Year of Spider-Man (lost informational short film; 2000)
In 2000, commercial production company and advertising boutique Big Chair Productions was commissioned by Marvel Entertainment to create a 5 minute image film titled "Year of Spider-Man" meant for presenting to investors in anticipation of the then-upcoming first film from Sony Pictures.
Background
After decades in development and being tossed around to many different studios, Sony Pictures bought the film and TV rights to Spider-Man in 1999. Afterwards development on the Spider-Man movie sped along with an estimated release in 2001; it would eventually release on May 3rd, 2002.
Year of Spider-Man was created because Sony's live-action Spider-Man film was in early pre-production at the time in 2000 and it was thought of as a way for Marvel Entertainment to drum up excitement for their flagship character's impending big screen debut amongst their investors.
Year of Spider-Man used a combination of original live-action footage mixed with still images, graphics, and animation. The Spider-Man suit used is the same one used for the Marvel Character Appearance Program, as well as the Universal theme parks. It shows a montage of atmospheric scenes depicting Spider-Man stylishly using his powers, as well as glimpses into how he got his powers.
Availability
The 5 minute image film was screened privately in a special custom-built surround sound theater and won Big Chair Productions Telly and Monitor awards. It was never shown to the public and all that currently is available to be seen are a handful of archived still frames from the project.
See Also
- Spider-Man versus Kraven the Hunter (lost short superhero fan film; 1974)
- Spider-Man Safety Series (partially found direct-to-video animated educational series; 1990)
- Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro's "Thor" cutscene (lost web-exclusive cutscene from PlayStation action-adventure sequel game; 2001)