Can You Believe It? This Epic Scene In Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse Was Done By A 14-Year-Old!
In Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse Was Done By A 14-Year-Old!
Following the footsteps of Miles Morales (And the disposable cobweb that he leaves along the way) and his allies, Across the Spider-Verse introduces to us a vast Spider-Society with hundreds of thousands of Wall Crawler variants, each has their own uniqueness in terms of both outlooks and abilities. The Spider-People, led by Miguel O’Hara, who is also Spider-Man 2099, comes from not only the comics and Hollywood movies, but also from different unorthodox platforms, such as video games, YouTube, or even…LEGO.
Remember that scene when The Spot briefly infiltrates the LEGO universe, and then the toy version of Web-Slinger of the dimension goes out of his way to report it back to Miguel? The stop-motion sequence is 100% hand-made, and is done by a single person, who turns out only 14 years of age! Let’s learn more about this sensational teenager, and how did he land a deal with Sony to be part of such an enormous project like Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
#1. Who’s the author behind the LEGO universe in Across the Spider-Verse?
Source: LegoMe_TheOG YouTube Channel
It’s hard to believe the whole hand-made sequence was done by a 14 years old teenager, as we can see how detailed the world is, and how smooth the characters’ movements are. The man – er, kid behind the scene is Preston Mutanga, a young YouTuber who’s currently living in Toronto with his parents. He owns the YouTube Channel LegoMe_TheOG, which specializes in LEGO parodies of popular film scenes or trailers which are done in stop-motion style, with authentic LEGO models.
One of his best works, the Across the Spider-Verse teaser recreation, is very well-loved by his audience, and apparently even mesmerizes the film’s producers, which helps him land a project in the movie. As of now, Mutanga’s new channel has over 140k followers, is monetized, and attracts millions of views for his videos.
#2. How did Mutanga land a job in Across The Spider-Verse?
Source: LegoMe_TheOG YouTube Channel
In a Q&A session hosted by Collider, co-director Joaquim Dos Santos shared some fascinating news regarding the 14-year-old’s work in the movie. It turns out, one of Mutanga’s most viral works, a LEGO recreation of an Across the Spider-Verse trailer, caught the eyes of co-producers Phil Lord and Chris Miller. The two were so impressed with the fan-made content, that they planned to hire the teen to do one of their official scenes. Miller even personally praised the kid on the internet, stating that his work was very “well done” and “incredibly sophisticated for a non-adult, non-professional.”
The studio reached out to Mutanga’s family, and they were so surprised at first, and even thought it was a prank. Eventually, a contract was made, and Mutanga started the project about a LEGO universe scene during spring break with the help of his father. Dos Santos described their work as “a really neat thing”, and the scene was added later into the movie.
#3. Sony’s risky move pays off.
Source: LegoMe_TheOG YouTube Channel
When you think about it, it’s quite a risky move to leave an official scene of such a project into the hand of a kid, however, Lord and Miller’s plan ultimately pays off at the end. As a result, the LEGO sequence is one of the most talked about scenes in the entire story, and is considered by fans as one of the best dimensions there is, which they’d love to see again in the sequel.
#4. About the epic LEGO scene in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
Source: Sony Pictures Entertainment
The sequence starts as one of the first dimensions that The Spot, the main antagonist of the movie, set his foot in after putting his newfound ability to use. He briefly appears in the LEGO world and causes quite a ruckus, before the Peter Parker of this universe (who’s of course also made of LEGO) changes into his cutesy Spider-Man form and reports back to Miguel O’Hara, aka Spider-Man 2099. He is later praised by Miguel, who considers him “one of our best”. And when you hear those encouraging words from a stoic man like Miguel, you know he means business.
Though his appearance was brief, the detailed and adorable sequence has made LEGO Spider-Man one of the most exciting Wall-Crawler variants in the movie, with fans wanting to have him back with a more prominent role in Beyond the Spider-Verse.
#5. The young creator has something to share about his experience working on the project.
Source: Twitter
His work in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse was a life-changing experience for the young Preston Mutanga, and the talented teenager opens up about his affair with Sony on Twitter. According to the YouTuber, the studio reaches out to him just one day after his first Spider-Verse recreation’s release, which means he was working on it even after when the production should have ended. The project took Mutanga 3 months to be done, but it was a well-spent 3 months, as the sequence is very well-received by fans, and helps his channel skyrockets in views and followers.
You can follow Mutanga’s channel, LegoMe_TheOG on YouTube, and make sure to share your thoughts about his project below in the comment.