Family audiences have turned this sequel to 2010s surprise animated hit into a certified smash. Im not surprised. Three years have turned Despicable Me into a DVD babysitter with kids enjoying multiple viewings of the villainous huncbacked inventor Gru (voiced by Steve Carell) and his Minions, yellow munchkins born for mischief. So what if the followup comes up short in originality and surprise. Its still a first-class charm assault. Carell growls gleefully as he distracts his three adopted daughters with inventions so cool that we forget (almost) that hes grown a squishy heart. Gru even gets a love interest in secret agent Lucy Wilde, voiced by Kristen Wiig with enough scene-stealing comic verve to make the Minions jealous. The plot, cooked up by Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio, involves a secret serum and is spindly enough to rival Grus legs. But co-directors Chris Renaud and Pierre Coffin, who do Minion voices expertly, never let up on the laughs. A fart joke in 3-D may not be three times as wacky, but the high spirits of Despicable Me 2 are irresistible fun.