Spies In Disguise Discussion Questions and Review by the Ent and the Wizard
Know Before You Watch It:
Movie: Spies In Disguise
Rating: PG
Age Suggestion: 8+
Running Time: 2 hours
Release Date: December 25th, 2019
Stars: 4 out of 5
Themes: Arrogance, humility, Teamwork, showing kindness rather than being violent/,mean, being unique
Warnings: Parental Loss, rear male nudity, small amounts of alcohol, cartoon violence/explosions, there is a lot of potential for Spies in Disguise Discussion with this film
Quick Summary:
Walter is a boy genius who is convinced that his inventions will help change the world. While Lance Starling is an international superstar spy for the US government. This is a pairing that no one would see coming, but are forced to team up to take on a a villain from Starling’s past.
Check out the trailer here.
3 Lessons From Spies in Disguise:
1) People are worth saving
Walter’s entire purpose throughout this entire movie is to try to de-escalate violence through his actions. The heart of this comes from his strong belief that everyone is worth saving. The way he views people shows the importance of every single person, from his fellow agents to the people everyone considers a villain.
2) You may not know everyone’s story
Lance Starling throughout most of this movie is convinced that he knows Walter and his motivations. At the crux of the movie, Walter’s true motivations are revealed, to the chagrin of Lance. This is a reminder that we don’t know everyone’s story and when we put people into boxes, there is a very good chance we don’t truly understand them in the way we may think.
3) Working solo isn’t always the best way to go
This is a life lesson that most people think they have a good understanding of, much like Lance Starling. But when you step back and look at your life you may realize that you are trying to take on much more on your own than you should. Pairing yourself with people is a good way to ensure accountability as well as the benefits of collaboration.
Discussion Questions:
1) If you were an inventor, what would you make in order to protect spies?
2) What makes you unique? How can you use this to improve the world around you (Your household, your neighborhood, you country, the world)?
3) If you were a spy, what animal would you want to be in order to be the perfect spy?
4) Why was Killian (Robot Arm) trying to attack everyone, including Starling? (Get the idea of revenge across to them) When was a time when you wanted revenge? What would be a better way to handle that situation?
5) How can you show kindness when:
a) When someone hits you?
b) When you are being bullied?
c) When you are angry
Find something that frustrates your child and ask them how they would show kindness during that time
Review:
-Characters & Acting:
Lance Starling and Walter are definitely given the most personality and development. Everyone else is slightly one dimensional. With that said, the character development of Starling and Walter was very well done and entertaining. Will Smith and Tom Holland shone in this animated buddy comedy.
Several of the characters, although one dimensional, do bring a very fun atmosphere to the movie. This is especially true of the pigeon entourage!
-Script & Story:
This movie was a very fun take on the buddy cop concept. Starling and Walter have very fun chemistry together through the film. Although there wasn’t anything insanely original in terms of plot, the humor was incredibly well done. Will Smith and Tom Holland come off as odd pairings in theory, but they play off of each other in both terms of humor and drama very well.
-Film Quality:
The animation of this film was very well done, as is expected from Blue Sky Animation. The only thing that really detracted from the flow of the movie was the physics. It was so realistic that the scenes that required major suspension of disbelief were distracting. Not uncommon in kids animation, and not something that took away from the whole experience.
–Favorite Moments:
-Favorite Quote: (After a villain says something in Chinese) “I don’t think that subtitle is in my favor”
-Favorite Moment: Walter being able to shine through with his lesson of kindness rather than violence, ultimately sacrificing himself.
-Other:
–This is the first Blue Sky production since the acquisition of Disney. You can definitely see that they were a bit more intentional with lessons and morals in this film compared to other Blue Sky movies
–What to check out next:
If you enjoyed our Spies in Disguise review, you might like our posts on Playmobile, Artic Dogs, Abominable or Frozen 2.
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