Miles Morales’ mental health is at the heart of The Spider Within: A Spider-Verse Storya seven-minute animated short film posted on YouTube on Wednesday.
Waiting Spider-Man: Beyond The Spider-Versewhich will succeed into (2018, Oscar for best animated film) and Across (2023, competing in the same category), the film directed by Jarelle Dampier and written by Khalia Amazan allows us to reconnect with the magnificent universe created by the Sony Pictures Animation studio.
However, the Spider-Man of this universe – Earth 1610 –, Miles Morales (voice of Shameik Moore), is having a bad time. Tormented by pressure from his parents regarding his school results, his personal relationships and his superhero responsibilities, the teenager suffers a panic attack. It manifests itself in visions of a terrifying giant spider that explodes into hundreds of smaller ones. Once the storm is contained, he asks his father (Brian Tyree Henry) to get some fresh air to talk.
The Spider Within was designed in partnership with the foundation of Kevin Love, an NBA player who has led various initiatives promoting good mental health for several years. This film is also the result of a program that gives students from underrepresented groups the chance to tell a story that deals with mental health through animation.