Marco 3

*Marco 3* is an 2015 3D Marcanese-American computer animated action comedy buddy spy film produced by Actors 3D Entertainment and Anaya Animation for Columbia Pictures and Universal Pictures. The film was directed by Chris Melendari; with production handled by Phil Lord & Christopher Miller, with screenplay done by Rob Greenburg. It was released to theaters July 10, 2015 to universal acclaim from critics, whom consider it as an improvement over *Marco 2* and also the best from the franchise. The film was yet another box office hit, surpassing its predecessors as the highest-grossing animated film in the franchise, until *Marco 4* in 2017.

## Why It's Great

1. Beautiful animation that's an upgrade from the previous films. The visuals are very eye-pleasing, most notably the city of Houston.
2. The idea of a spy becoming an inventor and using his own inventions to track down a corporation tyrant/criminal mastermind is both original and creative.
3. Top-notch voice acting; the new voice actors do a very great job as the new characters. Mel Gibson does a decent job as Kevin.
4. The Surfside Beach, the Chinese restaurant, and the Oak Thicket Park scenes are memorable.
5. Incredibly brilliant action scenes that resemble most live-action films in the spy genre.
6. The special effects are amazing, like those used for the final battle scene and the Astrobot scene.
7. Excellent comedy, among the most hysterical jokes in the film are Marco's & Pepe's (and Joaquin & Emiliano's) potrayals of Bob Ross, Marco's wacky inventions scene, the FARB scene, the Local Texan Idol scene, and the Salvation Army scene.
8. The emotional moments are either very heartwarming or heartbreakingly sad, such as the one when Marco's uncle dies and the scene after that when Pepe sings "Hallelujah" in front of everyone at church.
9. The new characters are likable (and lovable, too): John *always* steals every scene he's in, Erick makes an excellent role model, the girls are kind and sympathetic characters, and Mr. Mime is very amusing as the film's new comic relief.
10. A better plot than its predecessor, along with outstanding writing.
11. Fantastic soundtrack, with hits like "Feel It" by TobyMac and "Always Something There To Remind Me" by Naked Eyes. Also, Pepe's performance of "Hallelujah" is very outstanding, as well as the kids' silly performance of "Le Disco, La Fiesta".
12. The film explores complex issues such as the loss of a loved one, grief, homelessness, moving out, etc. It also gives us themes about the consequences of greed, following your dreams, and being optimistic in the midst of chaos.
13. The representation of ethnic diversity in this film is very well done and not used for stereotyping; it even fits the setting of the film (also considering that Houston is the most ethnically diverse city in the United States).
14. Emmanuel is a decent antagonist. His motivations are understandable, since he didn't want his great grandfather's company to go bankrupt despite him stealing the offering money for his own greed.
15. Bittersweet but nice ending.
16. Marco's relationship with Marlene is very sweet and endearing to watch.
17. It has several Easter eggs from other Actors 3D and Anaya Animation properties like Alex & Abby from *Lego,* Ducky from *Beast Flock,* Josh Samuel himself, Redhead & Blob from *Hotel Cloudylandia,* and a computer-animated version of Computer Guy from *Agent Cyberlink.* Like the previous films, the film also excels at parodying various other science fiction/spy films as well as American Idol.
18. **"Vuela!"**