Spies in Disguise
This article or section needs expansion. |
| Fandom | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Spies in Disguise |
| Abbreviation(s): | |
| Creator: | Cindy Davis, Brad Copeland, Lloyd Taylor |
| Date(s): | December 4, 2019 (El Capitan Theatre), December 25, 2019 (United States) |
| Medium: | Film |
| Country of Origin: | USA |
| External Links: | at IMDb at Wikipedia Official Website |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Spies in Disguise is a 2019 American animation spy comedy film produced by Disney. It was loosely inspired by the 2009 animated short Pigeon: Impossible.
Short Canon Description
Lance Sterling (voiced by Will Smith) is a secret agent of H.T.U.V.. He is transformed into a pigeon by undergoing chromothripsis, after contacting a formula created by Walter Beckett (voiced by Tom Holland) a gadget scientist.
Beckett and Sterling work together to do two things: stop Killian, a terrorist bent on destruction and revenge, and then to turn Sterling back into a human.
Main Characters
Fandom
The fandom started low-key, with some fanart and fanfiction primarily based on the trailers, as well as promotional footage plus interviews with actors Will Smith and Tom Holland who play the main characters, Lance Sterling and Walter Beckett.
The following year there was a boom in the creation of fanworks, mainly in response to discussions about the age of the characters and the fact that Walter is a fan of the fictional South Korean television drama "Hearts in Seoul", starring the doubly fictional characters Soo-min and Joon.
The film is often crossed with other animated or espionage feature films, particularly those in which actors Will Smith and Tom Holland played a role.
Shipping and Pairings
The pairing Walter/Lance was widely shipped in the months following its release, as was the gen or het - depending on the fan - relationship between Walter and his pet pigeon Lovey. Over time, shipping Walter/Killian also became popular.
Fanworks
Popular tropes
Fanart
Fanfiction
Fanvid
Controversy
Discussion About the Age Differences
Among fandom there was also a lot of debate about the true age of Walter Beckett, Lance's clumsy handler and agent partner. Many fans discussed the age of consent in their respective countries and issues of objectification and fetishisation of characters with juvenile characteristics, as well as apologism for pedophilia inside and outside the media.
Much of the discussion about Walter's age and whether or not fans could ship him with Lance was resolved after the publication by some fans of the date of birth taken directly from the character's file, visible on screen for just a few seconds in the film.
Discussion About Race and Representation
As this was Blue Sky's final film before it was closed by Disney, much was expected of the plot, as it had a black man as one of its main characters. However, as in many other Disney movies where there are non-white protagonists, the character spends most of the feature film outside of his original human form. This occurred previously in Brother Bear, The Princess and the Frog, The Emperor's New Groove, and Soul, which was co-animated with Pixar and released the year after Spies in Disguise.
The fact that Lance Sterling spends more than half the movie as a pigeon, even eating garbage directly from the ground, left many fans and critics with one more film to the list of works that dehumanize black characters.
Resources & Communities
- tag スパイinデンジャー on Pixiv
- tag Spies in Disguise on Pixiv
- tag Spies in Disguise on AO3
- Spies in Disguise on Disney Wiki
- Spies in Disguise on Spies in Disguise Wiki
- Spies in Disguise on Blue Sky Studios Wiki