Minions: The Rise of Gru

A few time-capsule gags break the tedium that has now come to define this deathless series.

Gru is 11, but appears the same age he was in the first movie, 10 years prior. Yes, this is a cartoon about gibberish-spewing ovate goblins where humans morph into giant Chinese New Year monsters, but one does want a *hint* of narrative consistency.

By bringing in a couple of veteran talents to the voice cast in Arkin and Yeoh, the freshness abides in this sequel--instead of being a stale, shameless money grab that gets forgotten after the lights come up.

Director Kyle Balda has been at the helm of a number of others in this franchise and he sure knows what his audiences want. The kids in my sessions were laughing out loud and the parents seemed to be enjoying it too.

The animated comedy is an 88-minute delight, further enlivened by the talented voice cast...