Some scenes become iconic as soon as you see them. One such moment is Mile Morales’s leap of faith during Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, a stunning sequence that perfectly encapsulates the magic of the animated movie. Composer Daniel Pemberton knew from the off it would prove memorable.
“I remember when I was in there and wrote the ‘Leap of Faith’ music, I was there with Katie [Colley] and we were trying to work through the scene and I literally just went, ‘What about this?’ and I was like, ‘Fuck, that was good’ in my head,” he explained to ScreenRant. “I turned around to her like, ‘What do you think of that?’ and she was like, ‘That was amazing’.”
Funnily enough, they didn’t record that take, but Pemberton managed to remember exactly what he did, and they recaptured the vibe before it disappeared into the aether. Pemberton says that once the music was wrapped, all he could think was: “That is going to be a moment that people will really remember for decades.”
He’s right. If you haven’t seen Spider-Verse – or not for a while – it’s a bit where Miles embraces his powers, designs his Spider-Man costume, and accepts the life he’s now been thrust into.
The scene is great for a number of reasons, from scripting to aesthetic and character work, but the soundtrack plays a huge part. The score uses hip-hop beats infused with some sci-fi-esque electronica, to really bring home the notion of this being a transformation for our protagonist.
Needless to say, we’re glad Pemberton managed to rekindle the magic. He’s been announced as composer for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse 2 – hopefully lightning strikes twice.