Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Music by | Daniel Pemberton |
| Editing by | Michael Andrews |
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| Distributed by | Sony Pictures Releasing |
| Release date(s) | May 30, 2023 (Regency Village Theater) June 2, 2023 (United States) |
| Running time | 140 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $125 million |
| Money made | $690.8 million |
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is an exciting animated superhero film from 2023. It features the popular Marvel Comics character Spider-Man. This movie is a sequel to the hit film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018). It was directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson. The story was written by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller and Dave Callaham.
The film stars Shameik Moore as Miles Morales. Other main voices include Hailee Steinfeld as Gwen Stacy. In this adventure, Miles travels across many different universes, called the multiverse. He joins a special group of Spider-People known as the Spider-Society. Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation made this movie with Marvel Entertainment.
Across the Spider-Verse was a huge success. It earned over $690 million worldwide. Critics loved the film, and it won many awards. These included Best Animated Feature at the Critics' Choice Movie Awards and Annie Awards. It was also nominated for an Academy Award.
A third movie, Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, is planned for release in 2027. There are also spin-off films about Spider-Women and Spider-Punk being developed.
Miles' Multiverse Adventure
Gwen's Secret and a New Threat
On Earth-65, Gwen Stacy is Spider-Woman. She feels alone and her father, George Stacy, hunts Spider-Woman. He does not know Gwen is the hero. Gwen meets a villain called the Vulture. Miguel O'Hara and Jess Drew arrive from other universes to help. Gwen's father tries to stop her, but she leaves with Jess and Miguel.
Meanwhile, on Earth-1610, Miles Morales is busy as Spider-Man. This makes him late for family events. His parents, Jeff and Rio, are upset. Miles then meets the Spot. The Spot was a scientist who got his powers from an accident Miles was involved in. The Spot can create portals and travel between universes. He blames Miles for his new look and powers. He also reveals that the spider that bit Miles came from another universe, Earth-42.
The Spider-Society and Canon Events
Gwen finds Miles again, and they talk about their problems. Miles secretly follows Gwen to another universe, Earth-50101. There, they meet Pavitr Prabhakar, the local Spider-Man, and Hobie Brown. They fight the Spot, who becomes even stronger. The Spot shows Miles a vision of the future. In it, Miles' father, Jeff, is in danger. Miles saves Pavitr's girlfriend's father, but the world starts to fall apart. Other Spider-People arrive to fix the damage.
Miles, Gwen, and Hobie go to Nueva York in Earth-928. This is where the Spider-Society lives. It is a huge team of Spider-People from many universes. They work to protect the multiverse. Miles meets Miguel, their leader, and his old friend Peter B. Parker. Peter now has a baby daughter, Mayday.
Miguel explains that every Spider-Person's story has "canon events." These are important moments that must happen, like the death of a police captain close to Spider-Man. If these events are changed, the universe could be destroyed. Miles realizes that the Spot plans to kill his father, Jeff, which is a canon event.
Miles' Choice and a New Team
Miles refuses to let his father die. Miguel tries to stop him, saying Miles was never meant to be Spider-Man. The spider that bit Miles was supposed to bite someone on Earth-42. This left Earth-42 without a Spider-Man and led to the Spot's creation. Miles escapes with help from Hobie and Margo Kess. Gwen defends Miles, but Miguel sends her back to her own universe.
Back home, Gwen talks with her father, George. He decides to quit his job instead of arresting her. This changes his own canon event. Hobie leaves Gwen a device to travel between universes. Gwen goes back to Earth-1610 to find Miles.
Miles tries to tell his mother, Rio, his secret. He then realizes he is on Earth-42. In this universe, his uncle Aaron Davis is alive, but his father, Jeff, is dead. New York City on Earth-42 is full of crime because there is no Spider-Man. Miles' Earth-42 counterpart is the Prowler.
As the Spot gets ready to attack Earth-1610, Gwen gathers a team. This team includes Peter B., Mayday, Pavitr, Hobie, Margo, Spider-Man Noir, Peni Parker, and Spider-Ham. They plan to bring Miles back and stop the Spot. Miles also prepares to escape Earth-42.
Who Voiced the Heroes?
Main Voice Actors
Many talented actors lent their voices to the characters in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
- Shameik Moore as Miles Morales / Spider-Man: A teenager who became Spider-Man on Earth-1610.
- Hailee Steinfeld as Gwen Stacy / Spider-Gwen / Spider-Woman: The Spider-Woman from Earth-65.
- Brian Tyree Henry as Jefferson Morales: Miles' father, a police captain.
- Lauren Vélez as Rio Morales: Miles' mother, a nurse.
- Jake Johnson as Peter B. Parker / Spider-Man: An older Spider-Man who was Miles' mentor. He now has a daughter, Mayday.
- Jason Schwartzman as Johnathon Ohnn / the Spot: A former scientist who became a supervillain with portal powers.
- Issa Rae as Jess Drew / Spider-Woman: A pregnant Spider-Woman who works with Miguel.
- Karan Soni as Pavitr Prabhakar / Spider-Man India: The Spider-Man from Earth-50101, Mumbattan.
- Shea Whigham as George Stacy: Gwen's father and a police captain.
- Greta Lee as Lyla: Miguel and the Spider Society's AI helper.
- Daniel Kaluuya as Hobie Brown / Spider-Punk: A cool punk rock version of Spider-Man from Earth-138.
- Mahershala Ali as Aaron Davis: Miles' uncle from Earth-42.
- Oscar Isaac as Miguel O'Hara / Spider-Man 2099: The leader of the Spider-Society from Earth-928.
Other Spider-People and Characters
[[Multiple image|align=right|direction=horizontal|total_width=400|perrow=5 |image1=Shameik Moore Photo Op GalaxyCon Raleigh 2023.jpg |image2=Hailee Steinfeld by Gage Skidmore.jpg |image3=Brian Tyree Henry by Gage Skidmore.jpg |image4=Lauren Vélez (cropped).jpg |image5=Jake Johnson by Gage Skidmore.jpg |image6=Jason Schwartzman in 2018 by Sachyn Mital (cropped).jpg |image7=Issa Rae (cropped).jpg |image8=Karan Soni by Gage Skidmore.jpg |image9=Daniel Kaluuya (35411578144) (cropped 2).jpg |image10=Oscar_Isaac_by_Gage_Skidmore.jpg |footer=The voice cast of Across the Spider-Verse (L–R): Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Brian Tyree Henry, Luna Lauren Vélez, Jake Johnson, Jason Schwartzman, Issa Rae, Karan Soni, Daniel Kaluuya, and Oscar Isaac ]] The film features many other Spider-People from different universes. These include:
- Andy Samberg as Ben Reilly / Scarlet Spider
- Amandla Stenberg as Margo Kess / Spider-Byte
- Kimiko Glenn as Peni Parker / SP//dr
- Jorma Taccone as Adriano Tumino / Vulture and the 1967 Spider-Man
- Jharrel Jerome as Miles G. Morales / Prowler of Earth-42.
Famous live-action actors also made appearances through archival footage or cameos:
- Donald Glover as an alternate version of Aaron Davis / Prowler from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
- Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield as their versions of Peter Parker / Spider-Man.
- Kirsten Dunst as Mary Jane Watson.
- Bryce Dallas Howard as Gwen Stacy.
- J. K. Simmons as various versions of J. Jonah Jameson.
How the Movie Was Made
Planning the Adventure
Sony Pictures Animation started planning a sequel to Into the Spider-Verse even before the first movie came out. They wanted to continue Miles Morales' story. The team decided the movie would focus on Miles and Gwen Stacy's relationship. The sequel was officially announced in November 2019.
The creators, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, worked on the story. They realized the story was too big for one movie. So, they decided to split it into two parts. The first part became Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. The second part is Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse. The film had a very large team, with about 1,000 people working on it. It features 240 characters and takes place across six different universes.
Animation and Unique Styles
The animation team at Sony Pictures Imageworks worked hard to make each universe look special. Each world was designed to appear as if a different artist drew it. This helped the film reflect its exciting plot.
- Gwen Stacy's Earth-65 looks like beautiful watercolor paintings. The colors change to show Gwen's feelings.
- Earth-50101 is called "Mumbattan," a mix of Mumbai and Manhattan. It is inspired by Indian comic books.
- Nueva York in Earth-928 is a futuristic city. It has a clean, strong, and modern design.
- Spider-Punk's Earth-138 has a cool, punk-rock style. It looks like old album covers and posters.
- A special Lego universe was also featured. A 14-year-old animator, Preston Mutanga, created this part!
Miles' look was updated to show he had grown taller. Gwen got a new haircut and costume. The villain, the Spot, also changes his look as he gets stronger. His portals look like spilled ink on a comic book page.
Movie Music
Daniel Pemberton returned to create the film's musical score. Metro Boomin also made music for the soundtrack. Many popular artists were featured on the soundtrack. These included 21 Savage, Swae Lee, Lil Wayne, and Future.
Daniel Kaluuya, who voiced Spider-Punk, even used music to help his performance. He listened to fan-made Spider-Punk playlists. He wanted his character's voice to sound like a song.
Promoting the Film
Sony partnered with companies like Hyundai Motor Company to promote the movie. A special preview of the film was shown at Comic Con Experience in 2021. More footage was shown at CinemaCon events.
The second trailer for the film was very popular. It got over 148 million views in just 24 hours. This made it one of the most-viewed superhero film trailers. The trailer showed Miles trying to find his own path. It also hinted that his family might be in danger.
Before the movie came out, Burger King offered Spider-Verse themed food items. These included a Spider-Verse Whopper with a red bun. Nike released special Air Jordan shoes inspired by the film. Epic Games added Miles Morales and Spider-Man 2099 skins to Fortnite.
Important Messages in the Story
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse explores many important ideas.
- Facing Challenges: The film shows that heroes often face tough choices. They might have to make sacrifices for the greater good. This is seen in Miguel's idea of "canon events." These are important moments that must happen to keep the multiverse safe.
- Making Your Own Choices: Miles struggles to make his own decisions. Other characters try to tell him what is best. But Miles chooses to follow his own path. He wants to save his father, even if it means going against the Spider-Society.
- The Power of Support: The movie highlights how important it is to have friends and family. Miles wants to connect with Gwen and his family. Gwen and Miles feel like they are the only ones who truly understand each other. Gwen also finds support from Hobie, who helps her and Miles.
- Standing Up to the System: Hobie Brown, Spider-Punk, represents fighting against unfair rules. He helps Gwen and Miles challenge the Spider-Society's strict ways. He believes that even heroes can create a system that limits individuals.
- Anyone Can Be a Hero: The film reinforces the idea that "anyone can wear the mask." The concept of "canon events" also makes us think about who gets to decide the rules for heroes. The creators wanted to show that everyone can be a hero, no matter where they come from.
Release Information
Theatrical Release
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse premiered in Paris, France, and Los Angeles, California, on May 30, 2023. It was released in the United States on June 2, 2023. The film was shown in special formats like IMAX. It was a long movie, running for 140 minutes. This made it one of the longest animated films from an American studio at the time.
Watching at Home
The film became available for digital download on August 8, 2023. You could buy it on Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray, and DVD starting September 5, 2023.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse was released on Netflix in the United States on October 31, 2023. It will also be available on Disney+ on May 1, 2025.
What's Next for the Spider-Verse?
The Next Movie
The third and final film in this trilogy is Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse. It is scheduled to be released on June 18, 2027. Bob Persichetti and Justin K. Thompson are returning as directors. Lord, Miller, and Dave Callaham are writing the story. Many of the main voice actors will return for this exciting conclusion.
Spin-off Films
Sony is also developing other movies set in the Spider-Verse. A Spider-Women film is in the works. It will focus on female Spider-heroes like Gwen Stacy, Cindy Moon / Silk, and Jess Drew / Spider-Woman. A spin-off film centered on Spider-Punk is also being developed. Daniel Kaluuya is helping to write the script and will likely return to voice Spider-Punk. These films are expected to be released after Beyond the Spider-Verse.
Manga Spin-off
A manga spin-off called Spider-Man: Octopus Girl began in June 2023. It is written by Hideyuki Furuhashi and illustrated by Betten Court. The story is about Doctor Octopus waking up in the body of a Japanese middle schooler named Otoha Okutamiya. Viz Media has licensed the series for English publication.
