Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is killing it in theaters right now — it has already outgrossed Into the Spider-Verse domestically in two weeks — and Sony has capitalized on its popularity by unveiling a new Miles Morales-led short at the Annecy International Film Festival.

It's being reported that the new Spider-Man short film, The Spider Within, follows Miles Morales as he struggles with an anxiety attack due to being overwhelmed with school, exams, and relationships. Those anxieties are manifested into a dark figure that represents his alter ego of Spider-Man — even imagining spiders infesting his room. The short, while heavy, does end on a happier note as Miles reaches out to his father, Jefferson Morales, and conquers the panic attack.

The Hollywood Reporter detailed a conversation at Annecy with director Jarelle Dampier, writer Khalla Amazan, VFX supervisor Clara Chan, and animation supervisor Joe Darko. Dampier revealed the inspiration for the plot came from his own anxiety attack he had when he learned he was chosen to take part in the LENS (Leading and Empowering New Storytellers) program.

“The day that I was offered this job to direct this film, I had the largest panic attack I remember in my life. I spent the night in the hospital. I was so excited and happy at the opportunity and yet my whole body shuts down,” revealed Dampier.

He continued by saying that he hoped that this short film could “open the door for some healing conversations for everyone.”

It's nice to see a creative like Dampier use a pop culture icon like Spider-Man to discuss an issue as big as mental health.

Currently, Across the Spider-Verse is playing in theaters and follows Miles Morales (voiced by Shameik Moore) in his fight against the Spot (Jason Schwartzman). He's not alone and is joined by old pals Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld) and Peter B. Parker (Jake Johnson) while meeting some new ones including Spider-Man 2099 (Oscar Isaac). The film is the second part of a trilogy with Beyond the Spider-Verse currently slated for a Marvel 29, 2024 release date.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is in theaters now.