Voice Of PS4 Spider-Man Criticizes Disney For Denying Child's Spider-Man Headstone
A story's been making the rounds these past few days about a father who asked Disney for permission to put Spider-Man on his late son Ollie's headstone. Disney rejected the father's request, sparking outrage from many online. Now the voice of Spider-Man on PlayStation 4 is speaking out against the company's decision.
"This is unconscionable," said Yuri Lowenthal, the voice actor for Peter Parker and Spider-Man in the game. "Spider-Man is tied inextricably to Uncle Ben's death. And most Disney animated films BEGIN with the death of a parent. An act like this could literally help kids deal with death better."
In terms of Disney's refusal, the company states it has to do with a policy put in place by Walt Disney himself; one that aims to "preserve the same innocence and magic around our characters that brought Ollie such joy." Seeing as Walt Disney isn't around anymore and has not been for some time, and Marvel wasn't a Disney-owned property until a decade ago, it's hard to imagine Disney's "policy" didn't apply to the company's typically lighthearted cartoon characters, like Mickey Mouse and Goofy.
Marvel works, on the other hand, tend to tackle more mature subject matter. There's not quite as much innocence to protect there, and death isn't an uncommon thing to see. It's hard to imagine someone's view of Spider-Man would be transformed negatively and irreparably by seeing him on a headstone. But we digress.
The boy's father, Lloyd Jones, was reportedly shocked at the refusal, stating "I really wasn't expecting this. I felt sure they would allow it."
It's unclear at this time if Jones has any alternative paths he can take to see his request fulfilled, or if Disney's rejection of the headstone is the end of the line.
Spider-Man released on PlayStation 4 in September 2018. Lowenthal was nominated for Best Performance at the Game Awards later that year, and was also nominated for Outstanding Performance in a Drama at the NAVGTR Awards in 2019.