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ANNECY, France – Despicable Me 2, the highly anticipated sequel to 2010’s original, was met with a minutes-long standing ovation from a raucous audience Wednesday night at a special screening at the Annecy Animation Festival.
The crowd was palpably delighted throughout the screening, even singing along to the songs in the closing scene, and the party atmosphere carried over into cheers and wild applause as the credits rolled.
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Illumination Entertainment president Chris Meledandri, producer Janet Healy, co-directors Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud and several members of the Paris-based Illumination Mac Guff team were on hand.
Meledandri introduced the film, noting that this was the first time the team had seen it with an audience, where it played as a special event screening at the animation festival ahead of its U.S. premiere and Fourth of July weekend release.
“I want to thank you and Annecy for having us at your tremendous festival,” he said. “There is no place in the world where animation is loved as much as right here in this theater.”
He went on to thank the National Cinema Center and Film France for their support during the filmmaking process.
“For me, it is an honor to have produced the film in France,” he added.
The first film was animated by the Paris-based Mac Guff, which was acquired by Illumination Entertainment in 2011.
Watch the trailer for the sequel above.
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