Longtime supervillain Felonious Gru faces a blow to his ego when an unidentified rival cunningly steals the Great Pyramid of Giza. Together with his elderly assistant Dr. Nefario and his loyal army of Minions, Gru hatches a plan to steal the Moon instead. To secure funding, he approaches Mr. Perkins, the director of the Bank of Evil, who instructs Gru to acquire a shrink ray. It is at the bank that Gru first encounters the up-and-coming supervillain Vector, the orchestrator of the Pyramid heist. In a daring move, Gru and two of his Minions manage to obtain the shrink ray from a research facility in Southeast Asia, only to be ambushed by Vector, who snatches it from their grasp.
After several failed attempts to infiltrate Vector’s fortified lair, Gru notices three orphaned girls—Margo, Edith, and Agnes—who are permitted entry to sell cookies to Vector. Under the pretense of a dentist, Gru decides to adopt the girls and cleverly uses them as pawns to distract Vector while he plans to recover the shrink ray. His initial intention to abandon them at an amusement park takes an unexpected turn as he begins to bond with them.
Later, Gru attempts to impress Perkins by showcasing the shrink ray via a video call, but is met with rejection. Sensing Gru’s despair, the girls generously offer him their piggy bank, while the Minions chip in their resources to support the moon heist. Meanwhile, Perkins, learning about Gru’s possession of the shrink ray and revealing that Vector is his son, alerts Vector, setting off a chain of events to thwart Gru’s plans. Nefario calculates the optimal day for the moon heist, which, unfortunately, coincides with the girls’ much-anticipated ballet recital.
Feeling the girls are too much of a distraction, Nefario calls Miss Hattie, the owner of the orphanage, to take them back. Ignoring the advice of his assistant, Gru resolves to execute the moon heist alone, leaving Nefario behind. The following day, Gru successfully shrinks and steals the Moon. In a race against time, he hopes to make it to the recital but discovers that it has already ended and the girls have been kidnapped by Vector.
Upon arriving at Vector’s fortress, Gru surrenders the Moon in exchange for the girls, but Vector cruelly refuses to return them. Enraged, Gru launches an all-out assault on Vector's stronghold, evading all defenses with determination. As panic sets in for Vector, he activates his escape aircraft. Meanwhile, Nefario and the Minions figure out that the shrink ray's effects are fleeting; the larger the object, the quicker it returns to its normal size. In a thrilling rescue, Gru, Nefario, and the Minions manage to save the girls just in time, as the Moon begins to revert to its full size, sending it hurtling into orbit and obliterating Vector's aircraft.
With the girls safe, Gru reclaims guardianship and they joyously celebrate at a special ballet recital that transforms into an unforgettable dance party.
