Parents' Guide to

Spy Kids: Mission Critical

By Emily Ashby, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 7+

Action-packed movie tie-in has mild violence, lots of fun.

TV Netflix Kids' Animation 2018
Spy Kids: Mission Critical Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

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age 13+

Based on 2 parent reviews

Maman12
Maman12 Adult
February 26, 2019
age 18+

Some worrying storylines...

My child won’t be watching this again after watching episodes where the characters take part in dangerous, potentially life threatening, competitions - who can sit in the freezer longest? “I must win!” - and where a doctor can give you a new face if you don’t like yours. My child is now worrying about what will happen if they don’t like their own face, something they had not considered before this, we don’t need body conscious issues at the age of 7, or at any age to be honest.

This title has:

Too much violence
2 people found this helpful.
Kristeen G.
Kristeen G. Adult
April 23, 2018
age 8+

I will wait before turning it on again

My son is 6 1/2 and I thought he would be able to handle it. I looked at the reviews, knowing that there was some violence, and watched it along side him, discussing the things that were real and not. We talked about not hitting other people, and things like that. We watched two episodes back to back and then I turned it off because he had watched enough tv for a school night. After I turned it off, my son informed me that he was going to practice the moves he learned in the show. NO THANK YOU. I should not have let him watch it after all because even though he knows he's not supposed to hurt other people, he thought it was absolutely fine to practice the moves as if it was a karate class. I told him no more watching the show, and that I'll think about letting him watch it when he's seven but it will likely be more like when he's eight. It's just sad. I told him that if he started acting out the stuff in the show then he would not be able to watch it anymore, and without missing a beat, he told me that was his plan. He can go back to watching Care Bears and Garfield.

This title has:

Too much violence
See all 2 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In SPY KIDS: MISSION CRITICAL, an unexpected threat to the Organization of Secret Spies forces its closure and the reopening of Spy Kids Academy to train the next generation of agents. After their parents, Gregorio (voiced by Christian Lanz) and Ingrid (Mira Sorvino), go into hiding along with the rest of the O.S.S. agents, Carmen (Ashley Bornancin) and Juni (Carter Hastings) are tasked with leading the Mission Critical team to thwart the efforts of the villain Golden Brain (Tom Kenny) and his counterspy agency, Sinister Wrongdoers Against Mankind's Preservation (S.W.A.M.P.). Together they assemble the most promising academy trainees -- Glitch (Caitlyn Bairstow), Ace (Nicholas Coombe), Scorpion (Nesta Cooper), and Sir Awesome (Richard Ian Cox) -- and jump into battle against Golden Brain, who has his hands full with this eager group of agents-in-the-making.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2):
Kids say (6):

This action/adventure animated series is fast-paced fun for kids who aren't quite ready for real baddies and critical combat. Golden Brain is hardly an imposing figure, and his thugs are doltish enough that they're easily manhandled by the intrepid young heroes and heroines. What violence exists isn't disturbing and never seems to have lasting impact, given that everyone seems to bounce back to normal fairly quickly. There is the issue of kids assuming adult responsibilities and holding the line between the world's freedom and its fall to a nefarious force, but even that matter has minimal effect on the show's overall humor.

Viewers who have seen the Spy Kids movies will notice that Mission Critical doesn't have a natural place within the franchise's timeline, even though it revives the Cortez family and references other major players from the first three movies in particular. If your kids are big fans of the movies, this might be an issue initially, but the story charts its own course well enough that they will enjoy it nonetheless. Newcomers to the Spy Kids concept won't get all of the movie references, but it's not enough of a factor that it'll interfere with whether or not they like the show.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about TV violence. Is violence a necessity in action/adventure stories? Does it make the story more exciting to have physical encounters between the characters? What kind of violence, if any, bothers you in animated shows like Spy Kids: Mission Critical?

  • In what ways do Juni and Carmen prove themselves as good leaders? Do their different styles ever cause problems for their team? What character strengths do you think are important in leadership?

  • How does this show's story integrate with the Spy Kids movies? Does the animation style help distinguish it from them? What other movies would you like to see revisited in a series?

TV Details

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Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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