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Illumination has seen enormous success with its “Despicable Me” and “Minions” spin-off film franchise, entertaining families since 2010. While there may be several movies that come to mind when thinking about adoption, there is a specific Despicable Me adoption scene that fans know and love.
Voiced by Steve Carrell, Gru is the main character of “Despicable Me.” The supervillain is infamous for creating chaos with his evil plans. Surrounded by an army of tiny yellow minions, Gru schemes to steal the moon using a shrink ray. As he prepares and calculates his master plan, nothing can prepare him for the greatest challenge that catches him off-guard: The three orphaned girls whom he adopts begin to thaw his icy cold heart.
Setting the Scene
To steal the moon, Gru must steal a shrink ray from a secret base in East Asia. Shortly after obtaining the device, it is taken by his evil arch nemesis, Vector. While breaking into Vector’s base is impossible for Gru, he notices three little girls – Margo, Edith, and Agnus – have no trouble getting through to sell cookies. The girls are orphans who wish to be adopted more than anything in the world.
Gru decides that the next logical step is to adopt Margo, Edith, and Agnus. The plan is simple: Use the girls as pawns in his villainous mission. He soon learns, however, between the high energy of children and ballet classes – that parenting does not come easy to an evil genius.
After some effort, Gru and his daughters successfully take the shrink ray back. To celebrate, the girls suggest a day at a local theme park. Gru agrees with this idea, planning to abandon the girls while walking through the park. To his own surprise, however, he realizes he has grown quite fond of little Margo, Edith, and Agnus. At the end of their outing, all four return home together.
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How Gru Grows
While this silly animated film packs plenty of slap-stick comedy, it is also full of heart. Although Gru sets out to dominate the villain world by stealing the moon, he ends up falling in love with his new family.
There are many moments when the girls he adopted as a part of his evil scheme surprise him with their loyalty. When Gru is turned down for a loan at the Bank of Evil, for example, the girls offer up the contents of their own piggy bank. This act of love inspires Gru to sell parts of his own lair to construct his spacecraft.
When Gru plans to make his trip to the moon on the same day as the girls’ recital, he feels conflicted. He successfully shrinks the moon and makes his way to the recital as quickly as he can. He soon realizes, however, that he is too late and Vector has kidnapped the girls. He demands the moon as a ransom for their return.
In his desperation to save the girls, Gru surrenders the moon to Vector. Vector, however, refuses to return the girls. In a rage, Gru storms through Vector’s fortress, getting past all of the base’s defenses. In a state of panic, Vector activates his escape aircraft, taking the girls and the shrunken moon with him.
Meanwhile, it is revealed that the shrink ray’s work was not permanent, and the moon will return to its normal size within hours. Gru and his minions must set out on a daring rescue mission and save the girls. Once they do, Vector is left trapped on the moon once the shrink ray effects wear off.
Once Gru and his girls are back on Earth, they become a happy family of five. Gru writes them a bedtime story based on his own experiences with evil schemes. Margo hugs her new dad, telling him she loves him. He returns the hug and tells her he loves her, too.
This strange, but sweet tale is a testament to the power of adoption, with the key lesson being that family is formed from love, not DNA. Family can also reshape our views of the world and soften a cynical heart.
“Despicable Me” can be an inspiring, hopeful tale for adoptive families. Adopted children can enjoy the representation that this film portrays, highlighting that adoption is a positive, life-changing experience for everyone involved.
Learn More About Adoption
If you would like to learn even more about adoption, contact Adoptions With Love today. Call 617-964-4357 or contact us online. Whether you are looking to adopt or considering making an adoption plan for your baby, we can help guide you through the adoption process.