Despicable Me 2
Coming straight to the point, Despicable Me 2 was exactly what I wanted it to be: funny, cute, clever, bizarre, and a little heart-warming. The inciting incident -- that bit where Lucy (voiced by Kristen Wiig) abducts Gru (voiced by Steve Carell) and hauls him in front of the Anti-Villain League -- is the second scene of the film. That tight pacing is generally maintained, and there were plenty of surprising gags.
There comes a point in most of comedies where you sit back and say "this is just a bunch of short sketches stitched together with plot thread." Well, yes. In a sense, any production in which scenes can stand alone is a collection of scenes stitched together with plot thread. When it's well done, as it was in the case of Despicable Me 2, there are multiple plots and character arcs, and with that much thread the patchwork holds together really well.
Is the sequel as first as the original, err, I mean is the sequel as good as the original? It's only been three years, and I've already forgotten much of the original, so a) I don't know, and b) hey, maybe so, if this one proves more memorable. Regardless, it's not a BAD sequel by any stretch.
I guess what I'm saying is that it's by no means a perfect film, but that's not how I review movies. I had a great time. Despicable Me 2 comes in at number 5 for me this year, and I can whole-heartedly recommend it to my friends -- those with, and those without children they choose to have accompany them to the theater.