Anime

‘SPY x FAMILY CODE: White’ English Dub Movie Review

Published

2 weeks ago

April 15, 2024

Nir Regev

SPY x FAMILY CODE White. Art Credit: © 2023 SPY x FAMILY The Movie Project © Tatsuya Endo / Shueisha

Movie Review: ‘SPY x FAMILY Code: White’ is an early contender for best anime film of 2024 for its exceptional attention to cinematography and family friendly blend of action & humor to first time anime watchers.

Table of Contents

Plot

SPY x FAMILY CODE White. Anya. Art Credit: © 2023 SPY x FAMILY The Movie Project © Tatsuya Endo / Shueisha

This review contains mild spoilers.

+ Simple to understand central plot around essentially food (‘Mary Mary’ cake and a chocolate truffle) with advanced, mature implications. Potential bureaucratic end to Operation STRIX and Loid’s ‘mission’ family looms.

+ Fun: Anya stealing & eating a chocolate truffle begins a domino effect of world changing ramifications.

+ Universal subplots about divorce and cheating. Anya fears she will lose her loving parents with a child’s understanding of divorce as told to her by friend Becky.

SPY x FAMILY CODE White. Becky and Anya. Art Credit: © 2023 SPY x FAMILY The Movie Project © Tatsuya Endo / Shueisha

+ Clever spotlight on micro decisions in life. Loid grabbing Nightfall’s hat from flying away in the wind visually interpreted as a kiss from a distance. Yor worries Loid is ‘cheating’ on her and planning to ‘replace’ her as a wife.

SPY x FAMILY CODE White. Yor. Art Credit: © 2023 SPY x FAMILY The Movie Project © Tatsuya Endo / Shueisha

+ Loid goes up against a worthy adversary in Snidel (Snijder). For the first time in SPY x FAMILY, Loid initially loses against a foe and is surprisingly outmatched.

SPY x FAMILY CODE White. Snidel. Art Credit: © 2023 SPY x FAMILY The Movie Project © Tatsuya Endo / Shueisha

– What ‘Stella Stars’ actually are and why Anya (+ Loid) desperately need to earn them will only truly resonate with long time watchers of the anime. If you’ve never watched SPY x FAMILY before you’ll only have a vague idea of why they’re necessary for Operation STRIX.

– Literal toilet humor might be cutesy to those invested in anime but could potentially dismay parents looking for a classical ‘Disney-like’ experience at the cinema.

Japanese swan for potty training: ‘kawaii’ but expansive scenes of Anya ‘holding in’ her waste (containing an important film strip) and imaginary toilet Gods could catch some American parents off guard…

Forget lead villain Snijder suggesting to ‘just cut her open’ if she won’t go to the bathroom. Believable, high stakes storytelling but certainly not ‘wholesome’.

Animation Quality

+ The cinematography in ‘SPY x FAMILY Code: White’ is often stunning, from multi-angles of Yor dueling ‘Type F’ in a blazing inferno on a war plane headed for a crash landing… To extensive, long shots of Loid entering city locations early on.

It’s the type of ‘camera work’ detail you don’t normally expect in anime. Is it on the level of ‘Ghost in the Shell’? No, but it’s superb and owns that ‘big budget epic’ label with pride.

‘SPY x FAMILY CODE: White’ never feels like an ‘expanded episode’, this is a movie through and through. There’s rarely the feel of cost cutting 1-on-1 dialogue scenes that run rampant in some anime film adaptions (and frankly lots of live action dramas these days).

+ Action scenes look spectacular, particularly Loid’s Top Gun-like acrobatic flying from a war plane targeting his aircraft and Yor taking on Type F as mentioned above.

SPY x FAMILY CODE White. Loid. Art Credit: © 2023 SPY x FAMILY The Movie Project © Tatsuya Endo / Shueisha

English Dub Cast Review

+ Alex Organ is excellent as Loid Forger once again and in many ways, ‘SPY x FAMILY Code: White’ feels like a full return to the story being primarily told from Loid’s narrative perspective like early Season 1.

+ Megan Shipman continues to deliver an innocent but infinitely curious voice to Anya Forger that’s full of wonder. Lots of appeal to youthful leaning audiences to connect.

+ Natalie Van Sistine’s Yor is at her best early on when panicking over Loid’s perceived infidelity. Also, as an innocent sounding adult just searching for her family, who’s capable of turning fearsome on a dime.

Natalie’s roles on SPY x FAMILY and The Maid I Hired Recently Is Mysterious are her top vocal work at the moment and quite similarly voiced.

All three leads have been great on the TV adaption, and continue their dub success in the movie.

+ Best Newcomer: John Swasey as Snidel (Snijder), top villain with believable confident voice to match.

+ Tyler Walker plays a pretty good dog in Bond. His best vocal work in the film is Bond’s disappointment at a dog not being let into a restaurant.

• Lindsay Seidel plays a fine Nightfall smitten with Loid but is a bit underutilized. Especially playing a character that presents competition to Yor as a wife. Not as many lines as you’d expect.

SPY x FAMILY CODE White. Nightfall. Art Credit: © 2023 SPY x FAMILY The Movie Project © Tatsuya Endo / Shueisha

• Franky Franklin doesn’t have enough lines in the SPY x Family movie to really comment on. Anthony Bowling turns in a solid performance given his lack of screen time. Franky is distinctly comedy fodder here, with his lead scene appearing after the credits. So many might miss it.

SPY x FAMILY CODE White. Franky Franklin. Art Credit: © 2023 SPY x FAMILY The Movie Project © Tatsuya Endo / Shueisha

• New additions Dimitri (Phil Parsons) and Luka (Tyson Rinehart) are solid dubs but there isn’t a noticeable vocal signature for these characters. Serviceable henchman but not something you could necessarily pull out of a lineup by voice alone like Parson’s great Nappa. Or more recently Parson voicing Kyoko’s father in Fruits Basket -Prelude-.

– Could do without some of the extended enemy screams in the film. Just too much.

* Check out Photos of the SPY x FAMILY CODE: White English dub cast attending the recent LA Premiere.

Post-Credits Scene

Note: Do not leave before the credits end. There is a fun scene with Franky post-credits involving a rare cherry liquor Loid requested delivery for.

Film Soundtrack

+ Fantastic, (K)NoW_NAME are tops in producing the jazzy 60s style spy music that has thematically imprinted this series. The film is no different, though I personally still feel SPY x FAMILY has the best soundtrack overall (and definitely the best opening and closing theme).

In fact, the “STRIX” theme is so synonymous with SPY x FAMILY, it’s a key ingredient of the movie throughout.

Conclusion

+ Great movie addition to one of the most popular anime franchises in the business this side of Dragon Ball Z and Gundam. No SPY x FAMILY fan will leave the cinema disappointed.

Most importantly the film is accessible to newcomers with no prior watching of the franchise. SPY x FAMILY CODE: White is the real deal.

* Visit the Crunchyroll Store to check out official SPY x FAMILY merchandise.

Film Credits & Global Theatrical Dates

Directed by Takashi Katagiri.
Written by Ichiro Ohkouchi.
Original story by Tatsuya Endo.
Produced by WIT STUDIO x CloverWorks.

Japanese Voice Cast:

Takuya Eguchi as Loid Forger
Atsumi Tanezaki as Anya Forger
Saori Hayami as Yor Forger
Kenichirou Matsuda as Bond Forger / Narrator
Hiroyuki Yoshino as Franky Franklin

English Voice Cast:

Alex Organ as Loid Forger
Megan Shipman as Anya Forger
Natalie Van Sistine as Yor Forger
Tyler Walker as Bond Forger
Anthony Bowling as Franky Franklin
Lindsay Seidel as Nightfall
John Swasey as Snidel (Snijder)
Phil Parsons as Dimitri
Tyson Rinehart as Luka
Dani Chambers as Becky Blackbell
Stephanie Young as Sylvia Sherwood
Caitlin Glass as Damian Desmond
Macy Anne Johnson as Emile Elman
Barry Yandell as Henry Henderson

Voice Director: Cris George

Film Background:

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some violence, language and smoking.
Runtime: 110 Minutes
Language: Japanese with English subtitles & English dub
Genre: Animation / Action / Comedy
North American Theatrical Date: Friday, April 19, 2024
Distributor: Crunchyroll & Sony Pictures Entertainment

Global theatrical release dates for the film are as follows:

April 17: Belgium, France, Switzerland (French-speaking)

April 18: Australia, New Zealand

April 19: Canada, Spain, United States

April 23: Austria, Germany

April 24: Italy, Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago

April 25: Argentina, Aruba, Bolivia, Brazil, Central America, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Curacao, Denmark, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, Mexico (in IMAX on April 18), Netherlands, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, Serbia, Slovenia, Suriname, Switzerland (German-speaking), Switzerland (Italian-speaking), Uruguay

April 26: Bulgaria, Ecuador, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Venezuela

More Anime Movie Reviews

Be sure to read:

– The Quintessential Quintuplets Movie Review: Love is Selfish

– Fruits Basket -prelude- Review: Kyoko’s widow heartbreak

– Teasing Master Takagi-San: The Movie Dub Blu-ray Review

– ‘SAO Progressive Movie 2: Scherzo of Deep Night’ Dub Review

– My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising villain ‘Nine’ steals film

– ‘Mobile Suit Gundam Cucuruz Doan’s Island’ Dub Review

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Nir Regev

Nir Regev is the founder of The Natural Aristocrat. You can directly contact him at [email protected] for coverage consideration, interview opportunities, or general comments.