Good news fans of the Spider-Verse… The producers behind upcoming sequel Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse have shepherded The Spider Within, a short film set in the same world, which is due to make its debut Annecy International Animation Film Festival in June.
As reported by Variety, the short will see Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) struggling to balance his responsibilities as a teenager, friend and student while acting as Brooklyn’s friendly neighborhood superhero. After a particularly challenging day living with these pressures, Miles experiences a panic attack that forces him to confront the manifestations of his anxiety and learn that reaching out for help can be just as brave an act as protecting his city from evil.
The big difference, and most impressive element here is that the short was actually created by Jarelle Dampier, Khaila Amazan, Clara Chan and Joe Darko, who are all candidates in Sony Pictures Animation's LENS (Leading and Empowering New Storytellers) mentoring programme, which aims to provide creatives who have traditionally lacked access to leadership roles with a first-hand opportunity to deepen their understanding of every element of the animated filmmaking process including production design, animation, visual effects, lighting, sound, and various post-production processes.
From the sounds of it, the short won't show in front of Across The Spider-Verse (in cinemas on 2 June), since Annecy runs between 11 and 17 June. but perhaps it'll act as a bridge between that and the second sequel, Beyond The Spider-Verse, which lands on 29 March next year.