'Me 2' Apparently Too 'Despicable' for Audiences in China

Despicable Me 2, the latest animated feature from Universal studios, was not approved for screening in China, according to The Wrap. Actually, it shouldn't be a big surprise since the original Despicable Me wasn't released here either.

No reason for blocking the film has been given. The film, targeted at children, has been a huge success in Hong Kong. The Hollywood Reporter states that in June The Croods, another animated feature from DreamWorks, was also blocked in China, apparently to give homegrown cartoons a better chance at the box office.

May saw the release of Kuiba II, the sequel to Kuiba, a highly successful domestic animated film. The industry here is hoping to use animation as way to break into Western markets, much like Japanese anime did in the '90s, and to reduce the influence of foreign cartoons on Chinese children.

Click here to watch videos of 'Kuiba II' and China's top 10 cartoons

But Hollywood has struggled with releases in China. While some titles, like Iron Man 3, have had an easy ride to blockbuster glory, earlier this summer release dates for The Lone Ranger were tossed around by authorities, forcing Johnny Depp and Jerry Bruckheimer to cancel a trip to China to promote the film. And openings of Django Unchained were blacked out in April due to graphic content, with a censored version of the film re-released in early May.

Despicable Me 2 was highly anticipated in China and received plenty of local media coverage. It was expected to be one of the most popular films of the year. Trailers for the film are still available on Youku. Monsters University from Pixar Studios, however, is still slated for a hot release on August 23 in tandem with a remake of Jurassic Park in 3-D.

Watch: Trailer for 'Despicable Me 2'