In the mid-2000's, Reel FX Creative Studios was hired by Hasbro to produce some direct-to-video films based on G.I. Joe.
The first film was G.I. Joe: Spy Troops, which was distributed in 2003 by Paramount Home Entertainment and involved the Joes having to stop Cobra after the terrorist organization steals their MIRC (Mind Interface Remote Control) technology and use it to control an army of Battle Android Troopers.
The second film, G.I. Joe: Valor vs. Venom, was released in 2004 (also by Paramount Home Entertainment) and had Cobra plotting to create an army by kidnapping people and fusing them with DNA samples obtained from a zoo.
The last of the Reel FX films was G.I. Joe: Ninja Battles, which differed from its predecessors in that it was only 22 minutes long and was included as a pack-in for the Ninja Battles action figure set rather than released in stores.
G.I. Joe: Sigma 6 was hinted to take place after the events of Valor vs. Venom, albeit with some discrepancies.
Tropes:
- All-CGI Cartoon: Spy Troops and Valor vs. Venom were both animated entirely with three-dimensional computer graphics. Ninja Battles is mostly animated in 2D, but uses clips from the previous films and shifts to CGI during the last few minutes.
- Chekhov's Skill: Early in Spy Troops, it is mentioned that Shipwreck and his parrot Polly can do impressions of Cobra Commander, with the latter doing a better impersonation. This later gets a payoff when Shipwreck disguises himself as Cobra Commander to deceive Cobra and Polly does the talking for him using a convincing imitation of Cobra Commander's voice (albeit blowing their cover by demanding crackers).
- I Want My Mommy!: Valor vs. Venom has Dusty facetiously cry for "mama" after getting shot with a paintball gun.
- The Mole: Agent Faces in Spy Troops turns out to be a Joe infiltrating Cobra.
- Origins Episode: Ninja Battles serves largely to establish this continuity's take on the backstories of Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow.
- The Pig-Pen: Dusty evidently doesn't like being clean, as Valor vs. Venom has him neglect washing his hands and has him complain when the reversal of his magnetization also rids him of the dirt on his uniform.
- Pineapple Surprise: In Valor vs. Venom, Snake Eyes pulls the pins on every grenade on Storm Shadow's bandolier to escape him. Storm Shadow survives by tossing the belt before it's too late.
- Related Differently in the Adaptation: Hard Master is traditionally established to be Storm Shadow's uncle, but Ninja Battles instead states that he is Storm Shadow's father.
