Christopher Miller and Phil Lord, the American film writing and production duo, set out to weave a combination of art and heart into Sony Pictures’ “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” which involved expanding the stories of the spider people.
For their sequel to 2018’s “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” they sought to create new worlds to immerse audiences in a web of animated adventures.
“We wanted each one to have a very distinctive look and its own aesthetic,” Miller told Reuters ahead of the film’s release on Friday. “It was a really fun opportunity to tell a story where you can go to all these places and see these worlds that you’ve never seen before and give audiences something they’ve never experienced before.”
The film follows the journey of teenager Miles Morales, played by Shameik Moore, who embarks on a mission with love interest Gwen Stacy, played by Hailee Steinfeld, to save the spider people in each universe from catastrophe.
The animation styles were influenced by Marvel’s Miles Morales comics, created by Brian Michael Bendis and Sara Pichelli, and incorporate a watercolor look often seen on the covers of the Spider-Gwen comic series.
The voice cast includes Issa Rae as Spider-Woman, Oscar Isaac as Spider-Man 2099, Daniel Kaluuya as Spider-Punk, and Brian Tyree Henry as Miles’ father, Jefferson Davis.
The topic? May people from all walks of life unapologetically accept their true selves.
“With this particular story, there are so many fundamental themes of just finding yourself, trusting yourself, and knowing yourself,” Rae said.
At the world premiere in Los Angeles on Tuesday, Henry told Reuters that there’s a Spider-Man for everyone because heroes look like everyone from every background.
“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” grossed more than $35 million during its first three days of release before the pandemic and went on to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2019.
Despite some suspicions that those box office days are still far from over, the sequel is expected to gross around $115.5 million in its first three days in the United States and Canada, according to a projection by the website BoxOffice Pro. Sony Pictures expects a lower opening, between $75 and $85 million.
For many movie critics, this new superhero movie has what it takes to succeed at the box office.
Early reviews from review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a 95% on the Tomatometer.
“This looks like it might have been the first movie designed to get a thumbs up from Andy Warhol and Stephen Hawking,” wrote Variety’s Owen Gleiberman.