“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” features a clever detour into a blocky, Lego-like dimension, paying tribute to “The Lego Movie.” Surprisingly, the scene was not created by experienced animation artists but instead by a 14-year-old fan from Toronto.
Preston Mutanga, born in Minnesota to immigrant parents from Cameroon, had always shown an affinity for creativity. As a child, he built cars with his own designs using Lego blocks, and he also made comics. Mutanga eventually discovered 3D software called Blender, watched instructional YouTube videos, and began creating short computer-generated Lego videos which gained attention for their impressive quality.
The attention eventually led to Mutanga being contacted by Christina Steinberg, one of the producers of “Spider-Verse,” about animating a segment set in a Lego universe. Despite skepticism from his parents, who had just dealt with their son’s YouTube channel being hacked, Mutanga worked diligently on the sequence, collaborating with director Christopher Miller via video calls. For Mutanga, used to working independently, the experience was eye-opening and informative.
Miller saw Mutanga’s contribution not only as a testament to the democratization of filmmaking but also to the young artist’s dedication and perseverance. Mutanga had spent intensive time and effort to produce the animation, which is anything but fast or easy. Miller said, “Here comes this heroic young person who’s inspired by the movie that was inspired by people like him.”
Though still focused on his high school studies, Mutanga is considering a career as a full-time animator and director, which feels more attainable after his experience working on “Spider-Verse” with the creators who brought his favorite movie to life.
