<p data-testid="paragraph-0">LOS ANGELES, June 1 (Reuters) - American film-producing and writing duo Christopher Miller and Phil Lord were determined to weave a combination of art and heart into Sony Picture's "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse," and that meant broadening the stories of the Spider-people.</p>
<p data-testid="paragraph-1">For their sequel to 2018's "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse," they have sought to build new worlds to immerse audiences in a web of animated adventure.</p>
<p data-testid="paragraph-2">"We wanted each one to look very distinctive and have their own aesthetic," Miller told Reuters ahead of the film's opening on Friday. "So that was a really fun opportunity to tell a story where you get to go to all these places and see these worlds you've never seen before and give the audience something they've never experienced."</p>
<p data-testid="paragraph-3">The movie traces the journey of teenager Miles Morales, voiced by Shameik Moore, embarking on a mission with love interest Gwen Stacy, voiced by Hailee Steinfeld, to save the Spider-People in every universe from catastrophe.</p>
<p data-testid="paragraph-4">The animation styles were influenced by the Miles Morales Marvel comic books created by Brian Michael Bendis and Sara Pichelli, and also incorporate a watercolor look often seen in cover art for the comic book series Spider-Gwen.</p>
<p data-testid="paragraph-5">The voice cast includes Issa Rae as Spider-Woman, Oscar Isaac as Spider-Man 2099, Daniel Kaluuya as Spider-Punk, and Brian Tyree Henry as Miles' father, Jefferson Davis.</p>
<p data-testid="paragraph-6">The theme? For people from all walks of life to unapologetically accept themselves.</p>
<p data-testid="paragraph-7">"With this story in particular, there are just so many grounded themes of just coming into your own, trusting yourself, learning yourself," Rae said.</p>
<p data-testid="paragraph-8">At the&nbsp;world premiere in Los Angeles&nbsp;on Tuesday, Henry told Reuters that there is a Spider-Man for anyone because heroes look like every sort of person from every background.</p>
<p data-testid="paragraph-9">The pre-pandemic "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" raked in over $35 million during its first three days of release and went on to win the 2019 Oscar for best-animated feature film.</p>
<p data-testid="paragraph-10">Despite some concerns that those box-office-busting days&nbsp;are far from returning, the sequel is expected to bring in about $115.5 million over its first three days in the U.S. and Canada, according to a projection from the BoxOffice Pro website. Sony Pictures forecasts a lower debut of between $75 million and $85 million.</p>
<p data-testid="paragraph-11">For many film critics, this new superhero movie has all the makings of a box-office success.</p>
<p data-testid="paragraph-12">Early feedback from review aggregator&nbsp;Rotten Tomatoes&nbsp;gave the film a 95% on the Tomatometer.</p>
<p data-testid="paragraph-13">"This feels like it could have been the first movie designed to earn a thumbs up from Andy Warhol and Stephen Hawking," Owen Gleiberman of Variety wrote.</p>
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<div>(Reporting by Danielle Broadway and Rollo Ross; additional reporting by Jorge Garcia; Editing by Mary Milliken and Rosalba O'Brien)</div>

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'Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse' spins new spider worlds