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| Courtesy Sony 2023 |
WRITER'S NOTE: The following was originally posted on my Instagram page @be.kerian on June 4, 2023.
Once in a blue moon, an animated feature comes along that changes the course of the medium moving forward. Walt Disney did this several times, with his inaugural Snow White (1937), followed by Fantasia (1940) and One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961), to name a few. UPA experimented with different techniques for their countless short films, including Gerald McBoing Boing (1950). And let's not forget the cutting-edge animation combined with live-action in Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), the stop-motion effects of The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), and the computer animation of Pixar's Toy Story (1995).
On the flip side, there are two kinds of superhero films (and films in general): those that follow a conventional and/or predictable narrative, and those that are subversive and take unexpected detours. Most films land under the former category. But Sony Animation's Spider-Verse franchise isn't most films. If 2018's Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse represented a living comic-book (blending 2D and 3D effects), then the 2023 follow-up, Across the Spider-Verse, blows the roof off of the entire animation medium. Watching this explosion of color, creativity, imagination, artistry, and a powerful story, I can't help but wonder how many screenplay drafts and concept art the filmmakers went through to get to the final cut.
More importantly, this darker chapter never sacrifices its beating heart under all the spectacle. And believe me, there's a lot of insane spectacle, not to mention several frenetic, mind-blowing action sequences that happen fast. (The film is not recommended for audiences with photo-sensitivities and epilepsy.) Standout new characters include a "Mumbattan" (Mumbai and Manhattan combined) resident Pavitr Prabhakar (voiced by Karan Soni), British punk rocker Hobie Brown (voiced by Daniel Kaluuya), and Peter B. Parker's infant daughter Mayday. The pregnant Jessica Drew (voiced by Issa Rae) is also cool.
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| Courtesy Sony 2023 |
But Across the Spider-Verse is really about the continuing stories of teenagers Miles Morales (voiced by Shameik Moore) and Gwen Stacy (voiced by Hailee Steinfeld), each struggling back in their own dimensions and trying to make sense of their respective realities, secret identities, and responsibilities. But when a mysterious supervillain, known as the Spot (voiced by Jason Schwartzman), shows up in Miles' world and Miles soon discovers a portal to a multiverse where literally every version of Spider-Man lives (including the pessimistic and futuristic Miguel O'Hara, voiced by Oscar Isaac) . . . Let's just say we're in for a wild ride. (And this is only the first-half of a reported two-part story arc a la Infinity War and Endgame, complete with a gut-punch of a cliffhanger. Beyond the Spider-Verse is scheduled for release next spring.)
The story also emphasizes how difficult being a parent can be (whether we're talking about Captain Stacy, or Jefferson Davis and Rio Morales), and just as well for being part of an immigrant family (Miles is Afro-Latino). Other themes include fate, destiny, disappointment, and the consequences of certain choices and/or mistakes. "I can do all these things," laments one character, "and I can't help the people I love the most." I also found a familiar theme that unintentionally calls back to 1989's Batman: does the villain make the hero, or does the hero make the villain?
The folks at Sony Animation have really outdone themselves by creating new software and technology to further blend the mediums of hand-drawn and computer animation, given the film's highly-ambitious and complicated narrative. And there are, no doubt, clever appearances galore, as well as powerful hero moments. This is proof that animation is not only art, but also very cinematic and deep. (Did I mention dope as well?) For younger kids, however, this isn't a recommended pic due to its heavy drama, knuckle-punching action, and surprising language choices. Parents should also be aware of a couple of blink-and-you'll-miss-them images related to LGBTQ topics (a poster over a bedroom door reads, "Protect Trans Kids," and a Pride pin is on an officer's jacket). This makes me wonder if there's some kind of agenda going on underneath all this. (Read more about these elements here.) For everyone else, this will most likely be one of 2023's standout pics by the end of the year.
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