Marvel’s 2018 animated movie, “Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse,” It was well received by fans and critics alike, and its sequel, “Spider-Man: Through the Spider-Verse” Described as as good if not better.
The films follow a young teenager, Miles Morales, as he discovers his superpowers and learns how to use them. But now it’s been revealed that, behind the scenes of the new movie, another young superhero has been discovered – a real-life kid with impressive 3D animation powers that have dazzled even some of the world’s best animators.
At just 14 years old, Preston Mutanga has recreated the trailer for “Across the Spider-verse” using Legos and Share its creation on social media in January of 2023. He tagged the film’s producers and wrote, “I completely recreated the Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse trailer in LEGO!”
Sounds really cool, right? A kid with his hobby of Lego making mini home movies?
Yes, watch this:
Spider-Man: Cross-Verse but in LEGO | Official Trailer (4K)
His 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 grounded when they discovered it was created by a child.
“We found out it was made by a 14-year-old, and we were like, ‘This sounds incredibly complicated for a non-adult and non-professional,'” Miller said. New York times. “We were all blown away, including some of the best animators in the world.”
Lord responded to the trailer with a compliment and sarcasm: “Well done! Where were you in 2014, wait you were 6.”
MustafaHosny oh my god where were you in 2014, wait you were 6″
Preston replied that he was “watching the movie very closely” at the time, and he apparently was. And he was learning a lot.
In fact, his animation skills were so impressive that the filmmakers called on him to help create a scene for the new “Spider-verse” movie – an homage to “The Lego Movie” that Lord and Miller wanted to include in the movie.
Preston’s parents were naturally skeptical at first. This was definitely not what Preston’s father expected when he got him the 3D animation software, Blender, or when Preston used YouTube tutorials to teach himself animation techniques. And what parents think two of the biggest names in the animated movie world would ask to help their 14-year-old son with a big movie?
“The animator behind the LEGO scene in Across the #SpiderVerse was 14-year-old Preston Mutanga (@LegoMe_TheOGFG_Artist). Phil Lord and Chris Miller share the amazing story of how he got to work on #SpiderMan during spring break and after homework.”
But the show was real. According to The Times, Preston got a new computer and high-end graphics software and worked on the scene from his home in Toronto. Filmmakers Explained to Rotten Tomatoes Preston animated the footage during spring break and did the revisions after he finished his homework.
Undoubtedly, this experience taught him more than any homework around his passion could.
“One of the new things I’ve learned is definitely the feedback side, like how much things actually change from the beginning to the final product,” Preston said. times. “It was a dream come true to work with the people who made this masterpiece,” he added.
Apparently, it was like a dream come true for the animation crew to work with as well. Chelsea Gordon Ratzlaff, who leads the animator for “Spider-man: Across the Spider-verse,” shared on Twitter that he and the entire cast were constantly “blown away” by Preston’s footage.
“@FG_Artist You nailed it!! All of us on the animation crew are blown away by your footage whenever we see it, great job 👏”
Now that Preston’s involvement in the film is public knowledge, he’s getting the praise he deserves from filmmakers and others.
“LEGO_Group”
How wonderful that this young man has not only worked hard to hone his craft but 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 them this massive opportunity and guiding him through it. We can’t wait to see where Preston Mutanga goes next in the multiverse.
Here’s a side-by-side clip from the original trailer and the Lego version of Preston so you can see how great it looks:
“Did you know that 14-year-old animator Preston Mutanga (@FG_Artist), best known for the viral trailer for LEGO Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse, is also animator for the LEGO scenes in the movie? 👏”