Spider-Gwen (film)

Spider-Gwen (released as Ghost Spider in some markets) is an 2025 American animated adventure action science fiction film based on the Marvel Comics of its same name created by Jason Latour and Robbi Rodriguez. It was released by Columbia Pictures, produced by Sony Pictures Animation & Movie Land Animation Studios in association with Marvel Entertainment & TSG Entertainment and directed by Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Tom McGrath and Rodney Rothman. The film stars Jamie Chung, Alec Baldwin, Bex Taylor-Klaus, Miranda Cosgrove, GloZell Green and Jason Sudeikis.
Spider-Gwen had its world premiere at the CTN Animation Expo on August 16, 2019 and was theatrically released on September 6, 2019 in the United States. The film recieved nominations for Best Animated Feature at the 11th Movie Land Fun and Excitement Awards, losing to Abominable, 25th Critics' Choice Awards & 91st Academy Awards, losing to Toy Story 4, 47th Annie Awards, losing to Klaus and 77th Golden Globe Awards, losing to Missing Link. A sequel film, Spider-Gwen 2, will be release on Christmas 2020 in the United States.
== Plot ==
== Cast ==
* Jamie Chung as Gwen Stacy / Spider-Woman
** Ariana Greenblatt as young Gwen Stacy
* Alec Baldwin as George Stacy
* Bex Taylor-Klaus as Mary Jane Watson
** Taylor Somenzi as young Mary Jane Watson
* Miranda Cosgrove as Betty Brant
** Alma Varsano as young Betty Brant
* GloZell Green as Gloria Grant
** Genesis Rodriguez as young Gloria Grant
* Robert Downey Jr. as Frank Castle
* Jason Sudeikis as Bodega Bandit
* Tim Allen as Ben Grimm
* Randy Thom as A.I.M.
* Scott Adsit as M.O.D.A.A.K.
* Jordan Peele as J. Jonah Jameson
* Alfred Molina as Foggy Nelson
* Gal Gadot as Jean DeWolff
* Neil Patrick Harris as Randy Robertson
* Glenn Close as May Parker
* Brooks Wheelan as Benjamin "Ben" Parker
* Louis C.K. as Peter Parker
* Alan Meyerson, Randy Thom and Guillermo Arambulo del Rio as Yancy Street Gang
== Production ==
=== Development ===
Movie Land Animation Studios had already begun the process of starting development of movies with budgets of around $320 million. The intellectual property for these films was meant to be supplied by Movie Land Animation Studios among others and included Penguinopolis, Smash of Claws, The Animals in the Attic and Stickman 2: Larry's Adventure had been approaching the original crew from the television series to make a high-profile, animated theatrical feature-length film adaptation and had long wanted to partner with Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation to release the film given the network's extraordinary legacy in the world of animation, including some of the most enduring characters on cable television history.
Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Tom McGrath and Rodney Rothman, who previously worked on The Boss Baby and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, was hired to direct the film on November 30, 2016, and the studio fast-tracked production to start in 2017.
Tom McGrath agreed to make a feature film version of the show with the promise it would be the first of a planned trilogy. During development stages of the film, he and his co-director Joaquim Dos Santos and Stephen Heneveld, and co-writer Conrad Vernon, intended to revisit some of the greatest films of the time, with Smurfs: The Lost Village, The Emoji Movie, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and The Animals in the Attic having the core inspirations for the film.
On December 21, 2017, it was announced that the film was in-production with Jamie Chung, Alec Baldwin, Bex Taylor-Klaus, Miranda Cosgrove, GloZell Green and Jason Sudeikis providing the lead voice roles. In January 2019, Jamie Chung announced that she will play the voice roles as Gwen Stacy / Spider-Woman.
=== Writing ===
In March 2016, Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Tom McGrath and Rodney Rothman revealed via Twitter that he had begun writing the screenplay for the film along with Phil Lord and Rodney Rothman.
=== Pre-production ===
Pre-production officially began in the United Kingdom by early December 2015. That same month, director Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Tom McGrath and Rodney Rothman stated that the film will be another great love story with a new love interest being cast. The next month, production designer Bill Boes was announced to be designing the film's production designer, as well as Kasia Walicka-Maimone, also making the movie as costume designer.
=== Visual effects ===
As with The Star, Sony Pictures Animation will have the animation produced by another studio other than Sony Pictures Imageworks, which handles digital production for most of SPA's films. For this film, the film title will be animated by Movie Land Digital Production Services and will also be animated in a combination of motion capture along with photo-realistic computer animation.
The visual effects and CGI animation for Spider-Gwen is provided by Movie Land Digital Production Services in San Francisco, California, using Autodesk Maya. During peak production, there were between 80 and 100 animators working on the project. The animation of the human characters were also created by Movie Land Digital Production Services.
=== Animation ===
While it was possible to reuse assets from the first film instead of starting from scratch, significant work was needed to make them compatible with new technological systems that were adopted in the past few years. The team also faced a demanding task in designing visual effects for snow, ice, water and lava for the film and production was also affected by the unavailability of certain animators who were being used to complete Animals of Spy months prior, as well as the amount of time lost due to Sony moving the film's release date ahead by more than half a month.
=== Design ===
The crew used the same processes from the original television series in the making of the film, most notably the 'skroutlines', which was a seamless blend of a more traditional screenplay with a more simple outline which resembled strong short stories and gave the storyboard artists such as Maurice Fontenot, Abigail Nesbitt and Guy Moore all the creative and aesthetic freedom neccessary. Warburton and Willems themselves provided the film's animatics.
It took around a year for two animators to create 10 seconds of footage that reflected the producers's vision; the animation work developed from there. During initial development, the directors worked with a single animator to establish the film's look. This number eventually grew to 60 animators during production. It became clear that this would not be enough to complete the film on time, so the crew was expanded further. The number had reached 142 animators by February 2019 and at one point to 177 animators, the largest animation crew that Movie Land Digital Production Services had ever used for a film. Animation work was completed in April 28, 2019.
The CGI and hand-drawn animation for the film was combined with "line work and painting and dots and all sorts of comic book techniques" to make it look like it was created by hand, which was described as "a living painting". This was achieved by artists taking rendered frames from the CGI animators and working on top of them in 2D, with the goal of making every frame of the film "look like a comic panel". Lord described this style of animation as "totally revolutionary", and explained that the design combines the in-house style of Sony Pictures Animation with the "flavor" of digital artists such as Christopher Arambulo Cosgrove and Chris Lawrence.
The directors all felt that the film would be one of the few that audiences actually "need" to watch in 3D due to the immersive nature of the animated world created, and the way that the hand-drawn animation elements created specifically for the film create a unique experience; Persichetti described this experience as a combination of the effects of an old-fashioned hand-drawn multiplane camera and a modern virtual reality environment.
=== Music ===
Henry Jackman, James Newton Howard, Lorne Balfe and Daniel Pemberton composed the score for the film. The soundtrack album will be digitally release for purchase by Island Records on August 27, 2019. On August 10, 2019, ILLENIUM, Lennon Stella and The Chainsmokers released their song "Takeaway" for the film as a single. Days later, Lovespeake, MOTi and Terry McLove released their song "Found Love (feat. Lovespeake)" for the film as a single as well. Both singles were played in the film's end credits.
=== Technology ===
PIX System provided the production crew with secure access to production content and project management throughout the suite of devices used.
== Release ==
Spider-Gwen is premiered at the CTN Animation Expo on August 16, 2019 and was theatrically released on September 6, 2019 in the United States and Canada in IMAX, ScreenX, 4DX, RealD 3D, Dolby Cinema and 2D theaters by Sony Pictures Releasing, with limited IMAX international showings. Theatrically, the film was accompanied by The Animals in the Attic short film, Earl's Back to School, a short film directed by Jenny Harder.
=== Marketing ===
The studio spent around $40 million on promotions and advertisements for the film.
* The teaser trailer was released and shown on January 31, 2019 before The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part, Alita: Battle Angel, Isn't It Romantic, and How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World.
* The film's full trailer was released and shown on May 1, 2019 before UglyDolls, Pokémon Detective Pikachu, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, and Aladdin.
* The theatrical final trailer was released and shown on August 1, 2019 before Hobbs & Shaw, Dora and the Lost City of Gold, and The Angry Birds Movie 2.
The video game was released on September 6, 2019 by Activision on Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and PlayStation 4.
The TV spots for the film appeared on NBC, Cartoon Network, Freeform, Nickelodeon, FOX and CBS.
=== Home media ===
Spider-Gwen will be released on digital and Movies Anywhere by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment on November 26, 2019, with Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D, Ultra HD Blu-ray, and DVD releases following on December 10. All releases will include three animated short films. It was previously scheduled to be released on digital and Movies Anywhere by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment on November 12, 2019, with Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D, Ultra HD Blu-ray, and DVD releases following on November 26, but was pushed out from November 12, 2019 on digital and on November 26, 2019 on disc to November 26 on digital and December 10 on disc to add 10 minutes of bonus features.
== Reception ==
=== Box office ===
Spider-Gwen grossed $190.2 million in the United States and Canada, and $185.3 million in other territories, for a total worldwide gross of $375.5 million, against a production budget of $90 million.
In the United States and Canada, Spider-Gwen was released on the same weekend as It Chapter Two and Satanic Panic, and was projected to gross $30–35 million from 3,813 theaters in its opening weekend.[3] It made $12.6 million on its first day, including $3.5 million from Thursday night previews, and went on to debut to $35.4 million, finishing first at the box office and marking the best-ever December opening for an animated film.[4] The film made $16.7 million in its second weekend, finishing fourth behind newcomers Men in Black: International, Spider-Man: Far From Home, The Angry Birds Movie 2 and Abominable, and then $18.3 million in its third weekend, finishing fourth again.[5][6] In its fifth weekend the film made $13 million, finishing in fourth for a third straight week.[7] The weekend following its Best Animated Picture win, the film was added to 1,661 theaters (for a total of 2,104) and made $2.1 million, marking a 138% increase from the week before.[8]
=== Critical response ===
On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 97%, based on 369 reviews, with an average rating of 8.77/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse matches bold storytelling with striking animation for a purely enjoyable adventure with heart, humor, and plenty of superhero action."[9] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 87 out of 100, based on 50 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[10] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film a rare average grade of "A+" on an A+ to F scale, while PostTrak reported filmgoers gave it a 90% overall positive score and an 80% "definite recommend", as well as a rare 5 star rating.[4]
David Ehrlich of IndieWire gave the film a "B+" and called it "hilarious and ultimately even poignant", writing: "An eye-popping and irreverent animated experience from the marvelous comic minds who brought you 21 Jump Street... Into the Spider-Verse is somehow both the nerdiest and most inviting superhero film in a long time; every single frame oozes with fan service..."[11] Oliver Jones of The New York Observer gave the film 3.5 out of 4 stars and wrote, "The greatest triumph and biggest surprise of the film is that it is an LSD freak-out on par with 2001: A Space Odyssey."[12] Johnny Oleksinski of The New York Post gave the film a 3.5 rating out of 4, hailing the film as "the best stand-alone film to feature the iconic character so far", and praising Miles's characterization as "more fleshed out than the usual Marvel heroes".[13] Christy Lemire of RogerEbert.com praised the film's atmosphere and visual effects, saying the film "has a wonderfully trippy, dreamlike quality about it."[14] Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter wrote that "...the freshest and most stimulating aspect of the film is the visual style, which unites the expected Marvel mix of 'universes' (it used to be assumed there was only one universe in creation) with animation that looks both computer-driven and hand-drawn, boasts futuristic as well as funky urban elements, moves the 'camera' a lot and brings together a melting pot of mostly amusing new characters."[15]
William Bibbiani of The Wrap felt the film "represents some of the best superhero storytelling on the market", and that it "captures the sprawling interconnectivity of comic-book universes in a way that no other feature film has", calling it the best Spider-Man film since Spider-Man 2.[16] Justin Chang of the Los Angeles Times said that "What distinguishes Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse in the end is that it takes its mission seriously, even when it's being transparently silly".[17] David Sims of The Atlantic said that the film "somehow, through sheer creative gumption, does something new in the superhero genre", particularly praising the use of comic book's "visual language", as well as the characters' dynamic, and felt that the "anarchic fingerprints" of producers Lord and Miller were "all over the movie".[18] Katie Walsh of Tribune News Service said that the film is "unlike any other superhero or animated film that has come before", comparing the animation to "watching a comic book come to life", and feeling that the film "firmly exists in a post-Deadpool environment, where it seems the only fresh way into a century-old superhero is to skewer the tropes, make fun of the merchandising and acknowledge the cultural significance of it all in a cheeky and self-reflective manner", and that Lord, who wrote the story and co-wrote the screenplay, was "The key to the balance of self-aware and sweet" present in the film.[19]
=== Industry response ===
Tom Holland, who plays Parker in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, praised the film as "one of the coolest films [he has] ever seen,"[20] while Holland's MCU co-star Chris Pratt, who also worked with Lord and Miller in The Lego Movie films, called it an "emotionally moving, cutting edge, progressive, diverse, funny, meta, action-packed, silly, visually stunning masterpiece!"[21] Patton Oswalt, who also worked with Lord and Miller on 22 Jump Street, called the film "brilliant" and continued "This has been a non-stop year for me and I'm glad I'm ending it in such a cinematic high-note. Not only is it the best superhero film ever made, it's flat-out a game-changing MOVIE. Seeing it again tomorrow!"[22] Kevin Smith reviewed the film on his podcast Fatman Beyond, stating, "I always liked Spider-Man but this movie made me love Spider-Man on a Batman-type level", and continued saying, "It just goes to show you that any character in the right hands can be a transformative experience."[23] Barry Jenkins, writer and director of the Academy Award-winning film Moonlight which also starred Ali, praised the film calling it "magnificent"; citing it as the best Spider-Man film, one of the best films of 2018, and the best tentpole film since Edge of Tomorrow. Jenkins continued, saying, "I was stupefied. I mean just tremendous, tremendous work, so grounded and full of verve; visceral. Saw it on the biggest screen I could find, just a viscerally enthralling experience. I salute you."[24] Rian Johnson, writer and director of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, described the film as "the Velvet Underground of superhero movies" as he believes it will be an influential film.[25]
=== Accolades ===
List of awards and nominations 	List of awards and nominations	List of awards and nominations 	List of awards and nominations 	List of awards and nominations	List of awards and nominations
Award 	Date of ceremony 	Category 	Recipient(s) 	Result 	Ref.
People's Choice Awards 	November 10, 2019 	Best Animated Movie Star of 2019 	Jamie Chung 	Nominated 	TBA
Golden Globe Awards 	January 5, 2020 	Best Animated Film 	Spider-Gwen 	Nominated 	TBA
Critics Choice Awards 	January 12, 2020 	Best Animated Feature 	Spider-Gwen 	Nominated 	TBA
Annie Awards 	January 25, 2020 	Best Animated Feature 	Spider-Gwen 	Nominated 	TBA
Academy Awards 	February 9, 2020 	Best Animated Feature 	Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Tom McGrath, Rodney Rothman, Jordan Kerner, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller	Nominated 	TBA
Movie Land Fun and Excitement Awards	February 16, 2020 	Best Animated Feature 	Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Tom McGrath, Rodney Rothman, Jordan Kerner, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller	Nominated 	TBA
Movie Land Fun and Excitement Awards	February 16, 2020 	Voice Acting in a Feature Production	Jamie Chung as Gwen Stacy / Spider-Woman 	Nominated 	TBA
== Sequel ==
In September 2019, Movie Land Animation Studios had begun working on a sequel to the film. The sequel, titled Spider-Gwen 2, will be release on February 26, 2021. Avi Arad, Amy Pascal, Jordan Kerner, Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, Mary Ellen Bauder Andrews & Christina Steinberg will return as a producer and Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Tom McGrath & Rodney Rothman will return as a director and Phil Lord & Rodney Rothman will return as writers.
Spider-Gwen (film)/Credits