SPIDERMAN: INTO THE SPIDERVERSE

 Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse is an academy award winning animated film produced by Columbia Pictures and animated under the supervision of Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios. It follows the story of a teenage Miles Morales as he discovers his Spiderman powers and a shift in the time-space continuum that releases different Spidermans into his universe. The film has a unique animation style that mixes basic computer animation with comic book-like aesthetics giving the viewer an animation experience not commonly seen before. The animation is nostalgic in a way as it takes from the original hand drawn comic book style that the story originates from. In fact, the art style adapted by the animators is also very unique in a way because it takes greatly from how the characters were originally drawn in the comics and then proceeds to add different visual effect elements that enhances the concept art. It would not be false to call the film a “moving comic book” as other have already called it in the past. The film does a phenomenal job at bringing the comic to life as it is and as a new innovative animated feature. The added CGI and the hand drawn text and painted elements create a distinctive handmade vibe that helps along in the story telling.

The worldbuilding in the film is intricately detailed. The illustrations and the color palette used in the background is greatly reflective of the busy life of real-world NYC; somber yet colorful and mixed with the rightest hints of neon in all the appropriate places. In fact, the color palette follows throughout the film in characters and background alike. The character design pays complete homage to Stan Lee’s art style and works on it to make the characters even more dynamic and appealing. A very good example of this appeal would be the contrast between Peter Parker’s lightweight, agile and lithe design to Kingpin’s boxy, broad and bulky caricature-esque representation. This contrast is also seen in how these characters are animated i.e., Peter Parker’s movements are quick, swift and bouncy showcasing a number of moments of squash and stretch whereas Kingpin moves in a much slower and stiffer manner. Another key point in the character design is the difference in not only the general designs but also the art styles of the 5 spidermans that appear in the movie. The film leaves no window for incomplete or lofty storytelling whether its in the post produced after effects or the very basic concept art. The attention to detail at the end of the day is really what makes this amazing example of storytelling possible. The way the characters interact with the secondary or/and the background elements is something the viewer might not notice at first but upon a closer look, you realize how so many little things that might go unnoticed at first really make the whole thing sing. In fact, many of these interactions take place off screen but the movements of the character imply these actions which again is testament of how much detail has been put into each and every frame.

The film showcases perplexing imagery, storytelling and animation. The color palette perfectly fits the colorful yet emotional themes of the movie, the neons that have been distributed all over the film are not too jarring or overpowering and fit perfectly into every scene e.g., the kaleidoscopic moment by the end of the film displays many loud and bright colors but with the characters, story and even the soundtrack everything sings well together and not a hue seems out of place. All these things are attestation that “Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse” is a revolutionary work of art and animation.