Spy Kids 4 to Be Released in Smell-o-Vision

Posted by on June 24th, 2011   Filed under: Comedy, Technology
Source: USA Today

Ever since the first trailer has arrived online for Spy Kids: All the Time in the World, people have been wondering why the marketing campaign has been proclaiming that the film will be released in 4-D. Most people just assumed the Robert Rodriguez was being cheeky and that the fourth dimension was actually time… which kind of makes sense because the film’s plot revolves around a villain (played by Jeremy Piven) who is trying to stop time. Well, it turns out that Rodriguez wasn’t really joking about the 4-D. Today they’ve revealed that Spy Kids 4 will actually be playing in 4-D, and that the fourth dimension isn’t time… it’s smell!

According to USA Today, the movie will be bringing back another old gimmick from the 1950s known as Smell-o-Vision, only in this case Rodriguez has dubbed the new version “Aromascope”. The idea is that cards will be handed out at each screening, pre-loaded with eight different smells. The scents are released using a scratch and sniff process guided by on screen prompts. Ricky Gervais will give a short tutorial before the movie in character as the robotic dog Argonaut.

We’ve heard rumours about other companies attempting to bring back Smell-o-Vision, and it has always seemed pretty ridiculous. But you have to give Rodriguez credit for being creative and not being afraid to embrace cheesy gimmicks. (After all, he was one of the first filmmakers to bring back 3-D, with The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl.) While it remains to be seen if this will actually catch on with other filmmakers, I have to admit, I’m curious to see how it works. What do you think, is this a good idea? Does this make you more likely to see Spy Kids 4?



  • Primal

    Probably gonna smell like shit the whole time.

  • Dane Forst

    to answer your question, no. Smell o vision would only be mildly entertaining if they were essentially “gassing” the audience with smells. They would gain brownie points with me if it were John Goodman doing the gassing.

  • Mike

    i’ll get started rolling the blunt for this one right now

  • and Robert Rodriguez will be creating all the smells too. just like he does all the writing, shooting, CG, cutting, score, anything and everything but what he shoudl be doing – WRITING A BETTER SCRIPT

  • patrik

    nice.. I wanna smell Jessica Alba

  • /\/\/\/\/\smells like….wait for it….afterbirth!

    oh! I’m drunk and commenting

  • milath

    I predict 5-D and 6-D now, wherein you sit in special vibrating chairs and lick the floor in front of you as directed onscreen when the kids are forced to eat their liver and onion dinner.

    You heard it here first. Touch and Taste are next, making future Spy Kids movies true films for all the senses.

    Too bad all the sensations are actual shit.

  • Dave

    So, when did senses become dimensions? That time thing didn’t occur to me, but that makes more sense.

  • kyri

    I am ashamed to admit, I was one of those people who wondered about the 4D..

  • MamaCass

    @Milath- Vibrating chairs are already in effect…it’s called D-Box. It’s actually kind of cool, unless you have to pay for it…

  • milath

    I actually heard about that! It’s not very widespread though is it? I certainly wouldn’t pay for a vibrating chair unless it massaged me as well. hehe

    And Dave, I believe the word ‘dimensions’ is used to connotate the word variables, like say eHarmony calls their different match variables ‘dimensions of compatibility’ or something to that effect. It just sounds more important like that.

    This would be dimensions of sensory input. Though, technically this would still be 3-D cause see, hear and now add smell. Right?

    Basically it’s a poor connotation and really just a cheap marketing ploy that probably won’t bring in any more people who weren’t already gonna see the Spy Kids movie, but some dumbass got paid big bucks to come up with it.

  • Tomoo

    I thought 4-D generally referred to those theme park “rides” where you watch a short little movie and the spray water on you and move the seats around. Like that Spiderman one at Universal Studios and the Sesame Street one at Busch Gardens.