''G.I. Joe: Spy Troops'' is a 2003 American animated

military science fiction Military science fiction is a subgenre of science fiction and military fiction that depicts the use of science fiction technology, including spaceships and science fiction weapons, weapons, for military purposes and usually principal characters ...

action film The action film is a film genre that predominantly features chase sequences, fights, shootouts, explosions, and stunt work. The specifics of what constitutes an action film has been in scholarly debate since the 1980s. While some scholars such as D ...

produced by

Reel FX Creative Studios Reel FX Animation (Reel FX), formerly known as Reel FX Creative Studios and Reel FX Entertainment, is an American computer animation and visual effects studio based in Dallas, Texas, with offices in Hollywood, California, and Montreal, Quebec. ...

and distributed by

Paramount Home Entertainment Paramount Home Entertainment (formerly Paramount Home Media Distribution, originally Paramount Home Video, and operating as the namesake film studio since 2022) is the home video distribution arm of Paramount Pictures. The division oversees Para ...

. The film was released

direct-to-video Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, television series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strat ...

and premiered on

Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (CN) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the Cartoon Network, Inc., a sub-division of the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks division of Warner Bros. Discovery. It launched on ...

on September 27, 2003. A sequel, titled '' G.I. Joe: Valor vs. Venom'', was released on September 14, 2004.

History

When Hasbro launched ''

G.I. Joe vs. Cobra G.I. Joe vs. Cobra is the G.I. Joe toy line series that ran from 2002 to 2005. The toy line was produced by Hasbro. Overview The series represented the first major relaunch of the G.I. Joe franchise since 1996's G.I. Joe Extreme. Story and theme- ...

'' in 2002, an updated revival of the '' G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero'' toyline that was sold between 1982 and 1994, they commissioned

to produce a series of CGI-animated commercials to promote the new line of figures. They would follow this up with an hour-long

movie titled ''Spy Troops'' to promote the 2003 series of figures released under the sub-line of the same name. ''Spy Troops'' was written by

Larry Hama Larry Hama (; born June 7, 1949) is an People of the United States, American comic-book writer, artist, actor, and musician who has worked in the fields of entertainment and publishing since the 1960s. During the 1970s, he was seen in minor roles ...

, who wrote the original filecards and the Marvel comic series.

Plot

The plot revolves around

G.I. Joe ''G.I. Joe'' is an American media franchise and a line of action figures owned and produced by the toy company Hasbro. The initial product offering represented four of the branches of the U.S. armed forces with the Action Soldier ( U.S. Army), A ...

, America's "daring, highly trained special missions force". The Joes have just perfected a new technology: Mind Interface Remote Control (MIRC), which allows soldiers to flawlessly command vehicles from a safe distance. The title refers to the fact that the two opposing forces, the G.I. Joe Team and

Cobra COBRA or Cobra, often stylized as CoBrA, was a European avant-garde art group active from 1948 to 1951. The name was coined in 1948 by Christian Dotremont from the initials of the members' home countries' capital cities: Copenhagen (Co), Brussels ...

, make use of spies to achieve their objectives. Cobra sends

Zartan Zartan is a fictional character from the '' G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero'' toyline, comic books, and animated series. He is one of the main villains in the franchise as the leader of the Dreadnoks, and a mercenary who often worked directly for ...

, to infiltrate G.I. Joe headquarters posing as

Shipwreck A shipwreck is the wreckage of a ship that is located either beached on land or sunken to the bottom of a body of water. It results from the event of ''shipwrecking'', which may be intentional or unintentional. There were approximately thre ...

, and steal the MIRC technology. The Joes send Shipwreck and Snake Eyes to the enemy's camp, after learning about what happened. The Joes then organize an assault on Cobra Mountain and successfully regain the technology, destroying Cobra's base and chopper in the process.

Cast

Release

Spy Troops: The Movie was released on DVD in September 2003, with the 12" Ninja Showdown two-pack. It had a suggested retail price of $19.95. Later, it was also available alone, with a suggested retail price of $4.95. Cartoon Network premiered Spy Troops: The Movie on September 27, 2003 at 10:00 p.m.

References

External links

Reel FX Creative Studios home page
* * {{G.I. Joe 2003 direct-to-video films 2003 computer-animated films G.I. Joe (franchise) animated films Direct-to-video animated films Reel FX Creative Studios films 2000s American animated films Paramount Pictures animated films Paramount Pictures direct-to-video films 2000s English-language films Animated films based on animated series