SPIES IN DISGUISE. Satisfying Directorial Achievement

Nick Bruno and Troy Quane’s animation Spies in Disguise is a very superficial film. To such an extent that I suspect you’ll find the same description in every review you read: a tribute and pastiche of spy cinema. A flood of references to the James Bond series. Gadgets from the Pierce Brosnan era, Sean Connery’s elegance, or Roger Moore’s charm. Elsewhere, there’s larger-than-life stunt work reminiscent of Ethan Hunt in Mission: Impossible or flashy hand-to-hand combat à la Jason Bourne. Blue Sky Studios’ latest production (mainly known for Ice Age) never moves beyond paraphrasing and intertextual play with the audience. Yes, it’s exceptionally derivative, but it’s fun cinema.

The film’s prologue introduces and defines the two main characters. We meet Lance Sterling during a mission in Japan, where he is tasked with retrieving a briefcase containing a prototype of an extremely dangerous drone, armed with every technological marvel imaginable. Sterling is a confident, egotistical, and superbly trained agent, capable of handling a single opponent as easily as a hundred. The American spy never backs down, needs no assistant or instructions from superiors. He does, however, enjoy using elaborate gadgets, showing off, and putting others in their place. You know this type of character well. His personality development won’t surprise you—but his physical transformations certainly will.

These are orchestrated by Walter Beckett, a scatterbrained young scientist from the intelligence lab, often called an oddball. Walter frequently recalls his mother, a brave police officer who heroically died in the line of duty. The young man is distinguished by his rather specific and unpopular beliefs. On one hand, he’s a devoted, work-obsessed prodigy; on the other, he refuses to create weapons that cause suffering. He won’t lend a hand in making a grenade, but he will gladly swap Sterling’s for a bomb that blinds… with glitter (correct me if I’m wrong, but how many pacifist spy films are there?). After hours, Walter works on a potion that grants invisibility, though with unintended side effects—some of which Lance Sterling will have to deal with.

Spies in Disguise draws from a broad repertoire of buddy-cop narrative devices. It’s a breakneck tale of friendly initiation, of two opposing personalities finding common ground and a shared goal. Naturally, the one expected to learn the lesson is the arrogant Sterling. Viewers, along with him, learn patience, the benefits of teamwork, and trusting others. Of course, these are truisms, moral clichés, and uplifting messages—but in Spies in Disguise they are digestible, free from forced moralizing, and well embedded in lively, witty dialogue.

The Bruno–Quane animation remains formulaic story-wise—from the opening capital letter to the final period—but it is executed with energy and visual creativity. It’s clear that the film was made by people with ideas and imaginative vision.

Much of the freshness in Spies in Disguise comes from its bold and distinctive visual style: full of contrasting colors, as seen in the Japanese sequence, interestingly lit (a realistic segment in Venice), meticulously planned “on the editing table,” and creatively designed across multi-level locations. Bruno and Quane clearly have excellent spatial imagination (the gaming term “level architecture” fits perfectly here), a strong sense of staging, and a keen sense of pacing. They also know when to use a Matrix-style bullet time and when to cut shots into second-long fragments, à la The Bourne Ultimatum.

Spies in Disguise falls short of being a fully realized film, but it is certainly worth attention, particularly for its precise execution. Perhaps I’m reaching for a comparison too early, but Brad Bird transitioned from The Iron Giant, The Incredibles, and Ratatouille to top-tier live-action action films with Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol.

Spies in Disguise is a satisfying directorial achievement, one that encourages viewers to root for the characters and follow Bruno and Quane’s future careers. I wouldn’t be surprised if they repeat the success of their peers in the future.