Chris Miller Thinks Sony Is The Only Studio That Could've Made Into The Spider-Verse
Sony Animation Studio celebrated its legacy of taking chances and releasing subversive animated content for its 20-year anniversary in 2022. Perhaps one of their biggest successes was the 2018 film, "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse." Using a wide array of animation styles and techniques, the film won over critics and audiences alike with its stunning aesthetic. It also was on the pulse of pop culture's interest in multi-verses, tapping into the trend before the MCU released "Spider-Man: No Way Home" in 2021 and before DC finally unleashes "The Flash" onto audiences in 2023.
Chris Miller, who co-wrote and co-produced the film, thinks that Sony Animation Studio was the only distributor who would have taken a chance on such a bold vision. Miller has history with the studio as the filmmaker, having partnered with Phil Lord to create Sony's animated hit, "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs."
Miller attributed the success of what they were able to accomplish with "Cloudy" to the lack of an established animation style at the then-newly created studio. Miller said that he and Lord wanted to do something different with the animation style in the film, and they were able to accomplish that because Sony Animation wanted to be filmmaker-forward and let them deliver their vision. "They were open to doing that there in a way that I don't think any other studio would've been," Miller said. He shared similar sentiments about the studio and making "Into the Spider-Verse."
Chris Miller believes that Sony Animation was willing to take the right chances on projects, leading to Spider-Verse's success
Chris Miller, the co-writer and co-producer of "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse," said in an interview with The Wrap that he believes the film probably would not have been possible at any other studio.
"I don't think we could have made 'Spider-Verse' at any other studio, not just because Sony has the rights to Spider-Man. I think there are a lot of gatekeepers in animation about this is what works and what doesn't work," Miller said. Miller went on to explain that Sony Animation Studio hired a strategy firm to seek out what modern audiences wanted in animation. The results showed that audiences wanted something new and innovative.
"If you're just trying to imitate a thing that everyone else is doing, it's not going to be something that audiences want to pay to bring their whole family to see. But if it's something that they feel like they can't see anywhere else and they've never seen anywhere else, then that's something that they want," Miller explained of their findings on audience interest. Miller said that is what attracted both him and filmmaking partner Phil Lord to Sony Animation Studio. He noted that the studio has since embraced pushing the envelope when it comes to new styles of animation and storytelling, making it a part of its branding.
"Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" went on to win the Academy Award for best-animated film in 2018, and its success has led to an upcoming sequel — "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse."