The wild, maximalist Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse’s success was spectacular, its innovative style helping Miles Morales swing his way into becoming a household name.
Perhaps the most striking feature of the Sony Imageworks produced film directed by the trio of Rodney Rothman, Peter Ramsay and Bob Persichetti, was an experimental blend of the visual languages of comic books and animation through mimicry of methods like the Ben Day process and “Kirby Krackle.” The film dropped jaws with its use of comic book onomatopoeia as well as an adaptation of traditional 2d techniques and unique nuances to 3d cg animation. Into The Spider-Verse still stands apart for its willingness to play with the textures of what it was adapting rather than just plot in the various art styles depicting its various Spider-People – the anime-inspired Peni Parker, the monochrome Spider-Noir, and so many more.
The artist’s hand takes similar priority in the upcoming sequel, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. In a presentation at the 2022 Annecy Animation Festival, sequel directors Joaquim Dos Santos (director, Legend of Korra, Voltron), Kemp Powers (co-director/writer, Soul; writer, One Night in Miami), and Justin K. Thompson (production designer, Into the Spider-Verse, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs) highlighted how they’re expanding on the first’s “spirit of experimentation.” Afterwards, they sat down with Cartoon Brew, which was the only U.S. media outlet to conduct a video interview with the dirctors. Watch it below:
