The James Bond Meets Willy Wonka Movie That Became A Cult Hit Just Turned 25

Kids of the 90s and early 00s know that there are certain movies and TV shows that just stand out as the ultimate nostalgic classics. From cartoons like Rugrats in 1991 and The Powerpuff Girls in 1998 to live-action shows and movies like Mighty Morphin Power Rangers in 1993 and Air Bud in 1997 (not to mention classics like Space Jam in 1996, which combined live-action and animation), this era was packed with stories that millennials—and, yes, some Gen Z, too—keep coming back to.

However, perhaps because there were so many major movies and shows released during that period, it’s all too easy to forget some that, at the time, were among the very best things hitting the screen. In fact, one of many TikTok trends involves sharing a clip, a still, or a cover image from movies and shows of that era and asking whether anybody else has seen them because there are simply so many that either flew under the radar at the time or have slipped many people’s memories in the decades since.

While this is certainly not true in terms of the former, the latter is accurate when it comes to one absolutely brilliant movie that feels like the perfect combination of Willy Wonka (or Charlie) and the Chocolate Factory and James Bond. While that might sound like an impossible combination, especially considering this is a movie for kids that was released in the early 2000s, Spy Kids absolutely fits that description and totally pulls it off—and that only makes it all the more disappointing that the movie’s recent milestone anniversary came and went without much attention at all.

The Childhood Classic Spy Kids Came Out 25 Years Ago

The Cortez family preparing to fight in Spy Kids — Antonio Banderas and Carla Gugino Spy Kids

On March 30, 2001, Spy Kids hit theaters, and it quickly became a sensation. As the title suggests, the movie centers on children—siblings Carmen and Juni—who ultimately become spies. However, at first, they have no idea what is coming their way. To them, their life is normal. They have sibling fights, loving parents, and a happy home. However, when their parents go missing, Carmen and Juni learn that they have secretly been spies this entire time, and things change drastically. (And that’s not to mention the plot involving a corrupt television show and people being mutated into monsters.)

What ensues is actually a delightful, emotional, and action-packed plot that unsurprisingly grabbed children’s attention at the time and continued to do so for years. In fact, Spy Kids was clearly successful, as it went on to have many sequels, the most recent of which, Spy Kids: Armageddon, was only released in 2023. With that history and that success, it would have made sense for the 25th anniversary of the first movie, which took place just a few months ago, to cause plenty of fanfare. Instead, though, it happened quietly and without much acknowledgment.

This Movie Deserves So Much More Hype, More Than 2 Decades Later

While, again, it makes sense that not every 90s and 00s movie can be remembered, Spy Kids is hardly a one-off that was made and then forgotten. Rather, it has had a decades-long presence on screen, and the first movie is particularly beloved. In fact, more than just a fun movie in which kids get to be spies—which is a fantasy many kids have, as spy movies have proven—Spy Kids asks larger questions about family and identity, and it does so in a way that is heartwarming, wholesome, and age appropriate, even for young kids.

Fans of the movie will additionally know that it is incredibly quotable, including lines as odd as “Floop is a madman, help us, save us.” It also holds up, even for modern young audiences (and millennial and Gen Z viewers who are in the mood for some nostalgia), so it’s genuinely a shame that the anniversary didn’t get more attention. However, all hope is not lost. Spy Kids is available to stream on various streaming platforms, including Prime Video, and audiences should absolutely go check it out.