‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’ has been applauded for doing a great number of things very well, from the voice-acting, the animation, the storyline, the music, everything just worked seemingly perfect in the film. Including the way it handled Miles’ ethnicity. Being the son of a bi-racial couple (his mother being Puerto Rican and his father being African American, which, to be frank, is not all that uncommon nowadays as many Americans are growing up in bi-racial homes), ‘Into The Spider-Verse’ is being applauded for showing what life in a household like that is truly like (for those who do not know). In Miles’ family’s case, it does include some Spanish which he and his mother use briefly, especially in the opening scene, which some audience members noted was not subtitled in the movie. Frankly, being someone who also grew up in a bi-racial home where “Spanglish” was the norm (my mother and grandmother constantly peppered Spanish into everyday conversation), I barely even realized the lack of translation, but it seems some people were left wondering why the filmmakers did not bother to subtitle the Spanish so everyone would know what Miles and his mother Rio were saying. Producer Phil Lord explains the decision with the following statement:
“I grew up in a bilingual household in the bilingual city of Miami where you hear Spanish all over the place, and it’s not particularly remarkable. I certainly understand what it’s like to feel like you’re half one thing and half something else. It was important for us to hear Spanish and not necessarily have it subtitled. It’s just part of the fabric of Miles’ community and family life.”
I thought it really brought an interesting and unique flavor to Miles’ home life to hear Spanish coming from him and his mother, and helped differentiate the character right from the start from the Peter Parker Spider-Man we have seen on the big screen in the 6 other ‘Spider-Man’ films (and yes, Peter is still my favorite, but Miles grew very quickly on me mainly due to this film).
But, I am curious to hear what other people thought about Miles, and whether they had any strong Feel free to share your thoughts on the matter in the comments below!
Source: Remezcla
