The Multiverse of Animation
A scientific experiment goes awry and rips a hole in the fabric of reality. It is a gateway to a parallel universe, similar to our own in some ways, yet vastly different in others. The concept of alternate universes coexisting within a broader multiverse has been a staple of science fiction and fantasy since Michael Moorcock first adopted the trope in his 1963 novella The Sundered Worlds. A fictional multiverse opens up an extraordinary range of new possibilities for creative storytelling, unconstrained by a single world’s established history or even its laws of reality. It is that malleability that makes multiverses the perfect narrative framework for a crossover story.
Well, at least to a certain extent. As Kevin Grazier and Stephen Cass (2015: 244) point out:
While interesting from an intellectual standpoint, universes where the physical laws vary significantly from ours are, in general, dramatically uninteresting in a fictional narrative: a universe that is so fundamentally alien that an audience can barely comprehend it, if at all, hardly wins high the “relatability” category.
Fig. 1 - Johnny Bravo alongside the cast of a in the episode “Bravo Dooby Doo”.
The multiverse could very well be infinite in the realm of theoretical physics, but in terms of storytelling and narrative organisation, there are only a finite amount of ways in which the concept can successfully resonate with an audience. When discussing the alternative futures in what he calls ‘forking-path’ plots, David Bordwell notes several key markers – linearity in the branching paths, clear signposting of the different futures/world, inevitable intersection and the traditional formal tactics and cohesion devices to aid comprehension. Bordwell’s observations may be about alternative worlds, but the basic principle applies to multiverse storytelling as well – their complexity lies not in difficult-to-understand models of theoretical physics, but in the sheer variety of possible interactions. The stories themselves are generally straightforward, but with a lot of moving parts.
Crossover stories are similar in this regard. They generate spectatorial pleasure through the intertextual exchange between two or more sets of characters and the worlds they inhabit. That exchange is often based on a host-guest dynamic – the ‘host’ story provides the narrative and diegetic framework, while the ‘guest’ story adds unexpected elements or characters to said framework. Take, for instance, the Johnny Bravo episode “Bravo Dooby Doo” (originally broadcast in 1997), in which Johnny’s car breaks down and he ends up getting a ride from the Scooby Doo gang in the Mystery Machine. The story is a humorous pastiche of Scooby Doo tropes, with a spooky house setting and seemingly supernatural mystery plot – ergo, Scooby Doo is the ‘host’ story, and Johnny Bravo is the ‘guest’ (Fig. 1).
Multiverse narratives broaden the scope of that intertextual change considerably by introducing the concept of juxtaposing different worlds that might have otherwise been incompatible. The goal of this post is to demonstrate that few media communicate multiverse juxtaposition as well as animation – on account of its creative potential and considerable range and malleability. To that end, I’m going to critically examine two animated multiverse crossovers – Turtles Forever (Roy Burdine & Lloyd Goldfine, 2009) and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey & Rodney Rothman, 2018), as a way of exploring how animation as a medium serves the pleasures of crossover narratives through elements of character design and the ontological dimension of the multiverse’s intertextual relationships.
Fig. 2 - The two Leonardos in Turtles Forever.
In 2009, 4Kids Entertainment produced the animated feature Turtles Forever to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the franchise. The story was a multiverse crossover in which the Turtles from the 2003 TMNT animated series encountered the turtles from the original 1987 TMNT cartoon. For the many creative differences between the two shows, there are fundamental characteristics of the premise and characters that remain stable and consistent – they share names, general personality traits and a similar backstory of being mutated turtles raised by a rat that trains them to be ninjas. Due to this, I consider Turtles Forever an example of a multiverse iterations story – one where multiple different iterations of the same character meet and interact.
Take a look at this image that depicts a meeting between the two Leonardos (Fig. 2). It is immediately apparent that these are two different iterations of the same character, rather than just two humanoid turtles with similar costumes and weapons. The distinct art styles and design choices are clearly contrasted, and they effectively communicate that this is a meeting between two worlds. Furthermore, the character’s designs speak to differences in their personalities and traits. The 1984 Leonardo on the left is smaller and has pupils as well as softer outlines – he is portrayed as lighthearted, friendly and physically weaker. 2003 Leo (on the right) has a bulkier frame, sharp edges and no pupils, and is depicted as the stronger and more serious of the pair. A lot of character information that is revealed to the audience through narrative and dialogue is already integrated into the designs and clearly communicated through aesthetics. The different visual styles through which the characters are realized literally “draws” attention to the combination of animated forms on display, thereby amplifying the stakes of this crossover multiverse narrative. The degree of creative control and input that goes into animation as a visual medium allows for a wide range of possible iterations of a single character concept – which is perfect for the fantasy of a multiverse narrative that relies on the pleasure of collision between diegetic spaces. The meeting between the two turtle teams (and later in the special, a chance encounter with the very first iteration of the TMNT – the black-and-white Mirage Studios Turtles) also crystalizes the historical separation between them. Multiverse juxtaposition codifies the different historical context in which every iteration was conceived and highlights the unique features and stylistic choices specific to each grouping – from the noir roots of the original Mirage iteration to the silly, fun-loving cartoon antics of the 1987 team.
Fig. 3 - Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse as a multiverse crossover.
The second example of a multiverse narrative colliding with the ontology of animation is that of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse - a multiverse crossover between various different characters with spider-themed superpowers and abilities. Each of their costumes, personalities, points of origin and even skillsets are distinct enough that the story becomes a case of different incarnations of core character concept, as opposed to different iterations (as in TMNT). In fact, the two notable iterations of a character in Spider-Verse – Peter Parker and Peter B. Parker – never interact. The actual two main characters are Spider-Men from different worlds whose backgrounds, powers and experience are very different – something which Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’s animation communicates in a very subtle and clever way.
Miles Morales and Peter B. Parker are human characters from two different worlds, but unlike Turtles Forever, that isn’t immediately apparent if you just look at a still image of the two of them together (Fig. 3). However, if you see them in motion, you might be able to notice something very interesting about the way they’re animated. Unlike traditional CG animation, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is mostly animated on twos, i.e., instead of having an original image for each frame, every other frame is repeated. This gives the motion in the film a crisper, crunchier feel, which is in line with Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’s intent on looking like a comic book come to life. Peter B. Parker however, is animated on ones. His smoother motion not only communicates contrast with Miles to the audiences, but a specific kind of contrast that pertain to characterization – Peter is more experienced, and therefore his movement is more fluid. Miles being out of sync with Peter is indicative of him struggling with his newfound abilities, and manifests the tension in the relationship between the two. Animated crossovers can break the established rules of their worlds in both large and small ways, because the fictional worlds themselves are extremely malleable – whether hand-drawn or computer-animated, they were built from scratch. This is incredibly well-suited for multiverse narratives that feature alternate worlds with unusual or bizarre laws of reality.
Fig. 4 - Spider-Ham from Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
Take for instance, the character of Spider-Ham – a cartoon pig with spider-themed superpowers (Fig. 4). Whereas a more cartoony style in Turtles Forever was used to illustrate the different personalities, physical characteristics and historical context of the 1987 TMNT team, Spider-Ham’s cartoon appearance signifies a being that operates on an entirely different set of narrative and ontological rules. A multiverse crossover can accommodate a talking cartoon pig pulling out an oversized mallet in a world in which animals behave in a realistic manner – and animation is a medium that can easily incorporate such otherworldly and fantastical contrast.
Multiverse narratives, such as those demonstrated in Turtles Forever and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, harness unusual and unexpected combinations of concepts, characters and settings for creative and entertaining storytelling opportunities. Their very nature as crossover stories expands the diegetic worlds of fiction by mixing and matching unusual new elements, creatively building increasingly-expanded spaces through intertextual relationships. While the concept of a multiverse broadens the scope of the stories, characters and worlds that are being melded together, animation as a medium serves the multiverse by broadening its scope and representation. Whether it is portraying multiple iterations of the same world, or vastly different incarnations of a core concept, animation possesses a creative range and flexibility that makes it ideal for multiverse narratives. Animation can draw visual attention to the collisions between worlds, stylistically playing out the kinds of complex narrative organizations that have become a staple of contemporary Hollywood storytelling. In the case of the multiverse and its fantasy of crossover narration, animation is well-suited to the representation of characters that exist in parallel but who suddenly come together as the boundaries between their worlds unexpectedly collapse.
**Article published: February 28, 2020**
References
Grazier, Kevin and Stephen Cass.2015. Hollyweird Science: From Quantum Quirks to the Multiverse. New York: Springer.
Biography
Stanyo Zhelev is a freelance writer and film critic from Bulgaria, with a BA in English with Film Studies. He is currently completing a Film Studies MA at King's College London. Check out his writing at http://thecinemastan.com, https://letterboxd.com/cinemastan and http://outtakemag.co.uk/author/stanyo/.