Retiring from a life of nefarious plots, Gru is content to focus on raising his three adopted daughters and having his formerly evil minions develop a new line of jams and jellies.

But as Despicable Me 2 begins, Gru finds himself thrust back into the world of evil-doers when a top secret base is stolen from the Arctic Circle. Gru is recruited to go undercover and try to discover the true perpetrator who is hiding out at the local mall.    His trio of girls are delighted that he’s been teamed with Lucy, who may be the antidote Gru needs for his loneliness and fear or dating.

The good news is Despicable Me 2 has everything in it that made the first one such a delight – Gru, the girls, Minions and, of course, the fart gun.

This animated summer film is a pure delight from beginning to end.  I haven’t laughed out loud this much or this often at movie all summer long.

Despicable Me 2 is just as delightful as the first one and while it may lack the edge the first one did (watching Gru go from evil genius to father figure was a nice arc), it fills that void with lots and lots of Minion jokes.  And just about all of those jokes hit home.

This is an animated film that you won’t mind sitting through with the young ones in your family.  Odds are there are a few jokes in there that will hit home for the older members of the audience and will go right over the younger audience members heads.

As to whether or not you’ll want to see the film in 3-D, I can say that while the film doesn’t have a sequence that takes advantage of all that 3-D can do like the original’s roller coaster sequence, there is still at least enough 3-D tomfoolery going on during the film’s ninety or so minutes that you won’t feel like the surcharge isn’t justified.   Like many CG animated films of recent years, this one was designed to be viewed in 3-D and, for the most part, it works.

Despicable Me 2 has energy, laughs and a heart.  Easily one of the best movies of the summer season.  And make sure you don’t get up to leave as the credits start to roll.

And did I mention the fart gun is back?!?

One small note:  At the screening I attended, several small children were a bit frightened by the ending sequence in which the Minions are turned evil.    Parents of younger kids (I’m thinking five and under) may be want to be ready to hold some hands, wipe some tears or take kids out when the Minions start turning purple.