Bruce Willisis an actor with a wide-ranging career that spans over 137 credits, featuring numerous blockbusters and iconic roles. Many fans and casual viewers have a role that instantly comes to mind when the actor is mentioned, whether it is John McClane ofDie Hardfame, his work with director M. Night Shyamalan inThe Sixth SenseorUnbreakable, or as Korben Dallas inthe cult sci-fi filmThe Fifth Element.
Yet one aspect of Bruce Willis' career that often gets overlooked is his voice acting. His first voice acting role would come in 1989’sLook Who’s Talking(1989), where he voiced Mikey, but he would lend his vocal talents to other movies such asBeavis and Butthead Do AmericaandOver the Hedgein prominent roles. Still, one voice-acting credit that often gets overlooked was a bizarre casting choice that saw Bruce Willis voicing a child spy in both a movie and a one-season TV series,Bruno the Kid.
The Short-Lived Yet Entertaining World of ‘Bruno the Kid’
Bruno the Kid
Bruno the Kidfollows 11-year-old Bruno, who secretly becomes a top spy for a global espionage agency called GLOBE. Yet, even GLOBE does not know his identity, as he uses a CGI avatar (made in the image of Bruce Willis) to communicate directly with them, making him the ultimate undercover agent; only his trusted assistant, Jarlsburg, and gadget whiz, Harris, know of his true identity. With his trusted companions, Bruno fights against various evil organizations, including T.H.U.G.S., “The Home Underworld Group Society.” The series would consist of a single season, comprising 36 episodes, and an animated film.
Bruno the Kidaired on Nickelodeon and was produced by several companies, most notably Film Roman, which has worked on many classics, includingGarfield and Friends,The Simpsons, andKing of the Hill. Released in 1996,Bruno and the Kidfit in tonally and stylistically with many otherof Nickelodeon’s best ’90s series. Besides Bruce Willis, the series brought in some iconic actors and voice actors,including Mark Hamill, Tony Jaa, and Kath Soucie.
Getting the bad out of the way, the ’90s were a distinct era for entertainment, with stereotypes used as punchlines being more prevalent.Bruno the Kid, a spy who travels the world, encounters many different cultures, all portrayed in a painfully uncomfortable manner; this humor almost always lands flat for everyone except those who enjoy some occasional cringe. The one niggle regarding stereotypes aside,the humor ofBruno the Kid, is that it strikes a perfect balance of silly, child-like humor with subtle jokes that only adults will appreciate, including some double entendre, insider jokes, and meta humor.
The series also has its charms for Bruce Willis fans, with the silly CGI avatar in his image always awkward yet entertaining when it appears on-screen. Bruce Willis, who some may not know, was musically inclined, having released three studio albums and provided the catchy theme song for the series. Yet,what stands out more than anything is how expressive and entertaining Bruce Willis is as a voice actor inBruno the Kid. Willis brings a lot of personality into the production, has great comedic timing, and fully embodies a young spy hero; unless pointed out, some viewers may not recognize that it is the famous Hollywood actor in the role.
How To Watch ‘Bruno the Kid’
The short-lived series fits in nicely with other shows of the era that featured many ‘kids’ playing more adult roles in a comedic world similar to real life;Life With Louie,Bobby’s World. For those who enjoyed ’90s animation and shows like the previously mentioned,Bruno the Kidis a nice little hidden gem that often gets overlooked. Notably, the parody of spy and espionage films and TV series gives the series a more adventurous tone while still keeping the charm of a kid acting more like an adult. Again, the humor is also layered, and those who watched it as a kid and come back to it will find they pick up on more of the humor they would have missed in their youth.
Bruno the Kidis far fromBruce Willis’s best performances. Still, it has a lot of charm throughout, as the series was very personalized to Willis, from using his nickname, Bruno, to interjecting him in the form of a silly avatar and having him perform the theme song.For fans of the actor who also have nostalgia for 90s animation, Bruno the Kid is a lot of fun.you’re able to streamBruno the Kidfor free on Plex.
