Production Notes & Screen Credits - SYE Publicity

Gru is deliciously wicked, and his surroundings
reflect that. The keen observer of Despicable Me can
find elements throughout the film that offer nods to
the brooding humor. In a direct nod to the father of
The Addams Family, there is a painting on the wall in
Gru’s lair in which a boulder is falling off a cliff and
about to squash a hapless tour bus that is motoring by.
Stuffed game mounted on the wall showcase—what
else— predator swallowing prey that is swallowing
weaker prey. As well, in the Bank of Evil, as Gru
walks through the main corridor, the pillars progressively
show hapless victims squished by the columns.
These are simply some of the many tongue-in-cheek
references inserted by the team.
For the environmental design, Coffin brought art
director Guillon, an artist with whom he has worked
for many years, onto the production. “Eric actually
spoke maybe three or four words of English,”
Meledandri explains. “Pierre has tremendous confidence
in Eric. From the very first images that Eric
drew, the suggestion of both color and style of the
world was absolutely present. His artwork is so
extraordinary that when he creates a piece of what we
call ‘visual development’ or ‘visual design,’ he does it
in a way that when you look at it, you say, ‘Oh my
gosh!’ The personality that he places in his design is
extraordinary. There’s a whimsy to it; there’s warmth
and a distinctive edge.”
As they considered creating locations for Despicable
Me, the directors and producers knew that there had to
be a significant discrepancy between the Gothic lines of
Gru’s black house (first imagined by production designer
Cheney) and the postmodern visuals of the spoiledrotten
Vector’s fortress. Offers Meledandri: “The array
of styles was designed by Pierre and Chris and Eric to
reflect how the characters fit into this world. Gru lives
in a black house in this picture-perfect suburban neighborhood
where the only blight on the neighborhood is his
home, with its hint of a Gothic style. His vehicle is probably
the least environmentally conscious vehicle ever
placed on Earth. It’s all a bit ragged since he’s a character
who is no longer in his prime.”
Gru and his minions are on an ambitious mission.
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