‘Despicable Me 4: Collector’s Edition’ 4K Ultra HD review

Illumination’s animated franchise drew crowds again earlier this summer in its latest blockbuster theatrical release and now colorfully explodes on home theater screens through the 4K disc format in Despicable Me 4: Collector’s Edition (Universal Studios Home Entertainment, rated PG, 88 minutes, 1.85:1 aspect ratio, $33.99).

Our protagonist Felonious Gru Sr. (voiced by Steve Carell), a reformed supervillain now working as an agent along with his wife Lucy (Kristen Wiig) for the Anti-Villain League (AVL), returns with adopted daughters Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), Edith (Dana Gaier) and Agnes (Madison Polan) and new baby Gru Jr.

Gru’s latest adventure begins while attending a school reunion and quickly has him capturing his former school rival, the cockroach-transforming Frenchman and supervillain Maxime Le Mal (Will Ferrell).

Of course, Maxime easily escapes from a maximum-security prison, motivated completely by taking revenge on Gru for putting him in the slammer in the first place.

The AVL places Gru and the family in a witness-protection program to hide from his archenemy and are moved to the upper-class town of Mayflower.

Trouble soon follows when aspiring villainess Poppy (Joey King), the daughter of their snooty neighbors the Prescotts, threatens to expose Gru to Maxime unless he helps her steal a ferocious honey badger mascot from his alma mater.

Let the insanity begin.

Fans of the series will not be disappointed by the extreme action on screen and themes of teamwork and family. No matter the human shenanigans going on, though, nothing equals the nonstop hilarious hijinks of Gru’s assistants, the yellow, pint-sized, gibberish-yapping, bulbous and Chiclet-shaped army of Minions.

These guys are in a constant state of chaos. From getting trapped in a vending machine to being encased in a gelatin dessert to stuffing a microwave with popcorn, leading to a room packed with the snack, to acting as a tennis referee to pummel an opponent, its nonstop energy bursts from the screen.

The laughs are even bigger with the introduction of the AVL-affiliated Mega Minions, a quintet of superpowered, costumed heroes with abilities such as strength, flight, stretchiness, eye laser beams and indestructibility that cause more mayhem than help.

4K in action: Owners will be overwhelmed by the clarity, outrageous detail and rich colors presented in the screen-filling ultra-high definition version of the movie.

The animators’ manipulation of digital imagery delivers breathtaking work that demands multiple viewings to really appreciate it.

As always, the animators keep the human form very action-figure-like, almost squishy plastic in quality throughout, but their entire world is hyperrealistic and head-shaking to detail.

Examples abound of the realistic qualities of the items and locations found in the universe, such as Gru’s grey-and-black scarf; leather straps on his kitchen apron; a metal zipper on his pink Izod that shakes when he moves; Maxime’s quilted green coat with gold ornate design and fur collar; sugar cubes melting in a cup of hot coffee; and yellow paint cracked on a rusted metal pole.

The variety of hair lengths and textures including Maxine’s reddish flopping pompadour often stand out as well as any flames. Glitter, water, transparent gelatin and melted cheese (presented in a liquid wave down a mountain) look accurate enough to want to grab at the screen.

Best extras: Universal Studios’ digital goodies offer something for everyone in this Collector’s Edition release.

First, fans of the production get 22 minutes of character bios mainly relayed by the stars that voice them including Gru, Lucy and Maxime as well as four minutes on the villains of the films and four minutes on the Mega Minions.

Also, a pair of featurettes (13 minutes in total) cover the voice-over work and animation (from storyboards to textures, shading and lighting); and features interviews with cast, directors and animators and the founder of Illumination, Chris Meledandri.

Budding artists can then learn to draw the five Mega Minions in short, overdubbed tutorials offered by French head of story development, Habib Louati.

Finally, lovers of the Minions get a pair of new shorts.

“Game Over and Over” offers Minion Stuart using a controller to manipulate Minion Kevin and turning their world into a video game, tapping into multiple genres including a 2D platform, first-person shooter and vehicle-action game.

The other short, “Benny’s Birthday,” finds the one-eyed Minion relieving his painful surprise celebration over and over again much like the movie “Groundhog Day.”