Stars line up for animated 'Despicable Me'

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif., Nov. 13 (UPI) -- Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Russell Brand and Julie Andrews have agreed to lend their voices to characters in Hollywood's animated movie "Despicable Me."

Universal Pictures Thursday announced the principal voice talent for its inaugural 3-D CGI feature -- the studio's first film from animation producer Chris Meledandri, who worked on the "Ice Age" franchise, "Robots" and "Horton Hears a Who!"

Meledandri will produce the movie through his new Universal Pictures-based family-entertainment production company, Illumination Entertainment, which has a multi-picture deal to deliver live-action and animated all-audience films for the Universal slate, the movie studio said.

Also set to lend their voices to characters in "Despicable Me" are Kristen Wiig, Will Arnett, Jemaine Clement and Jack McBrayer.

"Everybody has a wicked side, whether they are 6 or 60, and yet so often storytelling draws a sharp line between good and evil," Meledandri said in a statement. "After years of taking my sons to the movies and having them leave the theater with the villain as their favorite character, we decided to make a movie where the villain is the protagonist."