Blu-ray

This quick-witted and zany sequel to 2010's surprise animated smash finds former supervillain Gru having renounced a life of crime in favour of raising his three adopted daughters and using his gadgets to make jam. But when the Anti-Villain League asks for help tracking down a mystery criminal, Gru finds himself back in the game and up to his neck in something more terrifying than he ever expected: romance. Terrific cartoon fun – even if it's not quite as good as the side-splitting original.

Picture: Universal has done a superb job bringing Despicable Me 2 to Blu-ray in both its 3D and 2D incarnations. As sequences such as Chapter 3's underwater journey show, this is a film that was made to be seen in 3D and the stereoscopic Blu-ray platter's MVC 1.85:1 1080p images handles everything thrown at it with aplomb – even the potentially troublesome shots showcasing negative parallax (in front of the screen) trickery.

The set's 2D platter proves equally proficient, courtesy of a bright and colourful AVC 1.85:1 1080p transfer. And while some instances of banding hold both encodes back from absolute perfection, we doubt your junior AV addicts will notice.
Picture rating: 4.5/5

Audio: There's nothing technically wrong with Despicable Me 2's DTS-HD MA 5.1 mix, but its use of the surround speakers is so restrained that at one point we even checked to make sure that none of the cables were loose in our system (they weren't).

As the film progresses the mix eventually unleashes a handful of set-pieces that do bring the entire soundstage to life. Yet taken as a whole, it's lacking in the kind of consistent playfulness and immersive quality that marks out the very best lossless soundtracks.
Audio rating: 4/5

Extras: The 2D disc's bonus features get underway with a trio of fun animated shorts – Puppy, Panic in the Mailroom and Training Wheels – and a six-minute featurette about their creation. Also included on the set's 2D platter are an audio commentary from directors Chris Renaud and Pierre Coffin, an extended version of Gru's flashback scene and six brief character and gadget featurettes. The 3D disc includes a stereoscopic version of the Puppy short.
Extras rating: 3/5

We say: This gag-packed cartoon sequel looks superb in HD – although we expected more from the disc's lossless audio mix

Despicable Me 2 3D, Universal Pictures, All-region BD, £28 Approx
HCC VERDICT: 4/5