'Spider-Verse' animated short film titled 'The Spider Inside' is being released on YouTube

Sony will release a new animated short titled “The Spider Inside: A Spider-Verse Story” on the Sony Pictures Animation YouTube channel at 6 a.m. PT on March 27.

Produced by Sony Pictures Animation and Sony Pictures Imageworks, the short film is set in the “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” universe and follows Miles Morales/Spider-Man as he struggles to balance his responsibilities as a teenager, friend and student. And Spider-Man. While overcoming these pressures, Miles experiences a panic attack that forces him to confront the manifestations of his anxiety and learns that asking for help can be just as brave an act as protecting his city from evil.

The digital release comes in partnership with the Kevin Love Fund, and will be incorporated as part of the Fund's new mental health-focused lesson plan, 'The Hero Inside'. The lesson plan invites students to tell their own story through the lens of mental health awareness through an interactive curriculum that includes a creative storyboarding activity.

“Miles represents so many of us who are doing the best we can in our daily lives,” said Jarelle Dampier, director of The Spider Inside. “We often don't realize everything we've been through until our body forces us to be aware of its experience. My goal is that The Spider Inside can stimulate deeper conversations among friends and family about their mental health journeys — and I hope it feels like a love letter to those who They love Miles Morales.

“I hope the short film makes everyone, especially young people, understand that your feelings are valid and that you are not alone in this,” said KLF founder, professional basketball player and mental health advocate Kevin Love.

Love continued, “You saw that with Spider-Man in the short film, where Miles has a trusted friend. He's able to walk with his father and express what he's going through. We can all learn from that — how important it is to reach out to someone, express About your true feelings, speaking your truth and not keeping everything inside.

“The Spider Inside: A Spider-Verse Story” debuted at Annecy in 2023 and was developed and produced in the inaugural year of Sony Pictures Animation and Sony Pictures Imageworks' flagship program, Empowering New Storytellers (LENS), a nine-month leadership training program. Which provides candidates from underrepresented groups the opportunity to gain valuable leadership experience in animation. The show's final output is an entirely original short film, set in the present-day world of a feature produced by Sony Pictures Animation and Sony Pictures Imageworks.

“The Spider Inside: A Spider-Verse Story” is written by Khayla Amazan and produced by LENS creators Michel Raimo Kouyat and David Schulenberg. The LENS team includes Clara Chan who worked as vfx supervisor and Joe Darko who worked as animation supervisor.