Didja love The Minions last time? I know I did! So I'm happy to report those little yellow fireplugs are back...in FORCE! It is clear that the filmmakers knew how much the children loved them; AND like last time, they saved their best 3D effects for the final credits, so I $ugge$t you $kip tho$e extra charge$.

Our hero is asked to come out of retirement to help find a villain who can inject the sweetest creature with a serum that turns it into an indestructible force for Evil. Gru would rather stay home and host a birthday party for one of his beloved daughters, so he turns down the job.

In this PG family outing:

• * Steve Carell ("Hope Springs") returns as Gru, our favorite villain-turned-marshmallow, the fellow who adopted three little girls under false pretenses in the first Despicable Me, then learned how to read bedtime stories and become a really good father.
• * Kristen Wiig ("Bridesmaids") is Lucy, our hero's sidekick, a pretty tough cookie who obviously has a "thing" for him.
• * Benjamin Bratt ("Snitch") is Eduardo/El Macho, the proprietor of a Mexican-food place in the mall.
• * Moises Arias ("The Kings of Summer") is Antonio, the muy guapo heartthrob who sweeps Gru's dazzled daughter Margo off her feet.
• * Miranda Cosgrove ("Despicable Me") is Margo, the oldest of Gru's three girls, just entering her hormonal years...to her father's dismay.
• * Russell Brand ("Rock of Ages") is Gru's assistant Dr. Nefario, who leaves his employment for a better deal.

I enjoyed the children's giggles of delight with The Minions and I appreciated the well-balanced parenting I saw from Gru. (These are the nicest little girls!) In addition, it always pleases me to see some professional voice artists used in these projects, so kudos to the casting folks!