Marvel’s 2018 animated feature Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse was incredibly well received by fans and critics alike, and its sequel Spider-man: Across the Spider-verse is being touted as equally good, if not better .
The films follow a young teenager, Miles Morales, as he discovers his superpowers and learns to use them. However, it has now been revealed that another young superhero has been spotted behind the scenes of the new film – a real boy with truly impressive 3D animation skills that have wowed even some of the world’s top animators.
At just 14 years old, Preston Mutanga recreated the trailer for Across the Spider-verse using Lego bricks shared his creation on social media in January 2023. He tagged the film’s producers and wrote, “I recreated the entire Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse trailer in LEGO!”
Sounds downright adorable, doesn’t it? Kid with his Lego hobby making little home videos?
Yes, look at this:
www.youtube.com
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse but in LEGO | Official Trailer (4K)
Its trailer caught the attention of Phil Lord and Chris Miller, producers of The Lego Movie and Spider-man: Across the Spider-verse. Both men were stunned to discover it was created by a child.
“We found out it was a 14-year-old boy who did it, and we thought, ‘This looks incredibly nifty for a non-adult, a layman,'” Miller told the New York Times. “It blew our minds away, including some of the best animators in the world.”
Lord responded to the trailer with a compliment and a joke: “Well done!!! Where were you in 2014, oh wait you were 6.”
“@FG_Artist @chrizmillr @terry12539 @LEGO_Group @SpiderVerse Well done!!! where were you in 2014 Oh wait, you were 6”
Preston responded that he was “watching the film closely” at the time, and apparently he was. And he learned a lot.
In fact, his animation skills were so impressive that the filmmakers invited him to help create a scene for the new Spider-Verse movie – an homage to The Lego Movie that Lord and Miller wanted to incorporate into the film.
Preston’s parents were naturally skeptical at first. This certainly wasn’t what Preston’s father expected when he got him Blender 3D animation software or when Preston used YouTube tutorials to teach himself animation techniques. And what parent would believe that two of the biggest names in animation would enlist their 14-year-old’s help on a big movie?
“The animator behind the LEGO scene in Across the #SpiderVerse was 14-year-old Preston Mutanga (LegoMe_TheOG @FG_Artist). Phil Lord and Chris Miller share the incredible story of how he worked on the #SpiderMan movie during spring break and after his homework.”
But the offer was genuine. According to The Times, Preston was given a new computer and high-quality graphics software and worked locally from his home in Toronto. The filmmakers explains Rotten Tomatoes that Preston animated the shots during his spring break and made changes after he finished his homework.
Undoubtedly, this experience taught him more about his passion than any school homework ever could.
“One new thing I learned was definitely the feedback aspect, like how many things actually changed from start to finish,” Preston told The Times. “It really was like a dream to work with the people who actually created this masterpiece,” he added.
Apparently the animation team was also quite a dream to work with him. Chelsea Gordon-Ratzlaff, animation director for Spider-man: Across the Spider-verse, shared on Twitter that she and the entire team were consistently “blown away” by Preston’s shooting.
“@FG_Artist you did it!! All of us from the animation team were blown away by your pictures whenever we saw them, great work 👏”
Now that Preston’s involvement in the film is public knowledge, he’s getting the credit he deserves from the filmmakers and others.
“@philiplord @chrizmillr @LEGO_Group @SpiderVerse Thank you!!!”
“@LEGO_Group”
How wonderful that this young individual has not only worked hard to hone his craft, but also that his talents have been recognized by some of the best in the business. Kudos to his parents for their encouragement and kudos to the filmmakers for giving a child this great opportunity and supporting him through it all. We can’t wait to see where Preston Mutanga goes next in the multiverse.
Here’s a side-by-side comparison of the original trailer and the Preston Lego remake so you can see how accurate it was:
“Did you know that 14-year-old animator Preston Mutanga (@FG_Artist), best known for this viral trailer for LEGO Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse, also animated the LEGO scenes in the film? 👏”