Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams

Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams is a 2002 American spy action comedy adventure film produced, written, shot, edited and directed by Robert Rodriguez, co-produced by Elizabeth Avellán and starring Antonio Banderas, Carla Gugino, Alexa Vega, Daryl Sabara, Mike Judge, Ricardo Montalbán, Holland Taylor, Christopher McDonald, Danny Trejo, Cheech Marin, and Steve Buscemi.

Plot
The OSS now has a full child spy section, of which Carmen Cortez and Juni Cortez have become agents. Even though they were the first of the new Spy Kids Division, they are not considered the top spy kids, and soon they face particularly difficult competition from Gary and Gerti Giggles, the children of OSS agent Donnagon Giggles, whom Carmen and Juni helped to rescue in the previous film. It is shown that Carmen defends Gary, and has a crush on him, which strains her relationship with Juni.

At the OSS awards banquet, Donnagon hacks into the TelePrompTer which the president was reading from, and is named director of the OSS instead of Gregorio Cortez. A fight ensues when a group of Magna Men arrive and render all adults unconscious. They are after the "Transmooker", a highly coveted device which can shut off all electronic devices. Juni recovers it, but drops it when Gary tries to take it from him. Gary then blames Juni for the loss, resulting in Juni being fired.

The next morning Carmen hacks into the database and reinstates Juni as an agent. They take a mission meant for Gary and Gerti to recover the Transmooker. She and Juni use some hints from their mentor, Fegan Floop, and their former arch-nemesis, Alexander Minion, and follow the trail to a mysterious island where all electronics refuse to work. Gary and Gerti meanwhile are sent to the Gobi Desert and while trying to pinpoint their position manage to fall into a pit of camel feces, whereupon they swear revenge. Shortly after arriving Carmen and Juni meet Romero, the sole human inhabitant of the Island of Leeke Leeke and a lunatic scientist who has been attempting to create genetically-miniaturized animals, so he can make a profit by selling the animals to kids in "miniature zoos." He had an experiment go wrong after pouring growth concoction onto the mutated set of animals. As a result, he is unwilling to leave his lab, out of fear of being eaten.

When Carmen is captured by a Spork, a breed of flying pig, she is dropped into its nest with Gerti, who reveals to her that Gary is genuinely evil. Carmen changes her feelings for Gary after he tries to kill Juni, and she sides with her brother. Romero, having been encouraged by Juni, finds out that his creatures are much friendlier than he thought. Carmen and Juni eventually find and recover the Transmooker, and are surprised when their family, having been informed of their disappearance, joins them. Donnagon then confronts the group, takes the Transmooker and attempts to use it to destroy the Cortez family, but it malfunctions. Gerti reveals she sabotaged it and threatens Donnagon with telling everything to her mother.

The President and his staff arrive on the island. Donnagon is fired by the President and his daughter, Alexandra; Gary is temporarily disavowed, and Alexandra appoints Gregorio as director of the OSS on her father's behalf. Even though he is offered a promotion, Juni resigns due to the impersonal treatment he had received by the OSS after being framed. As the Cortez family leaves the island, Romero gives Juni a miniature spider-monkey as a gift, and all the island's inhabitants bid farewell to the Cortez family. Sometime later, Machete hosts a concert featuring Carmen (with a microphone which auto-tunes her voice, and a belt that helps her dance), and Juni (with a guitar that plays itself). Meanwhile, Dinky Winks, the owner of Troublemakers theme park, paddles to Romero's island to strike up a business deal.

Cast

 * Alexa Vega as Carmen Cortez
 * Daryl Sabara as Juni Cortez
 * Antonio Banderas as Gregorio Cortez
 * Carla Gugino as Ingrid Cortez
 * Mike Judge as Donnagon Giggles
 * Ricardo Montalbán as Grandfather Valentin Avellan
 * Holland Taylor as Grandmother Helga Avellan
 * Christopher McDonald as the President of the United States
 * Danny Trejo as Isador "Machete" Cortez
 * Alan Cumming as Fegan Floop
 * Tony Shalhoub as Alexander Minion
 * Matt O'Leary as Gary Giggles
 * Taylor Momsen as Alexandra Amani, the President's daughter
 * Emily Osment as Gerti Giggles
 * Cheech Marin as Felix Gumm
 * Steve Buscemi as Romero
 * Bill Paxton as Dinky Winks

Sound Effects Used

 * Hollywoodedge, Bird Hawk Single Scre PE020801
 * Hollywoodedge, Boing Two Bounces CRT018704
 * Hollywoodedge, Elephant Single Clas AT043801
 * Hollywoodedge, Elephant Trumpeting PE024801
 * SKYWALKER, ELECTRICITY - ARTOO'S ELECTRIC ZAP
 * SKYWALKER, JET - ARTOO'S ROCKET THRUSTERS
 * SKYWALKER LIGHTSABER SOUND (Heard once for when Carmen and Juni uses mini glowsticks as one of their gadgets)
 * Sound Ideas, AMBIENCE, INDUSTRIAL - SEWAGE, TONAL AIR W/MOTOR START UP, INDUSTRY
 * Sound Ideas, FACTORY, MACHINERY - METAL SHEAR MEDIUM RHYTHM, INDUSTRY, SHEARER
 * Sound Ideas, MOTOR, AIR - COMPRESSED AIR DIESEL STARTER
 * Sound Ideas, WIND - FOREST WIND, LEAVES STIR, WEATHER
 * TAZ SPIN

Production
Spy Kids 2 was filmed entirely on High Definition digital video. After seeing George Lucas using digital video for Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones, Rodriguez tested the technology during re shoots for the first Spy Kids film. Rodriguez used the cameras unfiltered.

Filming sites

 * 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, Arlington, Texas, USA

Special effects
Despite the fact that this film uses over twice the amount of special effects than the first film used, Rodriguez did not ask the producers for a larger budget; he said "...I told the studio I don't want more money. I just want to be more creative". Rodriguez picked some visual effects companies who were eager and less established, as well as starting up his own Troublemaker Studios, and reemploying Hybrid, who had worked with him on the first film. Gregor Punchatz, the film's lead animator, employed 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, and the computer generated skeletons added later to over three dozen shots.

Music
The film score was co-written by director Robert Rodriguez and composer John Debney, who had also co-written the score for 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 was recorded in the auditorium of a local high school in Austin, Georgetown High School.

All tracks composed by Debney and 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 Dragon-spy"
 * 8) "Spy-parents"
 * 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)

Follows
Spy Kids (2001)

Followed by
Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over (2003)

Spy Kids 4-D: All the Time in the World (2011)

Referenced in
The Powerpuff Girls Movie (2002)

Taz Wanted (2002) (Video Game) Poster is briefly seen in the level "Looningdales".

Lizzie McGuire: Lizzie's Misadventures in HillRidge (2002) (Video Game)

The Lizzie McGuire Movie (2003) Line: "The real Transmooker device is here on this Island."

The Lizzie McGuire Movie (2003) (Video Game) Buttercup mentions that movie.

The Good, the Bad & the Bloody: Inside KNB EFX (2004) (Video) briefly mentioned

Inside Troublemaker Studios (2004) (Video) clearly visible poster in background

Hilary's Roman Adventure: The Making of The Lizzie McGuire Movie (2004) (Video) Timmy and Lizzie discuss the film.

Eulogy (2004) title seen at video store

IMDb's 20th Anniversary Star of the Day: Robert Rodriguez (2010) (TV Episode) Robert Rodriguez mentions this movie during interview

Bad Movie Beatdown: Half Past Dead 2 (2011) (TV Episode) DVD seen in video store

Bad Movie Beatdown: Spy Kids 3D- Game Over (2011) (TV Episode) Film Brain talks about the past two movies

Mad: Spy vs. Spy Kids/The Superhero Millionaire Matchmaker (2011) (TV Episode) Alexa PenaVega & Daryl Sabara were referred to as the original Spy Kids from the first three movies.

Top 5 Best/Worst: Top 5 Worst Stallone Performances (2016) (TV Episode) The movie is mentioned.

Nostalgia Critic Real Thoughts: Sharkboy and Lavagirl (2018) (TV Episode) Rob Walker says he doesn't remember this movie as much as Spy Kids 3

The Port Costa Little Boys (2018) (Video) Quote from the movie

Geeks + Gamers: WTF Did I Just Watch... It's Worse Than Batwoman (2019) (TV Episode) The movie is mentioned.

Saturday Night Live: SNL At Home: Kristen Wiig/Boyz II Men (2020) (TV Episode) Title mentioned and poster shown during "Danny Trejo" rap.

Featured in
HBO First Look: Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams (2002) (TV Episode) clips

At the Movies: xXx/Spy Kids 2/Possession (2002) (TV Episode) Reviewed.

Lizzie McGuire: Lizzie's Misadventures in HillRidge (2002) (Video Game)

Troldspejlet: Episode #29.7 (2003) (TV Episode) reviewed + footage used

The Lizzie McGuire Movie (2003)

Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003) Nikki's lunch box was a prop used in Spy Kids 2, which was directed by Robert Rodriguez, a close friend of Tarantino's.

The Lizzie McGuire Movie (2003) (Video Game) Scenes from this movie were shown throughout the game

Ten Minute Film School: Big Movies Made Cheap (2004) (Video) numerous brief scenes from "Spy Kids 2" are shown throughout this movie.

Bad Movie Beatdown: Spy Kids 3D- Game Over (2011) (TV Episode) detailing the rest of the series

Nostalgia Critic: Spy Kids 3D: Game Over (2016) (TV Episode) Critic thinks the first sequel was okay too; uses the "camel poop" clip from this film as a recurring joke

Spoofs
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002)

Minority Report (2002)