Stanisland Magazine

Disney Plus betrays fans with new ‘Your Friendly Neighborhood…’ superhero TV series.

Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man will impress a certain audience, though it may be short-lived. This is what you get for the price of your Disney Plus subscription.

The latest bulldozing of the web-slinger feels like a sensational mess. Those living with sensory overload, you know what I mean. The latest installment of Peter Parker’s woes sees him in a 2D/3D animation (2.5 D), and it looks terrifying.

When will it stop? The constant recycling of beloved characters for the sake of their bottom line is hurting the respect it once commanded.

What Is It Like?

The trailer attempts to pull us in by enticing the viewer with social proof of its credentials. Produced by the creators of X-Men ‘’97, it will pique interest, but you will soon be met with quite the opposite. A CGI monstrosity awaits, leveraging the 1990s trend, complete with poor frame rates. Perhaps they’re attempting to rekindle a blend of the 1967 show and The animated Series? Whatever this is, it’s not working.

While I get that they are trying to do something new with the character, all efforts appear to be falling flat. Tom Holland’s iteration already lacks heart, and peripheral efforts feel devoid of any understanding of the comic-books. It’s as if their source material was other Spider-Man movies.

Fan Reactions Are Blunt

It has generally received mixed reactions, with many entertaining the idea of the new series. One social media user said: “Man, I’m sorry but this just doesn’t look very good visually.” While another simply said, “This looks bad.”

Others were hopeful, citing historical versions of the superhero: “I’m still chasing the high of Spectacular Spider-Man. Hopefully this scratches that itch.” Some fans chipped in with their two-cents, holding out for a more nostalgic take, “I’m sure this is fine, but as an adult man child, I need Spider-Man ’98.”

Our Thoughts

Disney, please take some free, unsolicited advice: if you leave these IPs alone for a while, sooner or later, public hunger will return. It’s a bit like picking strawberries; seasonally, everyone loves them now, but eventually, they grow tired. But next year, the lust returns.

However, I suspect I’m probably talking to a brick wall. They just cannot help themselves. They have a phenomenal animated series on their streaming service, yet they’re choosing to pursue nightmare fuel. In their vault appears to be a vacant slot for ideas, so if anyone has any for their spidey, feel free to email his captors with them.

Constant remakes like The Lion King and Lilo and Stitch, bearing done-before-screenplays, are a window into the chaos behind-the-scenes. No original ideas and an arrogance to ignore new ones seem to be everything we need to know about the corporation. This latest adaptation is jittery, unpolished and needs something extra. Spider-Man fans will watch it, but only out of necessity.

Release Date

The show will air exclusively on Disney+ from January 29, 2025, and will be comprised of 10 episodes.