Spy Kids is an American media franchise centered on a series of spyaction comedy films created by Robert Rodriguez. The plot follows various children, who discover that their respective parents are spies and become involved in an espionage organization when their parents go missing. The films include Hispanic themes, as Rodriguez is of Mexican descent.[1]
Background
Influences
Spy Kids was influenced by elements of the James Bond movies, through the genre of family films. Rodriguez has stated that the first movie was "a fusion of Willy Wonka and James Bond",[2] while the second was the "Mysterious Island and James Bond mix".
The spy organization in the films is called the OSS. These initials are from the Office of Strategic Services, a former U.S. intelligence organization during World War II which later evolved into the CIA. The character Donnagon Giggles was named after William Joseph Donovan, the director of the original OSS.[3] The initials in the Spy Kids universe are never specified on screen, but, in one of the books, they stand for the Organization of Super Spies.
Themes
One of the main themes of Spy Kids is the unity of family. The children have adult responsibilities, and a lesson is that keeping secrets from family members can have a negative effect on relationships. The first film also deals extensively with sibling rivalry and the responsibility of older children. There is also a strong sense of Latino heritage.
Technical innovations
The other films were shot with High Definition digital video,[4] parts of the third film using an anaglyphic process to create the 3-D effect. Audiences were given red/blue 3D glasses with their tickets in movie theatres. Four sets of these glasses were also included in the DVD release. The third film was used as a test for a special Texas Instruments digital projector which can project polarized 3D, which does not require the red-blue lenses, later reused for The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D (2005).[5][6]
After retiring from espionage for ten years, Gregorio and Ingrid (Antonio Banderas and Carla Gugino) are pulled back into duty for their important assignment despite the fact they were out of practice, and were captured. Their two children, Carmen and Juni (Alexa Vega and Daryl Sabara), stay with their uncle Felix Gumm (Cheech Marin) and discover the truth of their parents' past, which they had neglected to tell them because they were afraid that if they knew, they would picture danger at every corner; and decide to rescue them. On their first mission, Carmen and Juni manage to bring around their estranged uncle, Isador "Machete" Cortez (Danny Trejo), a genius gadget inventor and Juni helps to redeem a TV show host named Fegan Floop (Alan Cumming). Together, Carmen and Juni thwart the plan of Floop's notorious second in-command Alexander Minion (Tony Shalhoub) to develop an army of androids resembling young children (including Carmen and Juni themselves) for a mastermind named Mr. Lisp (Robert Patrick) and his partner Ms. Gradenko (Teri Hatcher). The robots based on Carmen and Juni became part of Floop's show.
As agents of the OSS, Carmen and Juni try to save the daughter (Taylor Momsen) of the President of the United States (Christopher McDonald) while facing a particularly hard competition with Gary and Gerti Giggles (Matt O'Leary and Emily Osment), the two children of a double-dealing agent Donnagon Giggles (Mike Judge), whom Carmen and Juni helped to rescue them from the first film. Juni gets fired from the OSS after fighting with Gary over a smaller version of the transmooker, a device that can shut off all electronic devices even though it was Gary who started the fight. Juni loses his spot for the best spy kid of the year award, while Donnagon plans to steal the transmooker to take over the world. On their second mission, Carmen and Juni follow the trail to the mysterious island of Leeke Leeke which is home to Romero (Steve Buscemi), an eccentric scientist who attempted to create genetically miniaturised animals, but instead ended up with his island inhabited by mutant monsters. Eventually, Donnagon is fired and Gary is suspended, and the transmooker is destroyed. Juni is offered his job back, but in order to take a break from the OSS, he retires to start his own private eye agency.
After retiring from the OSS, Juni is thrust back into service when an evil mastermind named Sebastian "The Toymaker" (Sylvester Stallone) creates a fictional video game called Game Over, which hypnotizes its users. Carmen was sent on a mission to disable the game, but disappeared on Level 4. With the help of his maternal grandfather, Valentin Avellan (Ricardo Montalban), who uses a wheelchair, Juni is sent after Carmen and helps her to disable the game in order to save the world. It is revealed that Sebastian was the one who disabled Valentin in the first place. Instead of avenging his former partner, Valentin forgives Sebastian who is redeemed.
The OSS has become the world's top spy agency, while the Spy Kids department has become defunct. Marissa (Jessica Alba), a retired spy, is thrown back into the action along with her two stepchildren, Rebecca and Cecil (Rowan Blanchard and Mason Cook), when a maniacal Timekeeper (Jeremy Piven) attempts to take over the world. In order to save the world, Rebecca and Cecil must team up with Marissa.
The fifth installment titled Spy Kids: Armageddon, served as a relaunch of the franchise, involves a plot that centers on a multicultural family. Robert Rodriguez is again writer/director, while the project is a joint-venture production between Skydance Media and Spyglass Media Group.[8][9] The film is scheduled for distribution on Netflix,[10] making it the second Spy Kids project produced for the platform.[7]Gina Rodriguez, Zachary Levi, Everly Carganilla and Connor Esterson were set to star,[11] along with Billy Magnussen[12] and D. J. Cotrona.[13] The plotline for the film: "When the children of the world's greatest secret agents unwittingly help a powerful Game Developer unleash a computer virus that gives him control of all technology, they must become spies themselves to save their parents and the world".[14] Production of the film wrapped in late August 2022,[15][16] and was released on Netflix on September 22, 2023.[17]
Though the movie does not include other characters from the franchise, Rodriguez confirmed that it takes place in the same continuity as the previous installments.[18]
Future
In September 2023, Rodriguez confirmed that Netflix intends to develop additional Spy Kids movies,[18] with the filmmaker expressing hope to begin production on a sequel the following year.[19] Rodriguez explained that Armageddon incorporated a new family because so much time had passed since All the Time in the World, and so he wanted to incorporate a new set of characters before returning to what came before; confirming that he intends to bring back "legacy characters" from the previous installments in future movies.[18]
An animated series based on the films, Spy Kids: Mission Critical, was released on Netflix in 2018.[20] The first and second seasons both consist of 10 episodes[21] and is produced by Mainframe Studios.[22] Robert Rodriguez was one of the executive producers on the show.
Main cast and characters
List indicator(s)
This section includes characters who will appear or have appeared in franchise.
An empty, dark grey cell indicates the character was not in the film, or that the character's official presence has not yet been confirmed.
A indicates an appearance through archival footage or audio.
August 2, 2011 (Spy Kids, Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams, and Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over) on DVD and Blu-ray Disc by Lionsgate (However, all 3 DVDs are still the original Buena Vista Home Entertainment copies.)
November 15, 2011 (Spy Kids, Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams, and Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over Triple Feature) on Blu-ray Disc by Lionsgate
November 22, 2011 (Spy Kids: All the Time in the World) on DVD and Blu-ray by Anchor Bay Entertainment
December 4, 2012 (Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over, The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D 3D Double Feature) on Blu-ray 3D Disc by Lionsgate
September 22, 2020 (Spy Kids, Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams, and Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over Triple Feature) on DVD and Blu-ray Disc reissue by Paramount
Books
Novelizations
Novelizations of the films Spy Kids, Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams, and Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over were released by Disney-Hyperion. They were adapted by Megan Stine, Kiki Thorpe, and Kitty Richards.
The posters and end of the credits for each film say "Read the Talk/Miramax Books", telling the viewers to read the print retelling.
KD Novelties personalized book
In 2002, KD Novelties made a personalized children's book based on Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams.[38]
Spy Kids Adventures
Between 2003 and 2004, Disney-Hyperion released ten novels of a book series titled Spy Kids Adventures, written by Elizabeth Lenhard.
From 2001 to 2004, children's anthology magazines Disney Adventures and BBC Magazines' Disney's Comic published over a dozen syndicated short comics that accompanied the first three films as well as additional stories for Disney's Comic. They were written by Steve Behling and/or Michael Stewart, penciled and inked by Christine Norrie, colored by John Green (with the exception of the April 2002 issue's comic The Big Drop, which was colored by Atomic Paintbrush, and the Disney Adventures Comic Zone first issue's comic Tomorrow Trouble, which was colored by Hi-Fi Color Design), and lettered by Michael Stewart.
Spy Kids
Pop! Goes the World! (September 2001, Disney Adventures; November 2001, Disney Adventures Australia)
Deep Trouble! (October 2001, Disney Adventures; December 2001, Disney Adventures Australia; July 2002, Disney's Comic)[42]
Caught by the Web! (November 2001, Disney Adventures; January 2002, Disney Adventures Australia; September 2002, Disney's Comic)[43]
F.A.N.G.s a Lot! (March 2002, Disney Adventures; June 2002, Disney Adventures Australia; August 2002, Disney's Comic)[44]
The Big Drop! (April 2002, Disney Adventures; July 2002, Disney Adventures Australia)
The Invisible Enemy! (May 2002, Disney Adventures; August 2002, Disney Adventures Australia)[45]
Fright Flight! (June 2002, Disney Adventures; September 2002, Disney Adventures Australia)[46]
The Menace of Micro-Man! (Summer 2002, Disney Adventures; January 2003, Disney Adventures Australia)[47]
The Mysterious Many-Man! (Q3 2002, Disney AdventuresSuper Comic Special; September 2003, Disney Adventures Australia)[48]
Tomorrow Trouble! (Summer 2004, Disney Adventures Comic Zone)
Spy Kids 2
Rodeo Ruckus! (September 2002, Disney Adventures; March 2003, Disney Adventures Australia, Disney's Comic)[49]
Face to Face with F.A.N.G.! (April 2003, Disney Adventures, Disney's Comic; December 2003, Disney Adventures Comic Book - All The Coolest Comics Australia)[50]
Nightmare at 30,000 Feet! (May 2003, Disney's Comic)[51]
Metal Menace! (September 2003, Disney's Comic; April 2004, Disney Adventures)[55]
McDonald's comics (2003)
In July 2003, McDonald's published a six-issue limited series based on Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over. It was distributed in McDonald's Happy Meals to promote the film, bundled with Happy Meal toys as well as anaglyph 3D glasses made for the comics.
Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over (2003, Microsoft Windows and Mac)
Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over (2003, Game Boy Advance)
Spy Kids: Learning Adventures series
The Underground Affair (2004, Microsoft Windows and Mac)
The Man in the Moon (2004, Microsoft Windows and Mac)
The Candy Conspiracy (2004, Microsoft Windows and Mac)
The Nightmare Machine (2004, Microsoft Windows and Mac)
Spy Kids: All the Time in the World (2011, Nintendo DS)
Related film series
Isador "Machete" Cortez, who appeared in all four Spy Kids film series as a supporting character, additionally had a series of two stand-alone films: Machete and Machete Kills, also written and directed by Robert Rodriguez. However, the Machete films share little in common with the Spy Kids films thematically and are not considered direct spin-offs, the first film instead being an adult-oriented actionexploitation film, with the second film introducing science fiction elements; both films additionally share several cast members and characters with the Spy Kids films.[57] The idea for a Machete film came from a fake trailer promoting the Grindhouse double-feature by Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino.[58] Trejo and Rodriguez have made two conflicting statements regarding its canonicity to the Spy Kids films; Trejo claimed that the films depict "what Uncle Machete does when he's not taking care of the kids",[58] while Rodriguez said in a Reddit AMA that they are alternate universes.[59] Regardless, Rodriguez claimed that he was prompted by an incident on the set of the first Machete film to start envisioning a fourth film in the main Spy Kids film series, casting Jessica Alba as Machete's sister Marissa, a different character to the one she portrayed in Machete, with Trejo additionally reprising his role alongside her.[60][61][62][63]
Notes
^The Walt Disney Company had to cut their own share on the fourth film with The Weinstein Company to 5% after the latter party lost their bid to reclaim Miramax Films.[64]
^Fred Topel (August 2002). "Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams". Cinefantastique. Vol. 34, no. 5. pp. 46–49. Rodriguez shot SPY KIDS 2 entirely with High Definition digital cameras
