Gru
| Gru | |
|---|---|
| Despicable Me character | |
.png) Artwork of Gru from Despicable Me 3 (2017) | |
| First appearance | Despicable Me (2010) |
| Created by | Sergio Pablos |
| Designed by | |
| Voiced by | Steve Carell |
| In-universe information | |
| Full name | Felonious Gru |
| Occupation |
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| Weapon |
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| Family |
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| Spouse | Lucy Wilde |
| Children |
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Felonious Gru, alternatively spelled as Felonius Gru
Character biography
 |
Gru is the son of Marlena and the Bald Terror (real name Robert), twin brother of Dru, the adoptive father of Margo, Edith, and Agnes as well as the biological father of Gru Jr., husband of Lucy, and boss of the Minions.
At the beginning of the first film, Gru is an ambitious supervillain who constantly seeks approval from his mother, until the adoption of his daughters convinces him that their happiness is important.
In the second film, Gru leaves his villainous past behind to care for his adoptive daughters, but then soon joins forces - unwillingly - with secret agent Lucy Wilde, whom he later marries.
In the third film, after he and Lucy are fired from their jobs at the Anti-Villain League, Gru learns that he has a twin brother, Dru, whom he never met due to their divorced parents raising each child separately. Along with Lucy and the girls, Gru meets Dru at his mansion in Freedonia, and they form a brotherly relationship over the course of the film.
In the fourth film, Gru has a blood-related son called Gru Jr.
Development
The character that would become Gru was conceived by animator
Gru's distinctive accent, described as "quasi-Russian" by
Analysis
The use of
Gru has also been interpreted as a Russian stereotype, with a 2017 study stating that elements of his characterisation had been designed to support supposed American political agendas that label Russians as backwards and violent.[12]
References
- ^ Alexander, Bryan (April 12, 2014). "At Universal, the Minions 'have become our Mickey Mouse'". USA Today. Retrieved November 22, 2016.
[…] into the Despicable Me world of supervillain Felonius Gru […]
- ^ Baxter, Joseph (May 14, 2015). "The Full Minions Trailer Is Really Goofy". CinemaBlend. Retrieved November 23, 2016.
[...] well before the days of their tenure with Felonious Gru […]
- ^ Amidi, Amid (September 25, 2017). "The Humble Roots Of The Mega-Hit Franchise 'Despicable Me'". Cartoon Brew. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
- ^ Edwards, C. (October 1, 2014). "Directors Chris Renaud and Pierre Coffin on Creative Choices and Challenges in 'Despicable Me' Films". Cartoon Brew.
- ^ Newman, Kim (October 1, 2010). "Despicable Me Review". Empire.
- ^ Scott, A.O. (July 8, 2010). "Lunar Toons and Cookie Capers". The New York Times. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
- ^ Ebert, Roger (July 7, 2010). "Despicable Me movie review & film summary". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
- ^ ISBN 9780816537907.
- ^ Debruge, Peter (June 9, 2010). "Despicable Me". Variety. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
- ISSN 1449-857X. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
- ^ Dewi, Nofika (2015). "Psychological analysis of the main character Gru in Despicable Me". Universitas Pamulang. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
- S2CID 148815247. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
Further reading
- Diane Hughes; Mark Evans, eds. (2020). "From despicable to happy: animated vocality in the evolution of Felonious Gru". The singing voice in contemporary cinema. Equinox Publishing. pp. 196–212. ISBN 9781781797389.
- Sara Martín Alegre, ed. (2021). Gender in 21st Century Animated Children's Cinema (PDF). Autonomous University of Barcelona.