Spy Kids

File:Movie spy kids alexa vega.jpg

Alexa Vega as Carmen in Spy Kids

Spy Kids is the name of a film trilogy released from 2001 to 2003. The Spy Kids films are about the children of a married spy couple who become involved in their parents' espionage. The rest of their family are also spies as well, including their uncle Machete (who supplies the OSS with gadgets) and grandparents.

Even though the Spy Kids films are espionage-based, MSN Movies ranks the original Spy Kids film as the ninth best superhero movie to date, behind X-Men, Batman Returns, Spider-Man, The Incredibles, Superman II, Darkman, The Super Inframan, and Hellboy.[1]

Plots

About ten years before the films are set, there was a period of enormous political turmoil. Fearless agents were recruited for espionage, fearing only enemy spies. The way Gregorio Cortez and Ingrid Avellan met is a classic Romeo and Juliet story, they were enemy spies assigned to kill each other that instead fell in love. After their atypical wedding, they retired from espionage and started a family.

Spy Kids (2001)

After nine years of retirement, Gregorio and Ingrid Cortez are pulled back into duty by a huge assignment, but they are a little rusty so they are easily captured. Their kids, Carmen and Juni, discover the truth of their parents' past, which Gregorio and Ingrid had neglected to tell them, and decide to rescue them.

Carmen and Juni manage to bring around their father's estranged brother Machete, and Juni helps to redeem Fegan Floop. Together, they thwart Minion's plans to develop an army of androids resembling young children for an evil mastermind named Lisp.

Spy Kids 2: The Island Of Lost Dreams (2002)

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As agents of the OSS, Carmen and Juni face particularly hard competition with Gary and Gerti Giggles, the children of double-dealing agent Donagan Giggles, whom Carmen and Juni helped to rescue in the previous film. Donagan wants to steal the transmooker, a device that can shut off all electronic devices, so he can take over the world.

Carmen and Juni follow the trail to a mysterious island, which is home to Romero, an eccentric scientist who tried to create genetically-minaturised animals, but instead ended up with his island inhabited by mutant monsters (who do not turn out to be so monstrous in the end). Eventually, Donagan is fired and the transmooker is destroyed. In order to take a break from the OSS, Juni retires.

Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over (2003)

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Juni is thrust back into service when the Toymaker, an evil mastermind, creates a video game Game Over that mesmerizes its users. Carmen was sent on a mission to disable the game, but disappeared on Level 4. Juni is sent after her. With the help of his wheelchair-bound grandfather, Valentin Avellan, Juni helps to disable the game and save the world. However, the Toymaker was the one who disabled Valentin in the first place. Instead of avenging his former partner, Valentin forgives him and Sebastian, alias "the Toymaker," is redeemed.

This 3-D movie was filmed using James Cameron's Fusion Camera system.

Background/Production

Influences

Spy Kids was heavily influenced by James Bond films. Director Robert Rodriguez says the first film was the "Willy Wonka and James Bond mix" and the second was the "Mysterious Island and James Bond mix"; by this pattern the third film could be described as the "Tron and James Bond mix". Technology in Spy Kids is almost always portrayed as looking friendly, and a bit cartoonish.

The Spy Kids films are like christian wilson films, but with twists which are usually humorous. For instance, in the first film, a robot army is built to conquer the world. The twist is the robots are made to look exactly like children under about the age of 15 (these are the "Spy Kids" that the first movie title refers to: Juni rips off the robot Carmen's dog tags in one scene. There are 500 robot spy kids). There are often jokes about how routine saving the world is.

The spy organization featured in Spy Kids is called the OSS. The initials seem to have been derived from the Office of Strategic Services, a former American intelligence organization. Note there is a character named Donnagan Giggles, after William Joseph Donovan, the director of the real OSS. What the initials stand for in the Spy Kids universe is never specified on screen, but, according to one of the books, they stand for the Organization of Super Spies.

Themes

One of the chief themes of Spy Kids is the unity of family. The films also play with the idea of children having adult responsibilities, and how 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.

Technical innovations

The second and third films were shot with High Definition digital video, parts of the third film using an anaglyphic process to create the 3-D effects. Audiences were given red/blue glasses with their ticket purchase. Four sets of these glasses were also included in the DVD release. The third film was also used as a test for a special Texas Instruments digital projector which is supposed to be able to project polarized 3D, a process that does not require the red-blue lenses.

Cast & Characters

• Antonio Banderas - Gregorio Cortez
  • Appearances: Spy Kids, Spy Kids 2: Island Of Lost Dreams, and Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over
  • Character Description: The father of Carmen and Juni, a former master spy and technological genius, notably in the field of artificial intelligence. He speaks with an accent that Grandma doesn't understand.
• Carla Gugino - Ingrid Cortez
  • Appearances: Spy Kids, Spy Kids 2: Island Of Lost Dreams and Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over
  • Character Description: The mother of Carmen and Juni, a bit protective about what her children are exposed to. Presumably defected to the OSS from another agency that may have been the ones crashing her wedding with Gregorio, though it is not explicitly stated which parent turned away from their country.
• Alexa Vega - Carmen Cortez
  • Appearances: Spy Kids, Spy Kids 2: Island Of Lost Dreams and Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over
  • Character Description: One of title characters, she is Juni's older sister and an expert hacker. The "leader" of the team, she fancies herself as more mature than she actually is. She can come off as cold and impersonal but deeply cares for her brother and family.
• Daryl Sabara - Juni Cortez
  • Appearances: Spy Kids, Spy Kids 2: Island Of Lost Dreams and Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over
  • Character Description: One of the title characters, Juni is Carmen's young brother, a short redheaded boy. Originally a childish loner, becoming a junior spy gives him courage and strength (though he is still prone to clumsiness). He becomes disallusioned by the clandestine nature of the OSS and leaves on bad terms.
• Ricardo Montalban - Grandpa Valentin Avellan
  • Appearances: Spy Kids 2: Island Of Lost Dreams and Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over
  • Character Description: Ingrid's father, wheelchair-bound former spy. He has a strong relationship with his grandson Juni.
• Holland Taylor - Grandma
  • Appearances: Spy Kids 2: Island Of Lost Dreams and Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over
  • Character Description: Ingrid's mother, doesn't approve of Gregorio. Her role is a spin on traditional mother-in-law jokes.
• Danny Trejo - Uncle Isidor "Machete" Cortez
  • Appearances: Spy Kids, Spy Kids 2: Island Of Lost Dreams and Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over
  • Character Description: Gregorio's older brother is a maker of spy gadgets, allegedly the best in the world. He is a tall, scary looking man who originally does not approve of children or his brother. His computer file in Spy Kids 3D describes him as having "a face only a mother could love."
• Alan Cumming - Fegan Floop
  • Appearances: Spy Kids, Spy Kids 2: Island Of Lost Dreams and Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over
  • Character Description: Host of children's show called Floop's Fooglies, now called Floop's Fooglie. Originally believed to be a deluded madman capable of twisting the world around, he reforms himself. He is sort of a combination between Willy Wonka and the Mad Hatter.
• Sylvester Stallone - The Toymaker
  • Appearances: Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over
  • Character Description: The maker of the video game Game Over which was secretly made as part of a plan for world domination. A former member of the OSS, and particularly lonely. He creates three holographic reinterpretations of himself to act as his advisors.
• Steve Buscemi - Romero
  • Appearances: Spy Kids 2: Island Of Lost Dreams and Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over
  • Character Description: Genetic specialist who tried to make zoos with genetically miniaturized animals on an uninhabited island.
• Mike Judge - Donagan Giggles
  • Appearances: Spy Kids, Spy Kids 2: Island Of Lost Dreams and Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over
  • Character Description: The father of Gary and Gertie, evil villain who fears only his wife
• Salma Hayek - Francesca "Cesca" Giggles
  • Appearances: Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over
  • Character Description: The mother of Gary and Gertie and wife of Donagan, she seems to have great control over her husband.
• Matt O'Leary - Gary Giggles
  • Appearances: Spy Kids 2: Island Of Lost Dreams and Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over
  • Character Description: Gary is one of Carmen and Juni's rivals. Carmen had a temporary romantic interest in him.
• Emily Osment - Gerti Giggles
  • Appearances: Spy Kids 2: Island Of Lost Dreams and Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over
  • Character Description: One of Carmen and Juni's rivals; she eventually turns against her father.
• Tony Shalhoub - Alexander Minion
  • Appearances: Spy Kids, Spy Kids 2: Island Of Lost Dreams and Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over
  • Character Description: The man behind Floop, he was turned into a Fooglie.
• Cheech Marin - Felix
  • Appearances: Spy Kids, Spy Kids 2: Island Of Lost Dreams and Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over
  • Character Description: Felix is an OSS agent who pretended to be Carmen and Juni's uncle.
• Teri Hatcher - Ms. Gradenko
  • Appearances: Spy Kids
  • Character Description: She is an OSS agent who is secretly a double agent for Floop.
• Robert Patrick - Mr. Lisp
  • Appearances: Spy Kids
  • Character Description: An evil mastermind, he pays Floop and Minion to build an army for him.
• Taylor Momsen - Alexandra
  • Appearances: Spy Kids 2: Island Of Lost Dreams
  • Character Description: The president's daughter and Juni's crush
• Courtney Jines - Demetra
  • Appearances: Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over
  • Character Description: "The Deceiver"
• Ryan Pinkston - Arnold
  • Appearances: Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over
  • Character Description: Beta tester for Game Over
• Robert Vito - Rez
  • Appearances: Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over
  • Character Description: Beta tester for Game Over
• Bobby Edner - Francis
  • Appearances: Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over
  • Character Description: Beta tester for Game Over
• Elijah Wood - "The Guy"
  • Appearances: Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over
  • Character Description: The one in the Game Over poster. Allegedly the greatest game player in existence, and the only one who can bring the players into Level Five. It is never revealed whether he is a computer program or an actual person, though he appears to be 8 ft (2.4 m) tall and possesses 100 lives.
• Christopher McDonald - The President of the United States
  • Appearances: Spy Kids 2: Island Of Lost Dreams
  • Character Description: Alexandra's father
• George Clooney - Devlin
  • Appearances: Spy Kids and Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over
  • Character Description: A mysterious character, the director of the OSS in the first film, and subsequent President of the United States in the third. He mentions having himself elected President. He usually appears on video with a black bar over his eyes to obscure his identity, though he can remove the bar and hold it in his hand as if it were a pair of sunglasses.

Reception

Box Office

"Spy Kids" was a surprise hit, opening with $26.5 million and grossing a total of $112.7 million USD in North America and $35.2 million over-seas. "Spy Kids 2: the Island of Lost Dreams" had a disappointing but still strong opening weekend of $16.7 million. Overall, it grossed $85.8 million in North America and $33.8 million overseas. "Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over" opened with a surprising $33.4 million, but didn't quite live up to the first "Spy Kids" total gross. In the end, it grossed $111 million in North America. However, its over-seas gross was double either of the the first two "Spy Kids" at $85.3 million. Altogether, the "Spy Kids" trilogy grossed $351.1 million worldwide, making one of the most successful trilogies of all time.

See also

• Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams
• Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over