Across the Spider-Verse revealed just how wild and diverse its multiverse really is. Its countless parallel worlds are populated by both humans and animated figures. It also consists of little plastic toy people. LEGO Spider-Man got in on the fun during one of the movie’s most memorable sequences. How did the creative team behind the film bring that tiny block world to life? We would have guessed producers Phil Lord and Chris Miller turned to the team they used for The LEGO Movie franchise. Instead they hired a 14-year-old who impressed them with his LEGO versions of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse trailers.
Collider recently hosted a screening of the Across the Spider-Verse with the film’s co-director Joaquim Dos Santos. During a Q&A session after the movie an audience member asked about the challenges of creating the film’s LEGO dimension, which we saw when The Spot popped into it during an early part of the film.
Turns out it was simple: they simply hired a teenager named Preston Mutanga. Lord and Miller got YouTuber LegoMe_TheOG to make their LEGO Spider-Man universe.
They asked the youngster—who worked on the sequence with his dad—about contributing to the film after seeing his recreations of the film’s trailers. When you watch this 14-year-old’s work, you can see why they trusted him to get the job done for Across the Spider-Verse.
Obviously everything about this story is incredible. But somehow it’s even more impressive than it sounds. While the movie took years to make, Dos Santos said they only approached the young filmmaker a few months before the movie premiered. That’s a quick turnaround for a blockbuster movie that could take home a very big Oscar next year.
Whether or not it takes home any golden statues, though, we have a feeling this won’t be the last time this kid has a chance to win one.
Originally published on June 5, 2023.
