Animated Short Set In Sony’s “Spider-Verse” Debuts on Sony Pictures Animation YouTube Page

UPDATE:

The Spider Within: A Spider-Verse Story is now available on YouTube. You can check out the short below:

ORIGINAL (3/21/24):

A short from Sony Pictures Animation set in the world of Spiderman: Across the Spider-Verse, is set to arrive on their official YouTube channel later this month, according to Variety. 

What’s Happening:

  • Sony is reportedly set to release their animated short, The Spider Within: A Spider-Verse Story, on the Sony Pictures Animation YouTube channel on March 27th.
  • The short originally debuted at the Annecy animation festival last year, and this new release comes in partnership with the Kevin Love Fund, and will be incorporated as part of the fund’s new mental health-focused lesson plan, “The Hero Within.” The lesson plan invites students to tell their own story through the lens of mental health awareness via an interactive curriculum including a creative storyboard activity.
  • In the genre-bending thriller The Spider Within: A Spider-Verse Story, Miles Morales struggles to balance his responsibilities as a teenager, friend, and student while acting as Brooklyn’s friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.
  • After a particularly challenging day living with these pressures, Miles experiences a panic attack that forces him to confront the manifestations of his anxiety and learn that reaching out for help can be just as brave an act as protecting his city from evil.
  • The Spider Within: A Spider-Verse Story was developed and produced in the inaugural year of Sony Pictures Animation and Sony Pictures Imageworks’ Leading and Empowering New Storytellers (LENS) program, a 9-month leadership training program that provides candidates from underrepresented groups with an opportunity to gain valuable leadership experience in animation. The final deliverable of the program is an all-original short film, set in the existing world of a feature produced by SPA and SPI.
  • The LENS program is backed by Sony Pictures Entertainment’s global, multi-pronged racial equity and inclusion strategy, Sony Pictures Action. The program’s goal is to provide creatives who have traditionally lacked access to leadership roles with a first-hand opportunity to deepen their understanding of every element of the animated filmmaking process including production design, animation, visual effects, lighting, sound, and various post-production processes. Through the program, participants strengthen their ability to effectively articulate their film’s creative vision and collaborate across a variety of disciplines.
  • The Spider Within: A Spider-Verse Story is directed by Jarelle Dampier and written by Khaila Amazan, and produced by LENS program creators Michelle Raimo-Kouyate and David Schulenburg. Rounding out the LENS team are Clara Chan who served as vfx supervisor and Joe Darko who served as animation supervisor.
  • The short arrives on the official Sony Pictures Animation YouTube channel on March 27th.

What They’re Saying:

  • KLF founder, professional basketball player and mental health advocate Kevin Love: “My hope for the short film would be for everyone, especially young people, to understand that your feelings are valid and that you are not alone in this. You see it with Spider-Man in the short film, where Miles has a trusted confidante. He is able to take a walk with his dad and express what he’s going through. We can all learn from that – how important it is to reach out to someone, express your true emotions, speak your truth and not hold everything inside.”

Laughing Place recommends MouseFanTravel.com for all your Disney travel planning
Fill out the form below for a free,
no obligation quote from MouseFanTravel.com
Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Tony Betti
Originally from California where he studied a dying artform (hand-drawn animation), Tony has spent most of his adult life in the theme parks of Orlando. When he’s not writing for LP, he’s usually watching and studying something animated or arguing about “the good ole’ days” at the parks.