''Spy Kids'' is an American

spy Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence) from non-disclosed sources or divulging of the same without the permission of the holder of the information for a tangib ...

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

action Action may refer to: * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video game Film * Action film, a genre of film * ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford * ''Action'' (1980 fil ...

adventure An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme spo ...

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

franchise created by

Robert Rodriguez Robert Anthony Rodriguez (; born June 20, 1968) is an American filmmaker, composer, and visual effects supervisor. He shoots, edits, produces, and scores many of his films in Mexico and in his home state of Texas. Rodriguez directed the 1992 ac ...

. The plot follows adventures of

Carmen ''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the Carmen (novella), novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first perfo ...

and

Juni Cortez Juni Rocket Racer Rebel Cortez is a fictional character and the male protagonist of the Spy Kids (franchise), ''Spy Kids'' franchise, portrayed by Daryl Sabara in the film series and voiced by Carter Hastings in the television series. Appearances ...

, two children who become involved in their parents' espionage organization. The films include

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

themes, as Rodriguez is of Mexican descent.

Background

Influences

''Spy Kids'' was influenced by

James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...

films. The first film was "a fusion of

Willy Wonka Willy Wonka is a fictional character appearing in British author Roald Dahl's 1964 children's novel ''Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'' and its 1972 sequel ''Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator''. He is the eccentric founder and proprietor ...

and

" and the second was the "''

Mysterious Island ''The Mysterious Island'' (french: L'Île mystérieuse) is a novel by Jules Verne, published in 1875. The original edition, published by Hetzel, contains a number of illustrations by Jules Férat. The novel is a crossover sequel to Verne's fam ...

'' and James Bond mix". The spy organization in the films is called the OSS. These initials are from the

Office of Strategic Services The Office of Strategic Services (OSS) was the intelligence agency of the United States during World War II. The OSS was formed as an agency of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) to coordinate espionage activities behind enemy lines for all branc ...

, a former

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

intelligence organization during World War II which later evolved into the

CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian intelligence agency, foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gat ...

. The character Donnagon Giggles, was named after

William Joseph Donovan William Joseph "Wild Bill" Donovan (January 1, 1883 – February 8, 1959) was an American soldier, lawyer, intelligence officer and diplomat, best known for serving as the head of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the precursor to the B ...

, the director of the original OSS.CIA: ''Look Back … Gen. William J. Donovan Heads Office of Strategic Services''
/ref> 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 also is a strong sense of

heritage.

Technical innovations

The other films were shot with High Definition

digital video Digital video is an electronic representation of moving visual images (video) in the form of encoded digital data. This is in contrast to analog video, which represents moving visual images in the form of analog signals. Digital video comprises ...

, 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 The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...

release. The third film was used as a test for a special

Texas Instruments Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) is an American technology company headquartered in Dallas, Texas, that designs and manufactures semiconductors and various integrated circuits, which it sells to electronics designers and manufacturers globall ...

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 ''The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D'' (also known simply as ''The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl'', or often shortened to ''Sharkboy and Lavagirl''), is a 2005 American 3D superhero adventure film co-written and directed by R ...

'' (2005).

Films

''Spy Kids'' (2001)

After retiring from espionage for ten years, Gregorio and Ingrid (

Antonio Banderas José Antonio Domínguez Bandera (born 10 August 1960), known professionally as Antonio Banderas, is a Spanish actor and singer. Known for his work in films of several genres, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Antonio Ba ...

and

Carla Gugino Carla Gugino (; born August 29, 1971) is an American actress. After appearing in ''Troop Beverly Hills'' (1989) and ''This Boy's Life'' (1993), she received recognition for her starring roles as Ingrid Cortez in the ''Spy Kids'' trilogy (2001� ...

) are pulled back into duty for their important assignment despite the fact they were out of practice, and were captured. Their two children,

and Juni (

Alexa Vega Alexa Ellesse PenaVega (née Vega; born August 27, 1988) is an American actress and singer. She is known for her roles as Carmen Cortez in the ''Spy Kids'' film series and Julie Corky in the 2004 film ''Sleepover''. In 2009, she starred as the ...

and

Daryl Sabara Daryl Christopher Sabara (born June 14, 1992) is an American actor. He is known for portraying Juni Cortez in the ''Spy Kids'' film series and for a variety of television and film appearances, including '' The Polar Express'', '' Wizards of Wa ...

), stay with their uncle Felix Gumm (

Cheech Marin :''The surname'' Marin ''is of Spanish language origin. In Spanish, it is spelled'' Marín'', with an acute accent on the'' í. Richard Anthony "Cheech" Marin (born July 13, 1946) is an American actor, musician, comedian, and activist who gained ...

) 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 Danny Trejo ( ; born May 16, 1944) is an American actor. He has appeared in films including ''Desperado'', ''Heat'', and the ''From Dusk Till Dawn'' film series. With frequent collaborator and his second cousin Robert Rodriguez, he portrayed ...

), a genius gadget inventor and Juni helps to redeem a TV show host named Fegan Floop (

Alan Cumming Alan Cumming (born 27 January 1965) is a British actor. His London stage appearances include ''Hamlet'', the Maniac in ''Accidental Death of an Anarchist'' (for which he received an Olivier Award), the lead in '' Bent'', The National Theatre o ...

). Together, Carmen and Juni thwart the plan of Floop's notorious second in-command Alexander Minion (

Tony Shalhoub Anthony Marc Shalhoub ( ; born October 9, 1953), is an American actor. His accolades include five Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, six Screen Actors Guild Awards, a Tony Award, and a Grammy Award nomination. He played Adrian Monk in the USA N ...

) to develop an army of androids resembling young children (including Carmen and Juni themselves) for a mastermind named Mr. Lisp (

Robert Patrick Robert Hammond Patrick (born November 5, 1958) is an American actor. Known for portraying villains and honorable authority figures, he is a Saturn Award winner with four other nominations. Patrick dropped out of college when drama class sparked ...

) and his partner Ms. Gradenko (

Teri Hatcher Teri Lynn Hatcher (born December 8, 1964) is an American actress best known for her portrayals of Lois Lane on the television series '' Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman'' (1993–1997); Paris Carver in the ''James Bond'' film ''Tomor ...

). The robots based on Carmen and Juni became part of Floop's show.

''Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams'' (2002)

As agents of the OSS, Carmen and Juni try to save the daughter (

Taylor Momsen Taylor Michel Momsen (born July 26, 1993) is an American musician, singer, model, and former actress. Prior to her retirement from acting, she portrayed the character of Cindy Lou Who in the film '' How the Grinch Stole Christmas'' (2000) and Je ...

) of The President Of The United States (

Christopher McDonald Christopher McDonald (born February 15, 1955) is an American film, television, theatre and voice actor. McDonald is best known for playing the villainous professional golfer Shooter McGavin in the 1996 comedy ''Happy Gilmore''. Other notable ...

) while facing a particularly hard competition with Gary and Gerti Giggles (

Matt O'Leary Matthew Joseph O'Leary (born July 6, 1987) is an American actor. He made his debut in the made-for-television Disney Channel Original film ''Mom's Got a Date with a Vampire'' (2000), and would go on to star in the thriller '' Domestic Disturbance ...

and

Emily Osment Emily Jordan Osment (born March 10, 1992) is an American actress, singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Osment began her career as a child actress, appearing in numerous television shows and films, before co-starring as Gerti ...

), 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 The field of electronics is a branch of physics and electrical engineering that deals with the emission, behaviour and effects of electrons using Electronic component, electronic devices. Electronics uses Passivity (engineering), active 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 Steven Vincent Buscemi ( ,As stated in interviews by Buscemi himself, some may insist that his pronunciation of his own name is "wrong" because it does not match the original Italian pronunciation as well. It is not uncommon for people to pronou ...

), 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.

''Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over'' (2003)

After retiring from the OSS, Juni is thrust back into service when an evil mastermind named Sebastian "The Toymaker" (

Sylvester Stallone Sylvester Enzio Stallone (; born Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone, ) is an American actor and filmmaker. After his beginnings as a struggling actor for a number of years upon arriving to New York City in 1969 and later Hollywood in 1974, h ...

) 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 Ricardo is the Spanish and Portuguese cognate of the name Richard. It derived from Proto-Germanic ''*rīks'' 'king, ruler' + ''*harduz'' 'hard, brave'. It may be a given name, or a surname. People Given name *Ricardo de Araújo Pereira, Portugu ...

), 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.

''Spy Kids: All the Time in the World'' (2011)

The OSS has become the world's top spy agency, while the Spy Kids department has become defunct. A retired spy Marissa (

Jessica Alba Jessica Marie Alba ( ; born April 28, 1981) is an American actress and businesswoman. She began her television and movie appearances at age 13 in '' Camp Nowhere'' and '' The Secret World of Alex Mack'' (1994), and rose to prominence at age 19 ...

) is thrown back into the action along with her two stepchildren, Rebecca and Cecil (

Rowan Blanchard Rowan Blanchard (born October 14, 2001) is an American actress and political activist. She was included on a list of ''Times list of Most Influential Teens in 2015. She first became known for starring as Rebecca Wilson in '' Spy Kids: All t ...

and

Mason Cook Mason Cook (born July 25, 2000) is an American actor. He played Cecil Wilson in the 2011 film '' Spy Kids: All the Time in the World''. From 2016 to 2019 he portrayed Ray DiMeo in the ABC sitcom '' Speechless''. Early life Cook is from Oklahom ...

), when a maniacal Timekeeper (

Jeremy Piven Jeremy Samuel Piven (born July 26, 1965) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Ari Gold in the comedy series ''Entourage'', for which he won a Golden Globe Award and three consecutive Emmy Awards. He also starred in the British ...

) attempts to take over the world. In order to save the world, Rebecca and Cecil must team up with Marissa.

Future

In January 2021, it was announced that a

reboot In computing, rebooting is the process by which a running computer system is restarted, either intentionally or unintentionally. Reboots can be either a cold reboot (alternatively known as a hard reboot) in which the power to the system is physi ...

of the franchise is in development, with a film involving a plot that centers around a multicultural family. Robert Rodriguez will again serve as writer/director, while the project will be a joint-venture production between

Skydance Media Skydance Media, LLC (formerly known as Skydance Productions) is an American production company based in Santa Monica, California. Founded by David Ellison in 2006, the company entered a five-year partnership to co-produce and co-finance films with ...

and

Spyglass Media Group Spyglass Media Group, LLC, formerly Spyglass Entertainment, is an American film production company founded by Gary Barber and Roger Birnbaum in 1998. History Spyglass Entertainment On August 21, 1998, Gary Barber, former vice chairman and COO ...

. In March 2022, it was revealed to have landed at

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

, making it the second ''Spy Kids'' project produced for the platform. ''Production Weekly'' had included the film in their report of upcoming projects in development. It is to be titled '' Spy Kids: Armageddon'', which was the original title for ''Spy Kids: All the Time in the World''. In June 2022, it was announced that

Gina Rodriguez Gina Alexis Rodriguez-LoCicero (born July 30, 1984) is an American actress. She is known for her leading role as Jane Villanueva in The CW satirical romantic dramedy series ''Jane the Virgin'' (2014–2019), for which she received a Golden Glob ...

Zachary Levi Zachary Levi Pugh ( ; born September 29, 1980) is an American actor. He received critical acclaim for starring as Chuck Bartowski in the series ''Chuck'', and as the title character in '' Shazam!'' and its 2023 sequel, as a part of the DC Ext ...

, Everly Carganilla and Connor Esterson were set to star. In July 2022, it was announced that

Billy Magnussen William Gregory Magnussen (born April 20, 1985) is an American actor. He has been featured in the films ''Into the Woods'' (2014), ''Birth of the Dragon'' (2016), '' Game Night'' (2018), and '' Aladdin'' (2019), and has had supporting television ...

was set to star. In August 2022, it was announced that

D. J. Cotrona Donald Joseph Cotrona (born May 23, 1980) is an American actor, known for his role in the film '' G.I. Joe: Retaliation'' (2013) and as Seth Gecko in the El Rey Network horror television series ''From Dusk till Dawn''. Early life Cotrona was bo ...

was set to star. The logline for the film is as follows: “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.” Production wrapped in late August 2022.

Television

''Spy Kids: Mission Critical'' (2018)

On June 16, 2016,

announced an animated ''Spy Kids'' television show entitled ''Spy Kids: Mission Critical'' with

The Weinstein Company The Weinstein Company (usually credited or abbreviated as TWC) was an American independent film studio, founded in New York City by Bob and Harvey Weinstein in March 2005. TWC was one of the largest mini-major film studios in North America prior ...

. The first and second seasons both consist of 10 episodes and is produced by

Mainframe Studios Mainframe Studios is a Canadian computer animation company owned by Wow Unlimited Media and based in Vancouver, British Columbia. Founded in 1993 as Mainframe Entertainment Inc. by Christopher Brough, Ian Pearson, Phil Mitchell, Gavin Blair and ...

. The series was announced by Mike Fleming Jr and created by Michael Hefferon and Sean Jara on May 6, 2015, with the villains being described “as colorful” as the protagonists, and the series is said to contain “as much comedy as wish fulfillment.” FM DeMarco is the head writer of the series. WOW! Unlimited Media Inc.'s Vancouver-based Mainframe Studios, the TV division of Rainmaker Entertainment, partnered with the Weinstein Company to produce the series, with the series being described as a "multi-season commitment". Robert Rodriguez serves as one of the executive producers due to Bob Weinstein dropping out and Harvey Weinstein getting fired from TWC. It premiered on

worldwide on April 20, 2018.

Main cast and characters

Additional crew and production details

Reception

Box office performance

Critical and public response

Though the first and second film received positive reviews, the series experienced a steadily declining critical reception with each film.

Home media

* September 18, 2001 (''Spy Kids'') on DVD by

Buena Vista Home Entertainment Buena ( ) is a borough in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 4,603,Buena Vista Home Entertainment Buena ( ) is a borough in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 4,603,Buena Vista Home Entertainment Buena ( ) is a borough in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 4,603,Lionsgate Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation, doing business as Lionsgate, is a Canadian-American entertainment company. It was formed by Frank Giustra on July 10, 1997, domiciled in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and is currently headquartered ...

(However, all 3 DVDs are still the original

Buena Vista Home Entertainment Buena ( ) is a borough in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 4,603,Lionsgate Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation, doing business as Lionsgate, is a Canadian-American entertainment company. It was formed by Frank Giustra on July 10, 1997, domiciled in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and is currently headquartered ...

* November 22, 2011 (''Spy Kids: All the Time in the World'') on DVD and Blu-ray by

Anchor Bay Entertainment Anchor Bay Entertainment (formerly Video Treasures and Starmaker Entertainment) was an American home entertainment and production company. It was a subsidiary of Starz Inc. Anchor Bay Entertainment marketed and sold feature films, television ser ...

* 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 Blu-ray Disc reissue by

Paramount Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to: Entertainment and music companies * Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. The following busin ...

Other media

Video games

* ''Spy Kids Challenger'' (

Game Boy Advance The (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console developed, manufactured and marketed by Nintendo as the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, in North America on June 11, 2001, in the PAL region on June 22, 2 ...

) * ''Spy Kids Mega Mission Zone'' ( PC/ Mac) * ''Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over'' (Game Boy Advance and PC/Mac) * ''Spy Kids: Learning Adventures'' series (PC/Mac) * ''Spy Kids: All the Time in the World'' (

Nintendo DS The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens working in tan ...

)

Notes

The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

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 Miramax, LLC, also known as Miramax Films, is an American film and television production and distribution company founded on December 19, 1979, by brothers Harvey Weinstein, Harvey and Bob Weinstein, and based in Los Angeles, California. It was ...

."Miramax movies, Harvey and Bob Weinstein, Ron Tutor"
NYDailyNews.com. February 3, 2011.

References

{{Robert Rodriguez American children's films Films directed by Robert Rodriguez Fictional secret agents and spies Action film franchises Comedy film franchises Spy film series Children's film series Dimension Films films Miramax franchises Paramount Pictures franchises