Spider-Man was never one of my favorite characters, I personally think that Peter Parker is overrated and doesn’t need as many movies as he has. However, Miles Morales and Gwen Stacy I never knew that much about. I knew that they existed, but they were never included in any movies.I learned about them from the snippets of comics that appeared in my Pinterest feed (is that a copyright issue?). That’s why I was excited to see them in the upcoming film, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.

The protagonist of the movie is Miles Morales, a young boy who finds himself bitten by a spider in the New York subway. His life is transformed when he gains the legendary powers of Spider-Man. He comes across the masked hero, but soon after the antagonist, Kingpin, puts an end to the spider’s life. Kingpin was putting together a collider that would merge several dimensions into one. This brings several Spider-Mans (Spider-Men? Spider-People?) into Miles’ dimension. Together, their job is to stop Kingpin from opening the portal and bringing several dimensions into one.

I absolutely adored this movie! The multiple types of animation that was folded into the movie made it an experience to watch. Peni Parker was similar to anime animation while Spider-Ham was more cartoon-ish. Spider-Man Noir required black and white animation. Peter B. Parker, Gwen Stacy, and Miles Morales all relief on a similar type of animation. I’ve never seen a movie do that before and the way that they married the different types of animation impressed me. Sony was able to blend together a mix of several animation types without it feeling too crowded or awkward, an achievement not many could do.

Miles and Peter had one of best relationships I’ve seen in a Spider-Man movie. For once, the main character did not need a father figure. Rather, Miles was there to help Peter realize that he wants kids. In the movie, Peter’s relationship with his famous love interest, M.J., was ruined because she wanted kids but he didn’t. Miles helped him realize that kids aren’t always a bad thing, and maybe if he tries again he can make things work. Miles didn’t need a father figure, he had plenty, but Peter needed someone to help him realize that he wanted kids.

Okay, I can’t write a review without talking about the reversed scene of Miles falling off of the skyscraper. The scene where he finally took his leap of faith to become Spider-Man was absolutely beautiful. Between the AMAZING animation and “What’s Up Danger” playing in the background, that alone would have made the scene beautiful. However, the animators took it a step forward. They reversed the screen so it looked like Miles was rising toward the city. Miles stops falling… and starts rising.

Miles finally realized his true potential and embraced it. He realizes that to be a hero, you need more than the powers. You need the bravery to take a leap of faith. That’s what makes him a hero: it’s not the powers, it’s not the suit, it’s the bravery to get back up no matter how many times you get knocked down. That symbolism struck me and I can’t stop watching the scene on repeat. I can’t name a better scene in a Spider-Man movie.

The aesthetic of the movie combined with the detailed and interesting plot led to an amazing combination that is suitable for any age. Everyone from toddlers to teenagers will enjoy this movie. I 100000% recommend going to experience this power in animation. The only downside is that “Sunflower” will be stuck in your head for the rest of the day.