With the exciting news thatRobert Rodriguez will be rebooting hisSpy Kidsfilm franchise, many fans are revisiting their favorite brother and sister spy team. From the craziest gadgets every kid actually wanted to the strangest villains and their dastardly plots for world domination,Spy Kidshas been thrilling audiences since the first film hit theaters in 2001.
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Since then, the film has spawned three additional sequels, an animated TV show, and a handful of video games. The film series is notable for its numerous cameos and unique use of special effects, but even the most die-hard fans may have missed some memorable hidden details and Easter eggs.
10Spy Kids Was Influenced By Superspy, James Bond
It may come as no surprise to some film junkies thatSpy Kidswas blatantly influenced by theJames Bondfilm series. From the insane gadgets the kids used to double agents and evil henchmen,Spy Kidsmade great useof the 007 formula. Although much of the violence and coarse subject matter of theBondfilms was toned down when it came to the story forSpy Kids, the overtones were still present. Other influences includedWilly WonkaandThe Mysterious Islandfor the first and second films respectively.
9Gregorio Cortez Was Also The Name Of A Mexican Folk Hero
Gregorio Cortez is the name of Carmen and Juni’s father, played by the dashing Antonio Banderas. Interestingly enough, the same name also belongs to a highly regarded Mexican folk hero who was famously huntedin the Old Westby the Texas Rangers for the death of a Sheriff along the Texas border. Roughly 300 men tracked Cortez for about 500 miles beforehe was finally captured, although he was released via pardon due to his actions being in self-defense. His plight made him a hero to many living along the border and he even had ballads written that venerated him as a hero against the local law enforcement.
8OSS Was A Real Spy Agency
In the film series, the kids and their parents work for the OSS (The Organization of Super Spies). There actually really was an OSS (Office of Strategic Services) in the United States military branch whichoperated during WWIIand acted as a predecessor to the current CIA. This agency was formed to covertly conduct espionage activities behind enemy lines and gather intel during the war.
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The OSS, much like the version inSpy Kids,used some radical gadgets such as explosives disguised as coal and flour, playing cards with secret maps, cameras hidden in matchboxes, and tasteless poison tablets.
7George Clooney As President?
Spy Kidsis well-known for featuring fun cameos, from Selena Gomez to Steve Buscemi. Perhaps one ofthe stranger and more overlooked cameosis George Clooney as Devlin, the head of the OSS who later becomes President of the United States in the third film. Allegedly, Clooney was wearing pajama pants when his scenes were shot, which might be why he only appears as a talking head on the monitor.
6Origin Of The Thumb Thumbs
A serious contender for the weirdest henchmen ever, the Thumb Thumbs are the memorable “all-digit” thumb people from the first film who terrorize Carmen and Juni. Despite beingdesigned as pure nightmare-fuel antagonists, the Thumb Thumbs actually have a rather harmless origin story as Robert Rodriguez has described them as something he created when he was a kid and brought back years later to be the infamous bumbling baddies of the first movie.
5Machete Unchained
Perhaps the most iconic character from theSpy Kidsseries isn’t even a kid at all. Machete, played by Danny Trejo, is the renegade uncle of Carmen and Juni who assists them in the films through his cool high-tech gadgets and machete-wielding abilities. Since his scenes in the franchise don’t get too in-depth, Robert Rodriguez decided he needed his own story, resulting in two action-filledMachetefilms. The character has appeared in a faux trailer from Rodriguez’s film with Quentin Tarantino,Grindhouse,and even in a Snickers commercial.
4Spy Kids 4D Featured An Aroma-Scope
One of the more fascinating gimmicks in modern major movie releases is the inclusion of an Aroma-Scope scratch and sniff card inSpy Kids 4D: All the Time in the Worldthat allowed viewers to smell certain odors from the film. This additional element was only featured in this film and added the “4D” element to the movie, in some ways one-upping the 3D component of the third film.
3Robert Rodriguez Edited The Film In His “Garage”
Robert Rodriguez is known for more than just being a hands-on director, often performing duties as a writer, editor, and producer. He edited the first threeSpy Kidsfilms himself and has used his own garage as an editing space, which is designed more like a professional studio than most people’s garages.
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Rodriguez proves time and time again that his dedication to his films goes far beyond just being an on-set director.
2A Familiar Easter Egg
Fans with good eyes may have caught this funEaster eggin the second film, although it is truly one of those “blink and you’ll miss it” moments. When going through the treasure room, Carmen briefly picks up a rather distinct golden idol that film buffs will recognize as the same iconic idol that Harrison Ford swipes in the beginning ofIndiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark.It’s a fun nod to another classic film series and a homage to the magic of the movies. One has to wonder just how thegold idol made its way from Indy’s handsinto the palms of a couple of spy kids.
1Spy Kids 2 Was One Of The First Major Motion Pictures Entirely Filmed Digitally
Inspired by seeing George Lucas shoot with digital film forStar Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones,Robert Rodriguez decided to shoot the secondSpy Kidsmovie entirely on HD digital video. While this wasn’t the very first time a movie had been shot digitally, it did mark one of the first times a major release used such technology. Since then digital film has become much more widely used among filmmakers.
