A 14-year-old artist got his dream come true when the filmmakers behind the latest Spider-Man movie asked him to work on the film.
Preston Mutanga caused a stir earlier this year when he released a video of himself recreating the Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse trailer in LEGO style.
The two-minute clip went viral and found its way to Spider-Verse writers and producers Chris Lord and Phil Miller.
“We found out it was a 14-year-old boy who made it, and we thought, ‘This looks incredibly challenging for a non-adult, a layman,'” said Miller, who co-authored 2014’s The LEGO Movie” directed by Mr., told the New York Times. “It blew our minds, including some of the best animators in the world.”
When it was decided that the multiverse hopping movie would add a LEGO sequence, the filmmakers approached Mutanga for a chance to animate them.
Mutanga’s parents were initially met with skepticism as they were unsure if the offer made to their son was genuine. But when the parents were convinced, Mutanga’s father bought his son a new computer with a high-end graphics card so that he could start work.
The teenager – who is younger than the film’s 15-year-old protagonist Miles Morales – created the sequence during his spring break and school nights, the Times reported, and met with Miller regularly to review his progress.
“One new thing I learned was definitely the feedback aspect, like how many things were actually changed from start to finish,” Mutanga told the newspaper, adding, “Working with the people that actually created this masterpiece have.” honestly like a dream.
Mutanga’s work was even mentioned in the film’s credits.
Across the Spider-Verse is currently the top-grossing film at the box office, with a 96% critic and audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
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