />

for his work on the critically acclaimed FOX sitcom<br />

Film Festival. However, it<br />

Arrested Development, in which he portrayed Gob Bluth<br />

was when he returned in 2006<br />

for three seasons. From time to time, Arnett guest stars<br />

with the Sundance Film<br />

on NBC’s 30 Rock, in which he plays Devon Banks. Last<br />

Festival’s smash-hit comedy<br />

year, he earned his second Emmy nomination for Outstanding<br />

Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for the role. became a known name in Hollywood and desired by<br />

The Foot Fist Way that he<br />

Arnett also lent his voice to FOX’s animated sitcom Sit its top producers and directors. McBride, who starred<br />

Down, Shut Up, from creator Mitchell Hurwitz in and co-wrote the film with longtime friends and<br />

Before Arrested Development, Arnett was a regular college classmates Jody Hill (Observe and Report)<br />

on the NBC comedy series The Mike O’Malley Show. and Ben Best (Superbad), caught the attention of Will<br />

His additional television credits include guest-starring Ferrell and Adam McKay after it debuted at<br />

roles on Parks and Recreation, Sex and the City, The Sundance. The film was supported by Ferrell and<br />

Sopranos, Boston Public, Third Watch and Law & McKay’s banner, Gary Sanchez <strong>Production</strong>s, and was<br />

Order: Special Victims Unit. Arnett also appeared on released by Paramount Vantage in May 2008. The Los<br />

NBC’s Will & Grace, in which he played Jack’s dance Angeles Times proclaimed the film “the sort of nimble<br />

nemesis while auditioning to become a backup dancer oddball discovery that one wishes would come along<br />

for Janet Jackson.<br />

more often,” while USA Today remarked that “Foot<br />

Arnett’s other feature credits include Ice Age: The Fist is more original and comical than such lowbudget<br />

sleeper hits as Napoleon Dynamite and Hot<br />

Meltdown; RV, opposite Robin Williams; Monster-in-<br />

Law; The Waiting Game; The Broken Giant; Southie; Fuzz.” The Austin Film Critics Association bestowed<br />

and Ed’s Next Move. Additionally, he can be heard in McBride with its 2008 Breakthrough Artist Award for<br />

a variety of commercials, most notably as the voice of his role in the film.<br />

GMC trucks.<br />

McBride continued his success in 2008, starring<br />

Arnett currently resides in Los Angeles, where he opposite Seth Rogen (Knocked Up) and James Franco<br />

lives with his wife, actress Amy Poehler, and son, Archie. in Pineapple Express. The film, which was directed by<br />

Green and co-written by Rogen and Evan Goldberg<br />

(Superbad), centers on two buddies who get mixed up<br />

with a drug gang. The members of the Detroit Film<br />

Critics Society nominated McBride for Best<br />

Newcomer for his role as Red. Sony Pictures released<br />

the film in August and it opened at No. 1 at the box<br />

office, earning more than $100 million worldwide.<br />

Immediately following the success of Pineapple<br />

Express, McBride was back on top of the box office a<br />

– 33 –

---

week later with the Paramount Pictures release of Tropic<br />

Thunder. Directed and written by Ben Stiller, the film<br />

was No. 1 for two weeks in a row and earned more than<br />

$100 million domestically. A star-studded cast joined<br />

McBride, including Stiller, Robert Downey, Jr., Jack<br />

Black, Tom Cruise and Matthew McConaughey.<br />

McBride has starred in such comedies as Land of<br />

the Lost, Hot Rod, The Heartbreak Kid and Drillbit<br />

Taylor. He recently filmed Universal Pictures’<br />

comedy Your Highness, which McBride co-wrote and<br />

which was directed by longtime collaborator David<br />

Gordon Green.<br />

McBride is currently starring in HBO’s<br />

Eastbound & Down, which he wrote and executive<br />

produced with Jody Hill and Ben Best, along with<br />

executive producing partners Will Ferrell, Adam<br />

McKay and Chris Henchy. The show features<br />

McBride as Kenny Powers, a star pitcher whose selfdestructive<br />

behavior knocks him out of Major League<br />

baseball and back home to North Carolina, where he<br />

ends up teaching physical education at the middle<br />

school he once attended. The six-episode season<br />

premiered on the network on February 15, 2009, and<br />

was recently picked up for a second season.<br />

Eastbound & Down also stars Katy Mixon (Four<br />

Christmases), John Hawkes (Me and You and<br />

Everyone We Know, HBO’s Deadwood), Jennifer<br />

Irwin (Still Standing), Andrew Daly (Semi-Pro),<br />

Steve Little (The Ugly Truth), Sylvia Jefferies (The<br />

Notebook) and Best.<br />

Born in Statesboro, Georgia, McBride grew up in<br />

Virginia. He attended the North Carolina School of<br />

the Arts, where he received a BFA in filmmaking.<br />

JACK MCBRAYER (Carnival Barker/Tourist<br />

Dad) currently stars as<br />

Kenneth, the overeager but<br />

loveable page, on NBC’s<br />

Emmy Award-winning series<br />

30 Rock, a performance that<br />

earned him a 2009 Emmy<br />

nomination for Outstanding<br />

Supporting Actor in a Comedy<br />

Series, a 2009 <strong>Screen</strong><br />

Actors Guild (SAG) Award<br />

for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a<br />

Comedy Series and SAG nominations in 2008 and<br />

2010.<br />

McBrayer stars as the voice of Irving on Disney<br />

Channel’s animated series Phineas and Ferb. He will<br />

next be seen on the big screen in Brian Robbins’<br />

dramedy A Thousand Words, with Eddie Murphy and<br />

Allison Janney.<br />

Previously, McBrayer starred with Jason Segel,<br />

Paul Rudd and Russell Brand in the Judd Apatowproduced<br />

comedy Forgetting Sarah Marshall,<br />

directed by Nicholas Stoller. He was also seen opposite<br />

Will Ferrell in the NASCAR comedy Talladega<br />

Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby; opposite John C.<br />

Reilly in Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, directed<br />

by Jake Kasdan; and in Spring Breakdown, opposite<br />

Amy Poehler and Parker Posey.<br />

McBrayer has received two Emmy Award nominations<br />

for his role in producing and starring in the 30<br />

Rock: Kenneth the Webpage online web series for NBC.<br />

He recently performed in select cities on the Conan<br />

O’Brien 2010 Comedy Tour throughout North America.<br />

He has made numerous appearances on Saturday Night<br />

Live, Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, The Tonight Show<br />

With Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Ellen<br />

DeGeneres Show and the Today show.<br />

– 34 –

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DANA GAIER (Edith) is a 12-year-old, seventh<br />

grade honors student from<br />

New Jersey. She has always<br />

loved all aspects of performing<br />

since the age of one,<br />

when she picked up a play<br />

guitar and started singing the<br />

Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It<br />

That Way,” for a room full of<br />

friends and family. At age<br />

five, while Gaier was “entertaining”<br />

people in a restaurant, a talent manager handed<br />

Gaier’s mother her card. At that time, Gaier’s mom<br />

decided it wasn’t the right time for Gaier to expand her<br />

interests beyond the local/community level. At age<br />

eight, Gaier was asked to open and close her school’s<br />

talent show with her rendition of Aretha Franklin’s<br />

After hearing that she resembles Dakota Fanning<br />

throughout the first five years<br />

of her life, ELSIE FISHER<br />

(Agnes) decided she wanted to<br />

be an actress. With her parents<br />

blessing, she took the plunge<br />

and, in the very first month<br />

of her career, was cast in<br />

Despicable Me. Since doing<br />

the film, Fisher has also made<br />

appearances in several national<br />

commercials and on the hit television show Medium.<br />

When she is not driving back and forth to auditions<br />

in Los Angeles, Fisher enjoys being in first grade, playing<br />

video games and spending time with her best friend,<br />

Deanna. When she grows up, Fisher says she would like<br />

to be a scientist, the President or a pink kitty cat.<br />

“Respect.” Gaier has great comedic timing and a terrific<br />

sense of humor, and is often compared to the television<br />

character Punky Brewster.<br />

Gaier has always loved being on the stage, and has<br />

performed the title roles in Annie and Alice in<br />

Wonderland, Shprintze in Fiddler on the Roof, Iago in<br />

Aladdin and a Fagin’s boy in Oliver, to name a few.<br />

Last year, at an audition for Seussical: The Musical,<br />

Gaier won the role of JoJo (a male role) over the boys<br />

at the callbacks, and the show was nominated for a<br />

Perry Award (New Jersey’s theater equivalent to the<br />

JULIE ANDREWS (Gru’s Mom) has been a<br />

beloved and much honored<br />

star of stage, screen and television<br />

for more than half a<br />

century. She was already a<br />

Broadway legend when she<br />

made her feature-film debut<br />

in 1964’s Mary Poppins.<br />

Andrews’ iconic performance<br />

in the title role of the magical<br />

Tony Awards). In September 2009, Gaier performed at<br />

nanny brought her an<br />

the Perry Awards ceremony, reprising her role as JoJo.<br />

She also enjoyed making two national television<br />

appearances on Nickelodeon’s ME:TV.<br />

Academy Award ® , a Golden Globe and a BAFTA. The<br />

following year, she earned a second Oscar ® nomination<br />

and won another Golden Globe Award for her unforgettable<br />

portrayal of Maria von Trapp in The Sound of<br />

Music. She received her third Academy Award ® nomination<br />

and won another Golden Globe Award for her<br />

“dual” role in Victor Victoria.<br />

Today’s young film audiences may be more familiar<br />

with Andrews as a queen trying to train her teenage<br />

granddaughter to be a princess in the hit film The<br />

Princess Diaries and its sequel, The Princess Diaries 2:<br />

– 35 –

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Royal Engagement. Andrews also voiced the character Andrews, already an accomplished best-selling<br />

of Queen Lillian in the blockbuster hits Shrek 2 and author (1971’s “Mandy,” 1974’s “The Last of the Really<br />

Shrek the Third. More recently, she voiced the narration Great Whangdoodles”), has joined talents with her<br />

of the hugely successful Disney film Enchanted, The daughter, Emma Walton Hamilton to pursue the<br />

Tooth Fairy and Shrek the Final Chapter.<br />

publishing of books committed to stimulating a sense of<br />

Her earlier motion picture credits also include The wonder in children and young readers. “The Julie<br />

Americanization of Emily, Hawaii, Thoroughly Modern Andrews’ Collection” was launched in October 2003<br />

Millie, Star!, Darling Lili and 10, to name only a few. and has released more than 25 books to date, including<br />

Andrews was born and raised in England, where she the “Little Bo” series, the “Dumpy the Dumptruck”<br />

first came to fame as a young musical performer on franchise, “The Great American Mousical,” “Thanks to<br />

stage and on radio. She was still in her teens when she You: Wisdom From Mother & Child” and “Simeon’s<br />

made her way across the Atlantic and to Broadway in Gift” (the musical adaptation of which toured parts of<br />

her 1953 debut in the musical The Boy Friend. She went the U.S. in 2008 and will go out on a world tour in 2010).<br />

on to create the role of Eliza Doolittle in Lerner and Andrews’ autobiography “Home: A Memoir of My<br />

Loewe’s Broadway musical My Fair Lady, which Early Years” was released in April 2008 to rave reviews<br />

became an instant classic and the longest-running and immediately climbed to No. 1 on The New York<br />

musical of its day. Andrews also won a New York Times best-seller list as well as several other prestigious<br />

Drama Critics’ Circle Award and garnered a Tony lists in the U.S. and abroad.<br />

Award nomination for her performance. She received In addition to her stage and screen work, Andrews<br />

another Tony Award nomination in 1961 when she originated<br />

the role of Queen Guenevere in the Lerner and important causes including Operation USA, an inter-<br />

has dedicated her life to her family and to serving<br />

Loewe musical Camelot. Thirty-five years later, national relief organization with which she has traveled<br />

to such places as Vietnam and Cambodia. From<br />

Andrews returned to Broadway to star in the 1995 stage<br />

adaptation of Victor Victoria. Her career came full circle 1992 to 2006, Andrews was honored as the Goodwill<br />

in 2005 when she directed a revival of The Boy Friend, Ambassador for the United Nations Development<br />

which toured throughout North America.<br />

Fund for Women (UNIFEM), which provides financial<br />

and technical support for low-income women in<br />

Andrews has also been honored for her work on<br />

television, beginning in 1957 with her Emmy-nominated<br />

performance in the title role of Rodgers and Andrews received her honors as a Dame of the<br />

developing countries.<br />

Hammerstein’s musical Cinderella. She later won an British Empire by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on<br />

Emmy Award for her own musical variety series, The New Year’s Eve 1999. She was also a 2001 Kennedy<br />

Julie Andrews Hour, and also earned Emmy nominations<br />

for Julie and Carol at Lincoln Center (with her lection, please go to www.julieandrewscollection.com.<br />

Center Honoree. For more about Andrews and her col-<br />

“chum” Carol Burnett) and her performance in the<br />

special The Sound of Julie Andrews. Andrews’ more<br />

recent television movies includes One Special Night,<br />

with her friend James Garner, Eloise at the Plaza and<br />

Eloise at Christmastime, and she reunited with<br />

Christopher Plummer in the CBS live production of<br />

On Golden Pond.<br />

– 36 –

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ABOUT THE<br />

FILMMAKERS<br />

Having worked for Marvel and DC Comics from<br />

1994 to 2000, CHRIS<br />

RENAUD (Directed by/Dave<br />

the Minion) comes from a<br />

background in comic art.<br />

From there, he moved to<br />

production design at Shadow<br />

Projects and Big Big <strong>Production</strong>s,<br />

where he oversaw all<br />

aspects of the animation<br />

process, including character<br />

development, creating concept storyboards and managing<br />

teams of digital modellers and artists.<br />

He progressed to Blue Sky Studios/20 th Century<br />

Fox Animation, where he worked as a story artist on a<br />

number of feature animation projects, including<br />

Robots, Ice Age: The Meltdown and Dr. Seuss’Horton<br />

Hears a Who! His role was to translate the screen<br />

story into the visual language of cinema, inventing<br />

and staging both dramatic and comedic action.<br />

In 2007, Renaud conceived, wrote and storyboarded<br />

the animated short No Time for Nuts, overseeing<br />

every creative aspect of production, including<br />

design, layout, lighting, rendering, music composition<br />

and sound design. No Time for Nuts was nominated<br />

for an Academy Award ® , and it went on to win<br />

the animation industry’s Annie Award for Best Short.<br />

PIERRE COFFIN (Directed by/Minion Voices)<br />

studied cinema at France’s<br />

Sorbonne University between<br />

1985 and 1988, and the<br />

Gobelins school of animation<br />

from 1990 to 1993. He then<br />

moved to England and worked<br />

as an assistant animator at Amblimation,<br />

Steven Spielberg’s<br />

animation studio.<br />

In 1996, Coffin began<br />

working at Ex Machina, one of the leading French<br />

CG-animation companies at the time. While there,<br />

he became lead animator, then animation director,<br />

and directed his short film Pings (1997), which<br />

captured the industry’s attention and started his long<br />

career in commercials.<br />

He then joined Passion Pictures as a director.<br />

While there, he made highly praised and prizewinning<br />

commercials, in addition to a miniseries<br />

called Polar Bears (part of The Lenny Henry Show)<br />

for BBC1. Coffin’s commercials and television series<br />

shorts have been huge Internet successes. His Pat &<br />

Stan pilot received more than 10 million hits in just a<br />

few weeks.<br />

In 2007, Coffin directed a seven-minute teaser for<br />

his feature film Bones Story. The teaser, combined<br />

with Coffin’s long career in animation, eventually got<br />

Hollywood’s attention. By the end of 2008, Chris<br />

Meledandri asked him to direct Despicable Me with<br />

Chris Renaud.<br />

– 37 –

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CHRIS MELEDANDRI (Produced by) is the<br />

founder (2008) and CEO of<br />

Illumination Entertainment,<br />

which makes broad audience<br />

films. The independent company<br />

has an exclusive financing<br />

and distribution agreement<br />

with Universal Pictures.<br />

Illumination, which will<br />

produce one to two films a<br />

year over the next five years,<br />

is currently in production on a feature film version of<br />

Dr. Seuss’ “The Lorax,” which continues the successful<br />

collaboration Meledandri has had with Theodor Seuss<br />

Geisel’s widow, Audrey. Other upcoming films include<br />

an original live-action/CG-hybrid film, Hop, starring<br />

Russell Brand and James Marsden and directed by<br />

Alvin and the Chipmunks’ Tim Hill, which is currently<br />

in production, and the animated feature adaptation of<br />

Ricky Gervais’ “Flanimals” books.<br />

Meledandri was previously an executive at 20 th<br />

Century Fox for 13 years. While there, he became<br />

founding president of 20 th Century Fox Animation,<br />

JANET HEALY (Produced by) started her career<br />

in live-action films with such great directors as<br />

Stanley Kramer, Hal Ashby and Sam Peckinpah. She<br />

worked with Steven Spielberg on Close Encounters of<br />

the Third Kind and 1941, serving as associate<br />

producer on the latter. She then joined George Lucas’<br />

premiere visual effects company, Industrial Light &<br />

Magic (ILM), as a co-head of production.<br />

At ILM, Healy produced some of the era’s most<br />

groundbreaking visual effects work, including the<br />

Academy Award ® -winning visual effects for<br />

Terminator 2: Judgment Day and Jurassic Park.<br />

While producing the digital character work for<br />

Casper, Healy fell in love with character animation.<br />

She joined Walt Disney Feature Animation as the<br />

head of digital production and oversaw work on the<br />

films Tarzan, Dinosaur and Mulan. She moved to<br />

DreamWorks Animation to serve as head of production<br />

for several years and, while there, produced<br />

Shark Tale.<br />

In 2008, Healy joined Chris Meledandri as he was<br />

beginning his new venture, Illumination Entertainment,<br />

for Universal Pictures.<br />

which he headed for eight years, amassing more than<br />

$1 billion in global box-office revenue.<br />

During his tenure, he helped Fox become a major<br />

JOHN COHEN (Produced by) previously worked<br />

at 20 th Century Fox for seven years. As the vice president<br />

player in the world of animated feature films and in<br />

of 20 th Century Fox Animation, he worked<br />

1998, he led Fox’s acquisition of fledgling visual<br />

effects/commercial house Blue Sky Studios, which he<br />

built into a successful producer of animated features.<br />

He oversaw the creative and business operations of<br />

Blue Sky Studios, now Fox’s wholly-owned CGI<br />

studio. While at the studio, Meledandri supervised<br />

and/or executive produced movies including Ice Age,<br />

Ice Age: The Meltdown, Robots, Alvin and the<br />

Chipmunks, The Simpsons Movie and Dr. Seuss’<br />

Horton Hears a Who!<br />

Before joining Fox, Meledandri was president of<br />

Dawn Steel Pictures at Walt Disney Pictures, where<br />

he served as an executive producer on Cool Runnings.<br />

closely with Blue Sky Studios on films including Ice<br />

Age, Robots, Ice Age: The Meltdown and Dr. Seuss’<br />

Horton Hears a Who! He also had the idea to<br />

reimagine the Alvin and the Chipmunks franchise and<br />

developed the 2007 film.<br />

Cohen is currently a producer at Illumination<br />

Entertainment. In addition to Despicable Me, upcoming<br />

Illumination films for Universal Pictures<br />

include Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax, directed by Chris<br />

Renaud and co-directed by Cinco Paul & Ken Daurio;<br />

Hop, directed by Tim Hill and starring Russell Brand<br />

and James Marsden; Flanimals, based on the book<br />

series by Ricky Gervais; and Where’s Waldo<br />

– 38 –

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Before joining Fox, Cohen worked at Scott Rudin<br />

<strong>Production</strong>s. In 1998, he graduated from New York<br />

University’s Tisch School of the Arts.<br />

lyrics. It will be directed by Stephen Schwartz and<br />

released in 2011. His other film credits include Disney’s<br />

megahit The Santa Clause 2.<br />

Paul and Daurio had the distinct honor of being<br />

As 3-D productions are on the way to becoming<br />

the norm, CINCO PAUL (<strong>Screen</strong>play by) is right on<br />

trend with two high-profile 3-D animated films on his<br />

resume. He is set to co-direct the highly anticipated<br />

Dr. Seuss’The Lorax, an adaptation of the iconic environmental-themed<br />

children’s book, which is scheduled<br />

for release in March 2012.<br />

Paul and his writing partner, Ken Daurio, are the<br />

hot Hollywood screenwriting team who penned the<br />

handpicked by Audrey Geisel (the widow of Theodor<br />

Seuss Geisel) to pen Horton Hears a Who! and The<br />

Lorax film projects on behalf of the estate of Dr. Seuss.<br />

Paul studied at Yale University, where he graduated<br />

summa cum laude with a degree in English.<br />

Upon moving to Los Angeles, he attended the screenwriting<br />

program at the University of Southern<br />

California, winning a fellowship grant to pay for his<br />

second year.<br />

Horton Hears a Who! screenplay for executive Chris<br />

Meledandri during his tenure at 20 th Century Fox. As 3-D productions are on the way to becoming<br />

When Horton Hears a Who! led to a nearly $300<br />

million worldwide box-office gross, Meledandri<br />

formed the film production company Illumination<br />

Entertainment, which specializes in animation.<br />

Illumination’s first three movies given the green light<br />

were all written by Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio:<br />

Despicable Me, Hop and Dr. Seuss’The Lorax.<br />

Paul and Daurio are known throughout the entertainment<br />

industry for their unique pitching style,<br />

often singing their pitches to high-level studio executives.<br />

For the Disney film College Road Trip, they<br />

belted out the ’80s tune “Double Dutch Bus”<br />

complete with harmony and melody. An estimated 90<br />

percent of their pitches in the last nine years have<br />

involved a musical performance.<br />

Paul met Daurio while working on a church musical<br />

and they bonded immediately. In 1999, they sold the<br />

screenplay for their first short film, Special, and the film<br />

went on to play in the festival circuit due to the dark<br />

comedic storyline. Next came the 2001 cult classic<br />

Bubble Boy, which starred Jake Gyllenhaal as Jimmy<br />

Livingston (a boy without an immune system), a twisted<br />

take on the John Travolta television movie The Boy in<br />

the Plastic Bubble. Paul also turned the movie Bubble<br />

Boy into a full-length musical and wrote the music and<br />

the norm, KEN DAURIO (<strong>Screen</strong>play by) is right on<br />

trend with two high-profile 3-D animated films on his<br />

resume. He is set to co-direct Dr. Seuss’The Lorax, an<br />

adaptation of the iconic author’s environmentalthemed<br />

children’s book that is scheduled for release in<br />

March 2012.<br />

Daurio and his writing partner, Cinco Paul, are<br />

the hot Hollywood screenwriting team who penned<br />

the Horton Hears a Who! screenplay for executive<br />

Chris Meledandri during his tenure at 20 th Century<br />

Fox. After Paul and Daurio’s work on Horton lead to a<br />

nearly $300 million worldwide box-office gross, the<br />

duo found themselves in demand in the animation<br />

world. Daurio and Paul further forged their strategic<br />

relationship with Meledandri when he formed the<br />

film production company Illumination Entertainment,<br />

which specializes in animation. It’s no coincidence<br />

that Illumination’s first three movies that were given<br />

the green light were all written by Daurio and Paul<br />

(Despicable Me, Hop and The Lorax), something<br />

unheard of in the history of animation.<br />

Daurio and Paul are known throughout the entertainment<br />

industry for their unique pitching style,<br />

often singing their pitches to high-level studio executives.<br />

For the Disney film College Road Trip, they<br />

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elted out the ’80s tune “Double Dutch Bus,” complete<br />

with harmony and melody. An estimated 90 visor on Asterix and the Vikings and Nocturna; was the<br />

He was a supervising animator and team super-<br />

percent of their pitches in the last nine years have art supervisor on Simon and Schuster’s “Trucktown”;<br />

involved a musical performance.<br />

was the character designer and team supervisor for<br />

Daurio met Paul while working on a church Blue Sky Studios’ Rio; and is currently the supervision<br />

animator and team supervisor on Moon-<br />

musical and they bonded immediately. In 1999, they<br />

sold their first screenplay, Special, which they later scoop’s Titeuf.<br />

turned into a short film that played the festival<br />

circuit due to the dark comedic storyline. Next came NINA ROWAN (Executive Producer) is a leader<br />

the 2001 cult classic Bubble Boy, which starred Jake in the field of CGI. As the producer of the 1998<br />

Gyllenhaal as Jimmy Livingston (a boy without an Academy Award ® -winning Best Animated Short<br />

immune system), a twisted take on the John Travolta Film, Bunny, Rowan is known for her expert knowledge<br />

of computer animation and her skill in devel-<br />

television movie The Boy in the Plastic Bubble. Paul<br />

and Daurio also had the distinct honor of being oping teams that can tackle innovative and complex<br />

handpicked by Audrey Geisel (the widow of animated projects.<br />

Theodor Seuss Geisel) to pen Horton Hears a Who! Rowan is the founder and CEO of Plushy Feely<br />

and The Lorax film projects on behalf of the estate Corp (PFC). PFC is a children’s toy and multimedia<br />

of Dr. Seuss.<br />

company that focuses on building self-esteem and<br />

Upon graduating from high school, Daurio began confidence in kids through creative educational products<br />

and animated entertainment. She invented and<br />

directing music videos for up-and-coming bands like<br />

Blink 182, AFI and Jimmy Eat World. More than 100 launched a line of award-winning educational plush<br />

music videos later, he teamed up with Cinco Paul to toys called Kimochis—Toys With Feelings Inside that<br />

write his first feature script. Daurio and Paul are are being sold by specialty retailers across the<br />

now one of Hollywood’s most sought-after screenwriting<br />

teams.<br />

purpose that focus on promoting social and emotional<br />

country. PFC is dedicated to creating products with a<br />

learning for parents and children.<br />

SERGIO PABLOS (Based on a Story by/ Rowan is currently the president of TOT Industries,<br />

located in Marin County, California. For the<br />

Executive Producer) was born in Barcelona, Spain,<br />

and studied character animation at the California past four years, she has helped develop and expand<br />

Institute of the Arts in Valencia, California. He is the TOT Industries into becoming a leader in the family<br />

creative director and CEO of Animagic SL, based in entertainment industry, focusing on the creative and<br />

Madrid. Some of his early animation work includes technical aspects of original content development for<br />

Batman: The Animated Series, Winnie the Pooh and books, animated feature films and animation television<br />

productions. She is currently producing a series<br />

Christmas Too!, A Goof Troop Christmas and A<br />

Goofy Movie.<br />

of children’s books for Simon & Schuster titled<br />

Pablos also worked on the Disney films The “Trucktown,” created by renowned children’s book<br />

Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hercules, Tarzan and author Jon Scieszka. “Trucktown” has appeared on<br />

Treasure Planet. For his work on Treasure Planet, The New York Times’ Children’s Best-Sellers list.<br />

Pablos was nominated for an Annie Award for Prior to TOT, Rowan joined Wild Brain in May of<br />

Outstanding Character Animation.<br />

1999 to help lead the company’s expanding computer-<br />

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generated animation and visual effects division. She<br />

has been responsible for recruiting artistic and technical<br />

talent, developing a production pipeline to efficiently<br />

create and manage CG film assets and developing CG<br />

production and business strategies for the company. In<br />

an effort to keep production costs down while still maintaining<br />

high production value, Rowan has cultivated<br />

relationships with some of the world’s top overseas<br />

animation studios and has delivered high-quality animation<br />

at extremely competitive costs.<br />

Rowan was also responsible for heading up creative<br />

development for Wild Brain. She has worked closely with<br />

writers, directors and producers, developing screenplays<br />

for feature films and television series for both animation<br />

Rowan’s film and commercial projects have<br />

garnered the most prestigious awards in the industry<br />

including the Oscar ® , the Emmy, the CLIO, the Effie<br />

and the Mobius, among others.<br />

Prior to Blue Sky Studios, Rowan was a producer<br />

of cel animation at Broadcast Arts <strong>Production</strong>s,<br />

following her role as assistant to the director of<br />

animation at Mark Zander <strong>Production</strong>s, both in New<br />

York City.<br />

Rowan has a BA in art history from the State<br />

University of New York at Purchase. She is the<br />

Northern California chairperson for Women in Toys<br />

and is a member of ASIFA-Hollywood and the Visual<br />

Effects Society.<br />

and live-action productions. During her tenure at Wild<br />

Brain, she sold an original television series idea to the YARROW CHENEY (<strong>Production</strong> Designer)<br />

Disney Channel and an original feature film idea to<br />

Universal Pictures; both properties are currently in<br />

development. Rowan produced Wild Brain’s first CG<br />

film, Hubert’s Brain, which is an original 17-minute<br />

short that highlights the studio’s superb character animation.<br />

Hubert’s Brain won first place in its categories at<br />

the World Animation Celebration, the ASIFA-<br />

Hollywood Annie Awards and Synthesis 8 in Belgium;<br />

garnered the Silver Plaque at the Chicago International<br />

Film Festival; and received a host of other accolades<br />

from film festivals around the world. The success of this<br />

film led Wild Brain into the feature film arena by<br />

securing a $40 million co-production partnership and a<br />

five-picture deal with Miramax Studios.<br />

Rowan segued to Wild Brain from Blue Sky<br />

attended the California Institute of the Arts from 1992<br />

to 1995, before beginning his career as a character<br />

animator at Turner Feature Animation/Warner Bros.<br />

Feature Animation on Cats Don’t Dance, Quest for<br />

Camelot and The Iron Giant.<br />

In 1999, he won an Emmy Award for Outstanding<br />

Main Title Design for his opening title sequence to<br />

Sony’s Dilbert series. Cheney went on to design Sony<br />

Pictures Imageworks’ Academy Award ® -winning<br />

theatrical short The Chubbchubbs! and Universal<br />

Pictures’ Curious George.<br />

In 2006, he directed, produced and production<br />

designed The Very First Noel holiday special.<br />

In 2008, Cheney joined Illumination Entertainment<br />

as production designer for Despicable Me.<br />

Studios in New York. In addition to producing Bunny<br />

at Blue Sky Studios, Rowan was the executive<br />

producer of the studio’s multimillion dollar feature<br />

film and commercial production. She produced the<br />

animation and digital effects for films including<br />

MTV Networks/Geffen Pictures/Warner Bros.’ Joe’s<br />

Apartment and The Bubble Factory’s A Simple Wish,<br />

and was executive producer for Blue Sky Studios on<br />

Paramount Pictures’ Star Trek: Insurrection.<br />

PAMELA ZIEGENHAGEN-SHEFLAND (Edited<br />

by) grew up in Minnesota and went to St. Cloud State<br />

University. She lived in Los Angeles from 1980 to 2006<br />

and moved back to Minnesota in 2006.<br />

While in Los Angeles, she worked on commercials,<br />

rock videos and television shows like Quantum<br />

Leap, the Emmy Award-winning Northern Exposure<br />

(from 1991 to 1995) and the pilot for Melrose Place<br />

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(1992). In 1995, she started working in feature animation<br />

at Walt Disney Pictures. While there, she was the<br />

editor of The Emperor’s New Groove (2000) and Mulan<br />

II (2004). While at Sony Pictures Animation, she was<br />

the editor of Open Season (2006).<br />

Ziegenhagen-Shefland has been married to Alan<br />

Shefland, a fellow editor, since 1997 and they have<br />

one son, Gabriel, who is 14. She is currently working<br />

on a documentary in Minnesota.<br />

N.E.R.D., with Hugo and childhood friend Shae<br />

Haley. Together, they have had multiple, critically<br />

acclaimed platinum albums, Grammy nominations<br />

and wins, and a fan base that stretches the globe. Their<br />

newest album, “Nothing,” was released on June 15.<br />

Additionally, Williams is an entrepreneur and a oneman<br />

conglomerate with business ventures including his<br />

clothing lines Billionaire Boys Club and Ice Cream; an<br />

eco-fabric company called Bionic Yarn; artistic collaborations<br />

with Murakami and the Emmanuel Perrotin<br />

GREGORY PERLER (Edited by) is a film Gallery; and a jewelry line with Louis Vuitton.<br />

editor who has lived and worked in Los Angeles for<br />

20 years. A New York University film school graduate,<br />

he moved to Los Angeles in 1990 when he was<br />

hired as an assistant editor on Disney’s Beauty and<br />

the Beast (the first of only two animated films to be<br />

HEITOR PEREIRA (Score by) is establishing a<br />

reputation for bringing international flavors to mainstream<br />

American scores. From a Santa Monica studio<br />

jammed with hundreds of instruments from around the<br />

nominated for an Academy Award ® for Best world, Pereira has composed scores for It’s Complicated,<br />

Picture). He was promoted to associate editor during<br />

this production.<br />

In addition to Despicable Me, Perler’s previous<br />

feature-animation credits include A Goofy Movie,<br />

Tarzan, the Oscar ® -nominated Jimmy Neutron: Boy<br />

Genius and the Oscar ® -winning Wallace & Gromit in<br />

The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. His live-action credits<br />

include 102 Dalmatians, Enchanted, the Hannah<br />

Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert<br />

film and two telefilms based on the classic “Eloise”<br />

children’s books.<br />

Perler was an editor on the first season of the highly<br />

rated USA Network series Royal Pains and is currently<br />

editing Illumination Entertainment’s Hop, which will be<br />

released in April 2011.<br />

Running the Sahara, Beverly Hills Chihuahua,<br />

Illegal Tender, Curious George, Ask the Dust, Real<br />

Women Have Curves, Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights<br />

and Riding in Cars With Boys.<br />

Pereira attracted Hans Zimmer’s attention for his<br />

outstanding skills as a guitarist. Zimmer hired Pereira to<br />

play on a few scores, and soon Pereira was following in<br />

the footsteps of other well-known musicians-turnedfilm-composers<br />

including Zimmer, James Newton<br />

Howard and Danny Elfman. Pereira has played guitar on<br />

and/or contributed music to the scores of Mission:<br />

Impossible II, Black Hawk Down, Spanglish, As Good as<br />

It Gets, I Am Sam, The Pledge, Something’s Gotta Give,<br />

Shrek 2, Madagascar, Man on Fire, Spy Kids 3-D: Game<br />

Over, The Rundown, Flushed Away, The Holiday,<br />

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, The Simpsons<br />

Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter/ producer<br />

PHARRELL WILLIAMS (Original Songs and<br />

Themes by/Score by) has made history for being one of<br />

the most successful and prolific entertainers to emerge<br />

during the last decade.<br />

Williams is part of the beat-making duo The<br />

Neptunes, with Chad Hugo, and the incredible trio<br />

Movie, The Kite Runner, Bee Movie, The Dark Knight<br />

and Angels & Demons.<br />

Born to a family of musicians in the south of<br />

Brazil, Pereira completed his conservatory studies in<br />

guitar, harmony, counterpoint and composition in Rio<br />

de Janeiro. He quickly began playing with some of<br />

the leading artists in Brazil and attracted the attention<br />

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of the producer of the band Simply Red. He entertained<br />

millions of fans around the world as that band’s<br />

lead guitarist. He has also released three solo albums<br />

of his own music. Throughout his career, Pereira has<br />

played guitar on the albums of widely diverse artists<br />

who esteem him as much for his unique sensibility as<br />

his astonishing guitar virtuosity. These artists include<br />

Sergio Mendes, Caetano Veloso, Ivan Lins, Jack<br />

Johnson, Bryan Adams, Sir Elton John, Willie Nelson,<br />

Shania Twain, Seal and Nelly Furtado.<br />

— despicable me —<br />

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NOTES<br />

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