Spies in Disguise ⭐️⭐️
Will Smith’s voice role in the animated film had over $6 million in TV ad purchases by 20th Century Fox.
Ads placed for the animated film had an estimated media value of $6.63 million through Sunday for 937 national ad airings on 37 networks. (Spend figures are based on estimates generated from Dec. 16-22. Estimates may be updated after the chart is posted as new information becomes available.) Twentieth Century Fox prioritized spend across networks including Fox, NBC and ABC, and during programming such as NFL Football, “The Masked Singer” and “The Voice.”
‘Spies in Disguise’ Tops Studios’ TV Ad Spending – Variety
All the biggest and best advertising is for not if moviegoers aren’t excited and telling their friends, family and co-workers to go see your movie. I think that’s the biggest problem here: it’s at best an average animated film. It’s not exciting, unique or creative.
SPOILERS are past this point. If you haven’t seen the film yet, this is as far as I’d recommend going in this post for now. Come back after seeing the film, if you want to see the film. It isn’t recommended by me, but giving you the chance to exit before reading more….
…. you’ve been warned SPOILERS ahead…
Ok, time to flip you the bird.
Just Say No To Pigeons
No, no, no. The whole pigeon thing is dumb.
The pigeon gag didn’t work. Would rather have seen it played straight as an animated spy thriller. More James Bond animated action film. I think our grandchildren would have been more interested too. The pigeon transformation was weird, not wonderful.
Animation is Good, Voice Acting is OK
The animation is solid. The voice acting is OK, although there might be an actor or two out of place. Like Reba McEintire? What is she doing as a voice actress except as a cameo on The Simpsons. She sounds too much like, well, Reba.
Will Smith has a less intrusive voice. Sure we can tell it’s Will Smith, but his character is a spy, something he has actually played in live action movies (MIB).
Reviews by Others
What do other moviegoers think of Spies in Disguise?
Recommended
- A Taste of Spongey: “This movie was good. It was more enjoyable than I expected and it was a pretty fun spy adventure. It doesn’t totally shed the trappings a lot of animated family films fall into but it is another solid Blue Sky effort that I enjoyed a fair bit.”
- BingeTheFlix: “Keeping in mind the kind of animated movies we got this year it’s more tolerable and enjoyable, maybe you can feel it as a lost opportunity as the movie never tries to stand out from it’s comfort zone.”
- Cinema Spotlight (4/5): “…is a pretty simple movie to sum up. It really isn’t terrible, it’s just predictable. In fact, it’s actually much better than many of this year’s animated films even in spite of it’s predictability and cliches because of its relatively original story, a kinetic energy and how it uses its clichés properly while still succeeding in establishing its own identity.”
- Crypto Hippo (7/10): “Looked pretty generic based on the trailer, but was actually pretty funny.” (ed. also ranks all 192 movies seen in theaters 2019)
- Dan Gardner / Runpee (Grade: B+): “…doesn’t have the broad ranging entertainment as most Pixar movies, it isn’t one of those movies mom and dad have to flip a coin over who has to take the kids. There’s enough here for everyone to enjoy.”
- Geeks of Color: “While the film isn’t all bad, it certainly could have been better. For example, it would have been nice to see Lance in his human form for a bit longer before we had to deal with his pigeon form. However, I do think that kids will enjoy it for the amount of craziness and funny moments that ensue for Lance and Walter. It’s likely to bring your kids a little more joy during the holiday season and would make for a great family outing during the winter break.”
- Jedd The Jedi (3.5/5): “…doesn’t deliver anything cutting-edge, but adequately balances spy action with pure cartoon silliness. It plays to the strengths of stars Will Smith and Tom Holland, who complement each other well. It does often feel like a commercial product and the story and characters are feather-light, but it’s fun where it counts.”
- LoganColeman Film Reviews (9.75/10): “This my favorite Will Smith performance in the past five years. I am hopeful this film will be nominated and potentially win the Oscar for Best Animated Feature depending on which year it considered for. I am going against most other film critics”
- Mirza Baig (3.5/4): ” a fun-filled comedic spy adventure which deserves a watch for Will Smith and Tom Holland‘s undeniable chemistry.”
- Movie Nation / rogerinorlando (2.5/4): “Smith’s easy way with a joke keeps the tone light, and for all the mayhem, this is still pretty fluffy and cute. It’s not “The Incredibles,” but it’s a reasonable and quite amusing facsimile.”
- MV: “This movie offers a role model for kids in Walter, decent animation, a wholesome message about non-violence, and plenty of humor, which may or may not make you laugh, but will certainly try.”
- One Movie, Our Views (2.5/4): “…It’s far from the best animated movie of the year, and isn’t even in the upper tier of Blue Sky’s own output, but Spies in Disguise is still mildly entertaining, and if all you’re looking for is something fast-paced and action packed to watch with the family, it does the job.”
- Robbie’s Movie Reviews (7/10): “… had a lot of delays and to be honest, the movie does not shatter too many things when it comes to originality or that unique energy Disney does. This does not mean the film is bad though, and in fact it’s quite enjoyable.”
- The Film Authority / Ten Seconds From Now: “…with a notably slick car chase that gets off to a slow start when Sterling can’t get into his own car, plus some cool character designs, it’s a satisfying cinema outing for families who just want a quick sugar-rush and a few laughs.”
- The Legionnaire: “…the film had a sense of charm and complexity to the main characters that were something I didn’t expect, and I always love coming to films of not being able to have that predictability. I just hope if they make a sequel it’s not as bad as I thought this movie was going to be.”
- The Movie Guy and Friends: “…it is a fine family comedy that I would recommend to anyone who appreciates above-average animation and knows how to spot it.”
- Timothy Hall (Grade: B+): “…the perfect family movie for the holidays. It has intrigue, suspense, and action all bottled up in a PG animated film. If you like James Bond and silly animated films, you can’t go wrong with Spies.”
- zynchmedia (Grade: B): “…it’s a proud piece of family entertainment with a good heart, an eye for inventive action, and a delightfully wacky sense of humor.”
Not Recommended (or on the fence)
- AIPT / Davis Pittman: “…it’s boring and poorly constructed. The characters are either extremely stereotypical or just irritating, the comedy is all really grating and low bar, and the story isn’t interesting at all. Skip this one, so many better animated films out there.”
- Gaiash Web Channel: “If you don’t have a cinema membership like Limitless there’s not much point in seeing this on the big screen. As for Blue Sky itself I think they’re probably at their best when adapting something else.”
- Rachel’s Reviews (6/10): “It’s ok. Kid’s will like it but it lacks that boldness I so admire in Blue Sky and I still worry it is going to be a big flop.”
- The Jam Report (2.5/5): ” And kids who love science will certainly walk away from Spies in Disguise feeling entirely validated of their passion for gadgets and gizmos. There’s nothing particularly fresh about this rather cumbersome tale, but there are certainly worse ways your kids could be spending their time this holiday season than watching the Will Smith animated pigeon movie.”
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