Often, when you see an idea reflected in different versions - either as part of the narrative or as a way of expressing itself within a medium - you're witnessing a trend. And if a trend persists over time, it sometimes, unfortunately, runs the risk of becoming worn out in all its forms.
We had our doubts as to whether this theme—the multiverse, which we now see so prevalent in video games, films and comics—also makes sense to those who create these very works, and fortunately we were reassured by the opinion of art designer and animator Aurélien Predal, with whom we chatted during Comicon Napoli recently, and whose interview with subtitles you can watch below.
In fact, it wasn't the first time we'd asked that question during the major pop culture event in southern Italy, as we'd also put it to the illustrator and creator of the character Miles Morales, the artist Sara Pichelli. Perhaps by a twist of fate, we spoke to Predal a few minutes after speaking to Pichelli, and given that he worked on the animated film Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, we wanted to know his thoughts on the multiverse and whether the use of this 'trendy' device diluted the essence of the main character somewhat. And this is what he told us:
"I think it's all about storytelling. If the film works, if it makes sense within the film, I think I'm fully on board with it—that's the most important thing.
"It could be that some people might say that, that sometimes the artistic style might distract from the story. That might happen in some films, but I think that when it's done well, the artistic style and the distinctive artistic style are fully integrated into the story, and I think that's what makes the difference between a film that's very successful and works, compared to others. But I think it leaves more room for more artists to work on a film. It simply brings more diversity, and I think that's better."
"Especially now, we need artists to have work. The more stylised a film is, the more artists are needed, and I think that's better for the industry."
You can find the full interview above, where, as well as talking about Miles Morales, we discuss diversity in contemporary animation, and he also analyses the style of The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.