After dreaming of being a fairy, a pirate and princess, my daughter now imagines she’s a spy. She enjoys dressing up and posing as someone her parents can’t recognize. She gets a kick out of lurking unobserved behind sofa cushions. Most of all she like collecting secrets that can be selectively shared with friends and family. Thus it seems obvious that there must be a kid show focused on females in the espionage business. Totally Spies! properly went after those eager eyeballs with an animated show that combined Charlie’s Angels with a touch of Jem. The female trio of agents all work for W.O.O.H.P. (World Organization Of Human Protection). This sounds like what a girl wants to scream in the playground. Totally Spies! Season One: Wild Style and Top-Secret Mission split up the 26 episodes that make up the debut.
The trio are made up of the fashionable Samantha “Sam” Simpson (Jennifer Hale), Clover Euwing (Andrea Baker) and Alexandra “Alex” Vasquez (Katie Leigh). They are three girls who enjoy going on assignments although they’re a bit whimsical in their methods. The man in charge of keeping them focused is Jerald James “Jerry” Lewis (Jess Harnell). He’s a the British founder of W.O.O.H.P. He does the role of both Charlie and Bosley when it comes to his spies going off on cases. He gets to share his amazing espionage toys with the trio.
“A Thing For Musicians” launches the show with the tale of an overnight sensation whose fans have gone out of control. Why can’t they respect him as a human being? Is there something more sinister driving young girls to go beyond the norms? The trio must bring normalcy to his life. “The New Jerry” has the girls find a new boss in charge of the operation. They like the new cool guy, but is he really Jerry’s legit replacement? “The Get Away” sends them to Hawaii to find a missing man. But they prefer to take more of vacation than business trip. “Stuck in the Middle Ages with You” introduces time travel to their resources. They get to go back to the time to hunt down an evil knight. “Abductions” involves a pack of Noble prize winners getting snagged. “Model Citizens” has more abductions, but this time they’re models. Turns out a Dr. Frankenstein character is eager to create an army of perfect women. What will he do with the three spies? “Silicon Valley Girls” turns machines evil. Can they stop the mechanized death machines? “Shrinking” is the classic tale of a mad scientist shrinking down landmarks to train model size. Clover gets to lose more than a dress size.
“Wild Style” turns passengers on a cruise ship into animals. This is why you don’t book a trip on the S.S. Moreau. “Black Widows” is about a pack of cheerleaders gone bad. The Spies have to disguise themselves with pom poms. “Spies vs. Spies” has the girls get fired when old spies show up. But are they really suitable relationship. “Evil Boyfriend” happens when one of the Spies falls in love with a new guy who might be their latest target. “Game Girls” traps athletes inside a computer system like an animated version of Tron. “Soul Collector” saps the youth out of college kids. What is being done to them? “Do You Believe in Magic?” has a magician on a crime spree. The twist is that the guy supposedly died a while back. Are the girls chasing a ghost? “Man or Machine” has a world leader that might be a robot. It’s up to the girls to see if he’s a heartless machine controlled by outsiders or merely a robot.
Totally Spies! is fun enough for small kids who want a Charlie’s Angels undercover action show. The trio do their best to balance the fun of being in the espionage game without it being too risky. There can be a few frightening concepts for kids such as the Dr. Frankenstein plot or the ship of animal hybrids. You might want to watch it with a youngster instead of just turning it on and walking away.
The video is 1.33:1 full frame. The transfers are fine. The bright colors chosen for the trio’s wardrobe glow on the screen. The audio is Dolby Digital Stereo. The mix is fine for an animated show. You can hear all the words over the action noises. The episodes are Closed Captioned.
There are no bonus features.
Totally Spies! Season One: Wild Style and Top-Secret Mission brings together the freshman outing for the Cartoon Network hit series. The show does it’s best to dazzle young eyes with the adventures of three espionage agents who show off the colorful side of their careers. This show is mostly for the kids.
Flatiron Film Company presents Totally Spies! Season One: Wild Style and Top-Secret Mission. Starring: Jennifer Hale, Andrea Baker, Katie Leigh and Jess Harnell. Boxset Contents: 26 episodes on 4 DVDs. Released: August 13, 2013.
