There’s a new director in town, and he’s only 14 years old. Meet Preston Mutanga, the Canadian teen who sent shockwaves through Hollywood by animating a section of the “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” film which has become the highest-grossing animated film of all time at $687.8 million on the Box Office Mojo from the comfort of his bedroom. While most 14-year-olds are content with Fortnite and Tiktok, Mutanga decided to spend his time learning Blender, a computer graphics software, and mastering his craft through online tutorials.
While most kids spend their teenage years worrying about acne and college applications, Mutanga has set his sights on a more ambitious goal: becoming a full-time animator and director. With raw talent, a thirst for knowledge, and a willingness to put in the hard work, we’re betting Mutanga will achieve his dreams in no time.
His big break came when he created a Lego-inspired trailer for “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” on Twitter. The video quickly went viral and caught the attention of the film’s producers, Phil Lord and Chris Miller according to The New York Times. Lord and Miller, who directed 2014’s “The Lego Movie,” were impressed by Mutanga’s technical ability and asked him to animate a section of the film set in a Lego universe.
The rest is history, as Mutanga collaborated remotely with Miller and the film’s team over several weeks, mastering the feedback aspect of the animation process. The result was a truly inspiring achievement. Mutanga was able to rise to the occasion and create a stunning LEGO sequence, a scene at The Daily Bugle inspired by the original 2002 Spider-Man movie.
I recreated the entire Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse trailer in LEGO! @philiplord @chrizmillr @terry12539 @LEGO_Group @SpiderVerse #LEGO #SpiderManAcrossTheSpiderVerse #animation #Blender3d pic.twitter.com/kYY19go7Fc
— LegoMe_TheOG (@FG_Artist) January 3, 2023
“We found out that it was a 14-year-old kid who made it and we were like, ‘This looks incredibly sophisticated for a nonadult, nonprofessional to have made,” Miller told The Times. “It blew us all away, including some of the best animators in the world.”
Preston Mutanga is living proof that age is just a number. At 14 years old, this aspiring animator managed to make waves in the film industry — from his own bedroom, no less.
But that’s not all. Despite initial hesitations, Mutanga was able to rise to the occasion and create a stunning LEGO sequence for “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” with the help of his father, a medical physicist. Using a 3D computer graphics software called Blender, Mutanga was able to create a scene at The Daily Bugle inspired by the original 2002 Spider-Man movie.
And the best part? Mutanga was able to achieve all of this while balancing his high school workload. Talk about talent and dedication!
Lord and Miller were blown away by Mutanga’s abilities, with Lord stating, “here comes this heroic young person who’s inspired by the movie that was inspired by people like him.” But it’s clear that Mutanga’s talents go beyond just recreating movie scenes. As he shared in an interview with CBS, his ultimate goal is to become a full-time animator and director, and he’s determined to “spread [his] own stories to the world.”
As “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” continues to rake in millions at the box office, it’s inspiring to see how one teenager’s passion and talent can make such an impact. Mutanga may be young, but he’s already proving that he’s a force to be reckoned with in the animation world.
