Spy Kids

Chapter III Records

Music Composed by Gavin Greenaway, Heitor Pereira, Harry Gregson-Williams, Danny Elfman, Los Lobos, Robert Rodriguez, John Debney, Marcel Rodriquez, David Garza, Tito Puente, and Chris Boardman

Orchestrations by John Debney, Bruce Fowler, Ladd McIntosh, and Don Nemitz

Produced by Robert Rodriguez, Randy Spendlove and Randy Gerston

Release Date: 2001

     When I first received this score, I looked everywhere to find the name of the composer. There were no credits in the customary places, and instead I found that each individual track was given its own credit. Yes, Virginia, the list of composers on this page is the actual list. There are even single tracks that have contributions from a very different rage of people (such as track 7, Pod Race, which credits John Debney, Danny Elfman, and Harry Gregson-Williams...did you ever think you would see that?). Of course, these composers are not just a bunch of up-and-coming types who have had no previous film credit. As you can tell by the extensive listing, there are many recognizable names on this project.

     First, let's look at a little of the history of this project. Danny Elfman was brought in to compose Floop's Song, since they need the performance of it for filming purposes, and then Chris Boardman used the music to create themes for two of the film's characters. After filming was complete, the cut was dropped off at Media Ventures where Hans Zimmer assigned three of his best disciples to work on it. In addition, Rodriguez brought in the group Los Lobos to deliver some additional music (to which he added orchestral sections). After all that, Elfman came back to complete his main theme for the film, to which John Debney orchestrated and arranged, also composing some of his own music for a couple of scenes in the process.

     So, there you have it, the whole convoluted process. I find it most interesting that this is the second album in which Elfman and Debney have joined forces (the first one I've come across being Heartbreakers). Could this be a major trend that is starting to take place? It will be interesting to watch how this develops.

     While such attempts at multiple composers usually end up as disjointed CD albums, Spy Kids manages to remain cohesive throughout. Practically every track sounds like it belongs here and given the wide diversity of styles that Debney, Elfman, Gregson-Williams, and Rodriguez bring to the mix this is even more amazing. It is fun to try to pick out exactly who composed what, but more often than not it boils down to “Well, the strings sound like Gregson-Williams, but the bells are more in Elfman’s styles and the trumpet section is reminiscent of Debney.” Of course, I wouldn’t be surprised if this is just the case with certain tracks. It’s also probably the whole Spanish/Mexican style that permeates the entire score that also manages to keep things together. That style, coupled with some quaint Barryesque moments (especially in track 10), make this score really fun.

      Floop's Song is definitely Elfman, but at the same time it reminds me of the Steve Martin and Martin Short (or "Steve Martin Short" to conserve space) song from The Prince of Egypt. It is definitely much easier on the ears than the end title song, which, unfortunately, is reminiscent of the end credit song for Lost in Space. It’s a fun little ditty, albeit a little twisted, but it’s really too short to really do anything, and that is also a complaint that I have with the score as a whole. The whole CD lasts just over 30 minutes. While I’m sure it would get boring if it was stretch much farther than that, there are some tracks that seem to cut off just as they are really starting to cook (like track 5).

     Overall, this is a really fun score, and if you don’t mind plopping down your money for a CD with a short run-time, it would be a good purchase. Practically, if you’re also a fan of any of the listed composers, you’d probably be happy with this one as well. It is definitely one of the must interesting and fun scores to come out since Chicken Run. ***1/2   

Track Listing

1 - Cortez Family (1:38)

2 - My Parents Are Spies (2:07)

3 - Spy Wedding (2:09)

4 - Spy Kids Demonstration (1:03)

5 - Parents On Mission (1:15)

6 - Kids Escape House (3:12)

7 - Pod Chase (1:37)

8 - The Safehouse (0:45)

9 - The Third Brain (0:58)

10 - Buddy Pack Escape (1:37)

11 - Oye Como Spy (2:57)

12 - Floop's Song (Cruel World) (0:58)

13 - Spy Go Round (2:10)

14 - Minion (1:02)

15 - Sneaking Around Machetes (0:34)

16 - The Spy Plane (1:27)

17 - Floop's Castle (1:27)

18 - Final Family Theme (1:40)

19 - Spy Kids (Save The World) (2:20)

Total Running Time: 31:36