Into, Across and Beyond the Spider-Verse

[Randall]

I can't believe no one started this thread yet...!

And this is the most progressive (art-wise) major animated film of the year! And, overall, the best. I will gag if Incredibles 2 wins.

My quick take...

I took my boy Parker (the name is a coincidence, I swear) to see Spider-Verse today, and I gotta say... Sony is THE major animation studio to watch. They totally schooled the competition this past year with Into the Spider-Verse. They deserve that Oscar in a few weeks, hand’s down. Like, wow, where did THAT come from? Similar to Blue Sky raising their own bar with The Peanuts Movie, Spider-Verse virtually re-creates the studio that brought us (bleh!) The Emoji Movie.

The visuals are amazing, spectacular, and sensational. And FINALLY, someone was not afraid to take advantage of the animation medium!!! FINALLY, someone had the guts to make a film that doesn’t just ape what Pixar is doing!
Spider-Verse is totally its own thing. And it’s a beauty to behold. Just, wow.

The story is quite good, too, particularly for those who have always loved Spidey. Peter was awesome, Miles was awesome, and so was the other... oops, no spoilers!

And Miles is a Spidey for today’s generation. He lives in a real-feeling NYC, loves rap, and has classmates who (like they did in Homecoming) look like they come from actual modern life. And his parents, like in the comics, are presumably unmarried and not the same race. Just like lots of people I know. Just like with many kids in today's world. This is a Spidey for today, and Miles is awesome. I love that the myth has been recreated for today’s kids. For MY kid. I have a niece (my brother’s daughter) that adores Miles, too. And we can all appreciate the theme of the film, too--- we all have a hero inside of us, if we make the right choices. This movie is an inspiration.

[Ben]

Just won the BAFTA on top of everything else. I’d say it was a shoo-in for the Oscars now, if it wasn’t already. I’ve even got the disc ordered too, and can’t wait to see it (we’re running I2 next week, but as excited as I am to see that, I’m more pumped to se Spidey-Verse overall).

Sony was always the "interesting" studio (remember Surf's Up!?), but after Cloudy they rested back and got lazy with the licensed-in, branded properties (Smurfs, Angry Birds, Emoji), so it’s good to see them stretch again.

I do just hope they keep the momentum going and not just churn out four Spidey-Verse sequels now, though. Let’s keep the creative spark going and apply that to *new* properties!

[Randall]

Yes, and let's hope the other studios take note and get a little more daring visually.

[EricJ]

I can't believe no one started this thread yet...!
And this is the most progressive (art-wise) major animated film of the year! And, overall, the best. I will gag if Incredibles 2 wins.

If Incredibles 2 wins because the voters "didn't have time to see kiddy films" or even go to Ralph Breaks the Internet, I'm grabbing Princess Merida's bow and going hunting.

I took my boy Parker (the name is a coincidence, I swear) to see Spider-Verse today, and I gotta say... Sony is THE major animation studio to watch. They totally schooled the competition this past year with Into the Spider-Verse. They deserve that Oscar in a few weeks, hand’s down. Like, wow, where did THAT come from?

Yeah, given the Emoji Movie, Peter Rabbit and Hotel Transylvania 3, where the flippin' heck DID that come from??
I understand, and sympathize, that Spiderverse was better than you expected. Lord knows, it was certainly better than I expected from Sony Animation.

That's probably why I don't credit Sony with its success, but more likely the director of Rise of the Guardians (also hailed by fans as "One of the good DreamWorks, so that proves it!"), with a little help from the writer of the first Lego Movie, who happened to be fans of the actual print comics. You know, unlike, say, "Venom" or "Amazing Spiderman 2" were.
Sony intended "Spider-verse" literally, in that this was going to be their flagship for an actual studio "crossover universe" of Marvel films starring Spiderman characters that Disney didn't own, and their last-ditch all-or-nothing over-enthusiasm happened to snag a few bits of talent who wanted to show the world how much of the Marvel universe Disney didn't own...And all at once, at that.
I think that over-enthusiasm is what we're all responding to, and let's learn to credit that, rather than the studio, which normally spends the rest of the year failing all on its own.

Otherwise, we'll end up with a situation much like 90's Warner animation: "Cats Don't Dance was a classic, because it came from the same studio as IRON GIANT!! That means Quest for Camelot was cruelly underrated!"
Or even fans who say "But DreamWorks is good and holy, because they made Dragons 2!"...Nahh, nobody says that.

[Randall]

I do agree. This wasn't your "typical" Sony Animation effort, and I can't expect that this will be indicative of what to expect going forward. Each project gets its own crew, and a great director and a great writer make all the difference. Let's face it, each studio has lots of good animators. What separates the good from the great is story, storytelling, and originality. At least Sony actually let this film happen how it did, with its cool look intact. I can only hope that ALL studios noticed that, aside from spider-people, the film had not only a good story but also boldly original visuals. I'd love to see US animation get less generic-looking.

[droosan]

And this is the most progressive (art-wise) major animated film of the year! And, overall, the best. I will gag if Incredibles 2 wins.

I was pretty darn impressed by the art style & innovative storytelling of the GKIDS anime release M*F*K*Z, which was in theaters about a month before Into the Spiderverse (for only a couple of days)..!



It's slated for release on Blu-ray on March 26th in North America .. April 1st in the UK.

Very definitely not for kids, though!

[Randall]

Looks to be worth a view, though I'd say still not really in the same league innovation-wise as Spider-Verse, which looked quite different from any previous US animated film. Some nice 3-D touches and "multiplane"-type effects, but still not so different than, say, a Satoshi Kon anime. Regardless, it looks pretty sharp.

[Daniel]

The Spot confirmed! Will be voiced by Jason Schwartzman.

[Daniel]

Based on merch leaks, the team for the film is:

Miles, Gwen, Miguel, Ben Reilly, Cyborg Spider-Woman and Spider-Punk

[EricJ]

With rumored cameo appearance by 70's Japanese Power-Rangers Supaidaman, and probably not a cheap post-credit gag like 60's Ralph Bakshi Spiderman got.

[Daniel]

Daniel Kaluuya joins cast as Spider-Punk.

[Ben]

Not a massive fan, but I’m guessing he’ll bring his natural British accent to it, so it might work.

[Daniel]

Maybe because you mainly associate him with Get Out. Awful film!

[Ben]

Nah, I’ve seen him in a bunch of stuff, and just haven’t been that impressed. I absolutely hated Get Out for various reasons — mainly because it was DUMB — but he didn’t help. Such a wasted opportunity there.

[Daniel]

Trailer:



Spider-Man Unlimited! So many cameos.