Late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel was tasked with hosting the 96th Academy Awards this weekend, but his opening monologue drew mixed reviews (as did his hosting skills in general).
Now, though, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse producer Chris Miller has hit back at Kimmel for his joke about this year's "Best Animated Feature" contenders.
During the show, Kimmel said, "Please raise your hand if you let your kid fill out this part of the ballot." The insinuation was that these movies don't matter because they're made for children, something anyone who has seen the likes of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and The Boy and the Heron would surely dispute.
The latter won the award, of course, but that had nothing to do with Miller's frustrations.
"Animation is not a genre for children it is a medium for people and that medium is film," he stated. "Just a reminder a propos of nothing." Later, the filmmaker - who helmed The LEGO Movie alongside Phil Lord - added, "For those confused, the 'nothing' was yet another 'this category is for kids' joke at the Oscars, which at this point is just tired and lazy."
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse may have missed out on an Oscar, but it still took home seven Annie Awards and a Critics' Choice Award. It was also nominated for three Golden Globes, only to once again lose out to The Boy and the Heron.
The movie earned $691 million at the worldwide box office but its sequel, Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, remains undated due to delays caused by last year's Hollywood strikes.
In Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Miles Morales returns for the next chapter of the Oscar-winning Spider-Verse saga. After reuniting with Gwen Stacy, Brooklyn's full-time, friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man is catapulted across the Multiverse, where he encounters a team of Spider-People charged with protecting its very existence.
But when the heroes clash on how to handle a new threat, Miles finds himself pitted against the other Spiders and must redefine what it means to be a hero so he can save the people he loves most.
The movie stars Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Jake Johnson, Issa Rae, Daniel Kaluuya, Karan Soni, Jason Schwartzman, Brian Tyree Henry, Luna Lauren Velez, Greta Lee, Rachel Dratch, Jorma Taccone, Shea Whigham, and Oscar Isaac.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is now available on Digital and Blu-ray.