Following the unprecedented success of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse in 2018, fans began crafting their own Spidersonas, envisioning themselves within the Spider-Verse. Notably, one fan creation, SunSpider, even found its way into the latest film. Witnessing all of the incredible fan enthusiasm, we set out to build upon the organic content surrounding Spidersonas and give fans a chance to swing into our world.
Our goal was to take this organic desire to be a part of the film and elevate it to a global scale, making it accessible to all fans for the release of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. We aimed to embody the film's themes of inclusivity by providing fans worldwide with the opportunity to enter the Spider-Verse. By building a custom generative AI engine using inputs exclusively from the movie's animation style, co-created with the film’s animators, our goal was to create a unique and immersive experience that would resonate with fans and further solidify Spider-Verse's cultural impact.
This campaign was a labor of love that we strategically unfolded piece by piece. Before we invited the fans into the fun, we wanted to showcase some of our favorite celebrities as part of the Spider-Verse. We worked with Sony Pictures Animation to create 20 custom drawn celebrity Spidersonas which launched in the 4 days leading up to the launch of the second trailer.
We reached 148.6 Million Trailer Views in the first 24 hours, topping recent MCU launches and all summer 2023 superhero trailers. Now the next mission was enabling fans from around the world to create their own Spidersonas.
With fans excited to see their favorite public figures in custom spider-suits, we got to work building the generator that would bring the fun to everyone’s digital doorstep. Partnering with Vermill.io to develop a custom Generative AI Engine website, we utilized thousands of pieces of concept art and movie footage from Sony Pictures Animation to feed the AI engine.
Working closely with the Sony Pictures Animation team and filmmakers, we ensured that the engine had the depth and specificity required to deliver a truly immersive experience authentic to the brand. Sony animators spent time with the Vermill.io team, including digitally drawing over earlier Spidersona outputs to illustrate how to improve the outputs.
After fans submitted a selfie and answered a few questions to determine possible colors and suit design, the engine in real time generated a pair of unique Spidersonas - one with mask on and one with mask off. Fans could create unlimited Spidersonas and every output would be distinct and different.
To maximize accessibility, we established 19 localized sites covering 25 territories, ensuring that any fan, regardless of location, could participate. By embracing the film's themes of inclusivity and empowerment, we aimed to foster a sense of belonging within the Spider-Verse community and drive global engagement with a one-of-a-kind generative AI tool.
Our creative use of the groundbreaking generative AI technology exceeded our expectations, achieving remarkable results:
Through collaboration, passion and boundary-breaking use of AI technology, the AI Spidersona activation successfully embodied our goal of engaging fans on a global scale, personifying the film's themes of inclusivity, and leveraging innovative technology to enhance the Spider-Verse experience for all, making "anyone can wear the mask" a reality!
