Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams is a 2002 family-oriented spy film that includes science fantasy elements. It was written and directed by Robert Rodriguez. It is the second film in the Spy Kids series, which began with 2001's Spy Kids.

Plot

Carmen Cortez and Juni Cortez have become agents of the OSS, which now has a new 'Spy Kids' division for children, and face particularly hard competition with Gary and Gerti Giggles (Emily Osment and Matt O'Leary), the children of double-dealing agent Donnagon Giggles (Mike Judge), whom Carmen and Juni helped to rescue in the previous film.

Following an incident at an amusement park (filmed at Six Flags Magic Mountain), where the President's daughter (Taylor Momsen) deliberately sabotaged a thrill ride that juggles its passengers, in which the Giggles and the Cortez kids were competing in the rescue, Donnagon (who somehow hacked into the teleprompter that the President was reading from) was named the director of the OSS, and Juni was fired; after being framed by Gary (who actually was the cause of blame) into losing the "Transmooker", a highly coveted device that can shut off all electronic devices. In this act, Donnagon can carry forth his plan of wanting to steal the Transmooker, so he can take control of the world.

After Carmen manages to hack into the database and reinstates Juni's level as an agent, Carmen and Juni follow the trail to a mysterious island near Madagascar, which is home to Romero (Steve Buscemi), a lunatic scientist. Romero has been attempting to create genetically-miniaturized animals (and mutated animals) so he can make a profit by selling the animials to kids, but has instead ended up with mutated "monsters" populating the island. After a number of action sequences, such as fighting skeletons and being captured by sporks, literal flying pigs, the spy kids (with the help of their family, Romero and Gerti Giggles) destroy the transmooker and defeat Donnagon, who is then fired by the president, but is probably still in more trouble with his wife (appearantly this wasn't the first time he has tried to take over the world). Juni quits afterward due to the impersonal treatment of agents by the OSS.

Cast

• Alexa Vega - Carmen Cortez
• Daryl Sabara - Juni Cortez
• Matt O'Leary - Gary Giggles
• Emily Osment - Gerti Giggles
• Steve Buscemi - Romero
• Carla Gugino - Ingrid Cortez
• Antonio Banderas - Gregorio Cortez
• Danny Trejo - Machete Cortez
• Bill Paxton - Dinky Winks
• Taylor Momsen - Alexandra
• Christopher McDonald - President of the United States
• Ricardo Montalban - Valentin the Grandpa
• Cheech Marin - Uncle Felix Gumm
• Mike Judge - Donnagon Giggles
• Tony Shalhoub - Alexander Minion
• Alan Cumming - Fegan Floop

Tagline

Huge New Adventure - Slightly Larger Spies

Production

• Arenal Lake, Costa Rica
• Austin, Texas, USA
• Big Bend National Park, Texas, USA
• Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica
• San Antonio, Texas, USA
• Six Flags Over Texas - 2201 Road to Six Flags Street E., Arlington, Texas, USA

Special effects

Despite the fact that this film uses over twice the amount of effects shots, Rodriguez didn't ask for a larger budget than he had on the first film. "...I told the studio I don't want more money. I just want to be more creative," said Rodriguez. Rodriguez picked some visual effects companies who were eager and less established, as well as starting up his own Troublemaker Studios and reemploying Hybride, who had worked with him on the first film. The film employs a certain technique to make the movements of the computer-generated creatures resemble the stop-motion work of filmmaker Ray Harryhausen, who has a cameo in the film. The scene with the army of live skeletons was shot on a real rock formation with the two young actors on safety wires; the computer-generated skeletons were later added to over three dozen shots.

Box office and reviews

• $90,000,000 (United States)
• £5,257,894 (United Kingdom)
• $198,354 (Argentina)
• €783,738 (Italy)
• €1,364,027 (Spain)

Reviews of the film were mostly positive. Michael Wilmington of Metromix Chicago, noting how Rodriguez borrows many elements from television and earlier films, stated that, "“Rodriguez recycles and refurbishes all these old movie bits with the opportunistic energy of a man looting his old attic toy chest -- but he also puts some personal feeling into the movie. This is a film about families staying together, children asserting themselves and even, to some degree, Latino power."

VHS and DVD release

• February 18, 2003

Soundtrack

The film score is co-written by director Robert Rodriguez and composer John Debney, who had also co-written the score to Spy Kids. The sound is a mix of rock, pop and indie rock, and includes songs performed by Alan Cumming and Alexa Vega. Unusually, the orchestral score for the film was recorded in the auditorium of a local high school in Austin, Georgetown High School.

Track listing

All tracks composed by John Debney and Robert Rodriguez and performed by the Texas Philharmonic Orchestra

1. "The Juggler"
2. "Spy Ballet"
3. "Magna Men"
4. "Treehouse"
5. "R.A.L.P.H."
6. "Floop's Dream" (performed by Alan Cumming)
7. "Escape from DragonSpy"
8. "SpyParents"
9. "Island of Lost Dreams"
10. "Donnagon's Big Office" / "The Giggles"
11. "Mysterious Volcano Island"
12. "Romero's Zoo Too"
13. "Mothership" / "SpyGrandparents"
14. "Magna Racers"
15. "Aztec Treasure Room"
16. "Skeletons"
17. "Creature Battle"
18. "Romero's Creatures" / "SpyBeach"
19. "SpyDad vs. SpyDad / Romero's Gift"
20. "Isle of Dreams" (performed by Alexa Vega)

Additional music not on the soundtrack album includes "Oye Como Spy", which is an adaptation of Tito Puente's "Oye Como Va",performed by Los Lobos (the song is on the soundtrack album from the first Spy Kids films); and "Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5" for soprano and eight cellos by Heitor Villa-Lobos.

References

External links