Isle of dogs was a marvel of animation. I thought Isle of dogs was the best animated movie of the year without a contest. But then Sony hired 140 animators, the largest animation crew for a movie the studio has ever assembled to create Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse.

Going to the theater I had low expectations figuring it would be another movie with a basic plot to keeps kids attention, but then sitting in the theater after the movie I was left struck by how good it was. 

A screenshot from Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse 

The movie is able to elegantly tell the back story of eight different characters, making them all feel distinct and never making the film feel too busy or complicated. The film wasn’t an ad for kids toys like I thought it might be, and it wasn’t an Avengers knock-off. It stands on its own as a universally appealing movie for all ages.

Despite only being two hours the movie gets through what feels like more story than that as you experience the story. Into the Spiderverse doesn’t feel rushed or too fast but at a few points it feels like it could have slowed down a little and developed relationships between the wide cast. Regardless the movie still keeps clear and understandable motivation and character for both the heros and the villians. 

The coming of age story of Miles Morales(Shameik Moore) doesn’t feel bland at any point in the movie because the whirlwind he gets caught up in goes to fast to have the typical pay off scene where Miles would realize his problems and they would all magically melt away, instead the story some great advice for Morales. “You won’t know when you’re ready. It’s a leap of faith”

All images are courtesy of Sony Pictures Animation

The film itself takes a leap of faith using an unusual but visually stunning blend of 2D and 3D styles, harking back to the comic book era Spider-Man came from. The film also blends several other styles of animation making for a unique style and an award winning look.