14-Year-Old Animator Brings Spidey to Life in Epic Spider-Verse Sequence
Discover how a 14-year-old's animated scene in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse caught the attention of the creators and became a standout moment in the film
The animation in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse was just as stunning as its predecessor. The film featured a variety of animated scenes that were specific to each Spider-Person, as well as one particularly noteworthy scene animated by a talented 14-year-old named Preston Mutanga. Note: Minor spoilers ahead for those who have yet to watch the film.
Mutanga gained internet fame on May 24th for his impressive LEGO animation recreation of the Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse trailer, which had originally been posted on YouTube in January of this year. The video was so well-received that it even caught the attention of the film's creators, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, who praised Mutanga's work on social media. One fan even commented that they could envision Mutanga's work in a real LEGO movie, and it turns out that they weren't far off. In fact, Mutanga's animation skills were put to use in the actual film, as he was responsible for animating a short scene early on featuring The Spot hopping through different dimensions, including one made entirely out of LEGOs. Viewers were treated to a longer scene in the LEGO dimension later in the movie, which Mutanga also animated.
The Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse credits revealed Muntanga's involvement, prompting curious fans to reach out on Twitter for confirmation. One fan specifically asked if Muntanga animated the LEGO world in the movie, to which Muntanga responded with a "Yes" and a GIF from The LEGO Batman Movie. Muntanga even attended the premiere of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Jake Johnson, the voice actor for Peter B. Parker, expressed his admiration for the animation in the movie, noting that the LEGO world was particularly impressive. It's exciting to see such a young and gifted individual contributing to the success of a potential award-winning film like Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Fans can only hope to see more of Muntanga's talents in upcoming projects like the sequel, Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, or even a LEGO movie.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is now playing in theaters.
Source: GamesRadar, Fandango
