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Fiendish facts: 10 things you never knew about Despicable Me 3

Gru and his Minions are back for a third outing in Despicable Me 3. To celebrate, we've rounded-up 10 facts about the latest animated epic, which is in cinemas now

Gru (left) meets long-lost brother Dru, both voiced by Steve Carell, in Despicable Me 3
Gru (left) meets long-lost brother Dru, both voiced by Steve Carell, in Despicable Me 3 Gru (left) meets long-lost brother Dru, both voiced by Steve Carell, in Despicable Me 3

SEVEN years after super-villain Gru and his Minions first appeared on the big screen comes Despicable Me 3, in which Gru (voiced by Steve Carell) discovers he has a long-lost twin, Dru (also voiced by Carell).

We've gone behind the scenes of the animated sequel to bring you some facts and trivia about the film.

1) Carell, who's played Gru since 2010's Despicable Me, jumped at the chance to play his twin brother, Dru

"I thought that was fun, to play an identical twin of Gru, and then they just said, 'Whatever you want to do with the voice, we'll work on it together'," says the actor.

2) Dru's voice reportedly emerged from a moment when Carell was messing about in the studio

 "It grew from a laugh in the middle of the recording session," recalls editor Claire Dodgson.

"I was able to play it back to the directors and Steve and say, 'There's something here ... ' It was the perfect foil to Gru, just this internal joy."

3) Carell was shown images and illustrations of Dru to help form his voice

"It was sort of a natural extension because Gru is so dour and cynical and I thought his brother with the long, flowing blonde hair and this big smile on his face would be really excited all the time."

4) Trey Parker voices villainous Balthazar Bratt, a former 80s child star who's seeking revenge on the audience who rejected him

DM3 marks the first time the co-creator of South Park has been directed by anyone but himself.

5) Miranda Cosgrove, who returns as Margo, the eldest of Gru's adopted children, was 13 when she began work on the first Despicable Me – she's now 24

6) Julie Andrews and Steve Coogan reprise their roles as Gru's mother and Silas Ramsbottom, head of the Anti-Villain League.

Coogan also lends his vocal talents to Dru's unflappable butler Fritz.

7) Dru has a flowing mane of blonde hair, much to the annoyance of his brother Gru.

Co-director Eric Guillon admits it was a challenge to create a haircut on a head that doesn't have a forehead. "I came up with the idea of a part in the middle and longish hair – a bit cheesy but it gives Dru a teenage look."

8) The look of Minion Mel, who leads the revolt against Gru, is actually inspired by Chris Meledandri, the founder of Illumination, the studio behind the Despicable Me franchise

"I designed a birthday card for Chris a few years ago," explains Guillon. "I drew Chris as a Minion and used the same design and haircut for Mel that I used on the card."

9) The Despicable Me franchise is inspired by the physical comedy of Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, Peter Sellers and Rowan Atkinson

10) The music is the combination of a score from composer Heitor Pereira and multi Grammy Award winner Pharrell Williams.

They've collaborated on each of the Despicable Me movies.

Despicable Me 3 is in cinemas now