Marvel Needs to Make a Stunning Animated Marvel Movie Now

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Doomsday) theatrically, while the other MCU feature for that year (Spider-Man: Brand New Day) is produced by Sony/Columbia Pictures. This is a shift from the three MCU films Disney released each year from 2021 to 2023.

Despite Marvel Studios deciding to reduce the number of movies they release, it’s high time they introduced a groundbreaking concept for a theatrical Marvel Cinematic Universe film. Let’s bring an entirely animated movie to the big screen!

Animated Cinema and Superheroes Go Together Splendidly

Over time, uniting animated films with superhero themes has produced some truly outstanding cinematic gems. For instance, “Batman: Mask of the Phantasm” and “The LEGO Batman Movie” are considered among the finest Batman films ever made. The 2014 film “Big Hero 6,” which revolves around a group of lesser-known Marvel superheroes, was particularly charming, with the lovable robot Baymax stealing the show. In 2023, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” rejuvenated that franchise after over three decades, offering a fresh take.

Speaking of the peak of this particular comic book genre, let’s talk about the Spider-Verse movies. Regardless of whether you judge them by their exceptional screenwriting, brilliant voice acting, revolutionary animation, or any other criteria, the Spider-Verse films stand as remarkable cinematic achievements. These two movies showcase how the limitless potential of animation as a medium fits perfectly with the world of superheroes. In the comics, these characters can travel anywhere and perform feats that reality seldom imposes on characters from Batman to Marvel’s Brute Force.

In live-action films, there’s a constant struggle with gravity and the need to maintain realism, which often limits the extravagant, stylized aspects of characters. However, in animation, these constraints are removed, allowing for grandiose and exaggerated expressions. Many Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) projects from Phases Four and Five, such as “Captain America: Brave New World” and “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” have either been hesitant or overly indulgent in comic book silliness. A high-quality animated movie on the big screen that embraces this quirkiness could address this issue. Moreover, numerous superheroes have found freedom in big-screen animated storytelling.

It’s Time To Correct The Visual Problem of Marvel’s Animated TV Shows

Bringing a high-quality, dynamic animated film to the big screen could help address a weakness in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s small-screen content, particularly the disappointing visual aspects. For instance, the animation styles used in “What If…?” and “Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man” have been criticized for being unappealing. Instead of using traditional hand-drawn animations, these shows rely on computer animation that only vaguely resembles hand-drawn characters. The movements of the characters lack fluidity, and their environments and stories often fail to explore the creative possibilities of animation. There seems to be a lack of boldness in Marvel Animation’s visual storytelling.

In simpler terms, this rather dull method of creating animation would be annoying no matter what. Comparatively, the animation in the Spider-Verse movies and Mutant Mayhem is outstanding; this subpar animation seems almost laughable when put next to them. With a large budget for a movie, Marvel Studios could finally produce stunning animation for their characters. Even the best episodes of What If…? were dragged down by poorly executed bursts of animation. A movie could provide consistently breathtaking visuals. I hope they experiment with traditional hand-drawn animation, which would be exciting to see. It’d be great if they allowed talented animators to give these characters unique representations, similar to how Genndy Tartakovsky’s Clone Wars cartoon refreshed the icons of the prequel trilogy.

The animation output from Marvel Animation on Disney+ has left untapped a wealth of possibilities that could be addressed by a high-quality theatrical Marvel Studios film. Moreover, a theatrically released animated feature would likely come with a lower price tag compared to a traditional live-action MCU movie, enabling lesser-known Marvel Comics characters like Brute Force, the League of Losers, Squirrel Girl, or Savage Land to shine. The animation medium presents an endless array of creative opportunities. Indeed, the idea of Marvel Studios producing a fantastic animated theatrical film is ripe with potential for both artistic excellence and thrilling entertainment. At the very least, it would certainly be a step up from What If…?.

All What If…? seasons are now streaming on Disney+.

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2025-05-18 19:42