‘Spider-Man Across the Spider-Verse’: 3 voice-acting performances that deserve awards attention
A great voice performance elevates a character from an animated rendering to a fully-fledged being that takes on a 3D life of its own. Robin Williams as the Genie, Eddie Murphy as Donkey, and Tom Hanks as Woody are just three examples of iconic roles from the world of animation. Yet, still, the Academy doesn’t allow voice or motion-capture performances to be considered in its acting categories. Nevertheless, animated movies still churn out more and more great stories, and “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” is one of them.
The sequel to 2018’s “Into the Spider-Verse” follows Shameik Moore as Miles Morales, who is launched across the multiverse and into the Spider-Verse after a new villain, Jason Schwartzman‘s Spot, emerges. This leads Miles to encounter the Spider-Society, a group of Spider-People from multiple universes led by Oscar Isaac‘s Miguel O’Hara/Spider-Man 2099. Meanwhile, he grows ever fonder of Hailee Steinfeld‘s Gwen Stacy/Spider-Woman.
The film has become an immediate critical and commercial success, landing a 96% Rotten Tomatoes score, with the site’s critical consensus reading: “Just as visually dazzling and action-packed as its predecessor, ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ thrills from start to cliffhanger conclusion.” Every person involved in the film helped to produce an excellent picture and the cast is all excellent. But here are three voice-acting performances that stand out above the rest.
Shameik Moore — Miles Morales/Spider-Man
Miles Morales is the heart and soul of this movie, so it’s only right for Moore to receive a moment’s appreciation here. Miles took over the role of Spider-Man in the first movie after his reality’s Peter Parker died. In that movie, he was learning the ropes and was the student to Jake Johnson‘s Peter B. Parker. Now, however, Miles is a little more mature. He’s grown used to being Spider-Man and there is a certain authority in Moore’s performance, although this is belied by the frustration he feels at his parents. Moore combines the tense teenage aspect of the character with that of a headstrong hero who isn’t afraid to go it alone. Moore delivers some iconic lines with assuredness and poise and Miles has never felt more like a superhero than in the hands of Moore in this story. Moore was nominated for a smattering of critics’ awards for his performance in “Into the Spider-Verse” and also won the Black Reel Award for Best Voice Performance. However, he missed out on a nomination for Best Voice Acting in an Animated Feature at the 2019 Annie Awards, which are the ultimate awards for animated projects.
Hailee Steinfeld — Gwen Stacey/Spider-Woman
Steinfeld was previously nominated for an Oscar in 2011 for her break-out supporting turn in “True Grit.” She brings that Oscar-nominated gravitas here to her performance as Gwen Stacy, who is Spider-Woman in her universe. Like Moore and Miles, Steinfeld’s Gwen takes a step up in this movie. In the first film, she was a love interest/friend to Miles as well as something of a mentor. Here, she gets her own arc completely as she struggles with her relationship with her police captain father, George (Shea Whigam). George is intent on capturing Spider-Woman but doesn’t know it’s his own daughter. When the secret is out, the two come to blows and it sparks a tragic story for Gwen as she loses her father and, with that, her own universe, pretty much. Steinfeld manages these emotional beats with aplomb and it makes for an affecting arc, with her moments with her father some of the movie’s most affecting thanks to both voice performances and some gorgeous animation. Steinfeld has a bit more of an awards history than Moore. To go with that aforementioned Oscar bid, she also has a 2017 Golden Globe nomination (for
Oscar Isaac — Miguel O’Hara/Spider-Man 2099
Speaking of actors with other roles in Marvel movies, Isaac completed a trifecta of Marvel Comics performances here after he appeared as En Sabah Nur/Apocalypse in “X-Men: Apocalypse” and played Moon Knight in the Disney+ MCU series of the same name. In “Across the Spider-Verse,” he plays Miguel O’Hara/Spider-Man 2099, who comes from the Earth 2099 reality and is part vampire. Miguel created the Spider-Society himself, recruiting various Spider-People from across other universes in order to protect the multiverse and ensure that “canon events” carry out as planned. If these events, such as the death of a police captain with ties to Spider-Man, do not carry out, they could destroy the fabric of the multiverse. Miguel takes on an antagonistic role in this film as he tries to keep Miles from preventing a canon event that will lead to the death of Miles’ father (a soon-to-be-police captain, voice by Brian Tyree Henry). Miguel is brutal, physical, intimidating, and perhaps the only Spider-Man without a sense of humor. Isaac’s performance as Miguel conveys that brooding sense of danger while he also gives Miguel an iron-fist authority that makes him such a presence on-screen. Isaac’s voice performance combines wonderfully with the animation of the character — a hulking, muscular, animalistic Spider-Man — along with Daniel Pemberton‘s blaring siren of a score for Miguel. It’s affecting stuff and Spider-Man 2099 is instantly one of the coolest and most fearsome characters in this story. Awards-wise, Isaac previously earned Emmy and SAG bids for the limited series “Scenes of a Marriage” in 2022, has three Golden Globe nominations to his name, and earned a Critics Choice Super Award nomination for “Moon Knight.”
While none of these actors will be nominated at the Oscars for their voice performance, they could well find success at the next Annie Awards. None of these actors have been nominated for Annie Awards before, so they are each searching for their first nomination. However, the Annie Awards loved “Into the Spider-Verse.” That film won seven awards in 2019, including Best Animated Feature, Best Writing (for Phil Lord and Rodney Rothman), and Best Directing (for Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, and Rothman). It also won awards for editing, production design, character design, and character animation. So the Annie Awards adore “Spider-Verse.” Expect this lauded sequel to be back in the game at the Annie Awards next year.
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