Executive Producer Chris Moreno joins me to talk about the new animated holiday special Marvel’s Spidey and The Avengers: Halloween Team-Up! (premiering Thursday Sept. 24 on Disney Jr. and Friday Sept. 25 on Disney+) and the continued success of Marvel’s Spidey and His Amazing Friends. (This Animation Scoop Q&A was edited for length and clarity. Images Credit: Disney)

Jackson Murphy: Congratulations on the special. First of all, how did it feel to bring all these characters together and have them be in the Halloween setting?

Chris Moreno: On our show, we’re always looking for things that are kid relatable, and nothing’s more relatable than Halloween. It’s a holiday… getting the chance to dress up and have fun with your friends. The more the merrier attitude with the crossover.

JM: Did you enjoy Halloween growing up and watching Halloween specials on TV like “The Great Pumpkin”?

CM: Oh sure. Holiday specials are still very big in our house now. I have a daughter, so we’re revisiting some of the ones from when we were kids. We’re looking at all the new ones that are coming out. That’s probably what I’m most excited about for this — to be part of that pantheon of animated holiday specials.

JM: Of course! So you [have] nemesis witch named Hallows’ Eve and her companion Jack O’Lantern. They have quite a banter and a lot of hijinks around the city.

CM: These are both characters from the comics, so it’s probably their first time… Well, I definitely think it’s Hallows’ Eve’s first time… appearing in an animated special. It was great to take these characters that have much different origins and storylines and personalities in the comics, putting them through our “Spidey” lens and that preschool space and really inject some Halloween magic into these characters’ lives.

JM: This special is all about teamwork and friendship and the power of that — and you’ve done that as well on the “Spidey” series. What were your goals in showcasing that when it comes to the arc of this special?

CM: Thinking about the way things are kid relatable, and our writer Bart Jennett keyed in on that. We’ve got things about dressing up in costumes and how costumes sometimes can give you confidence and make you feel a different way than you feel like you normally are. And how friendship can help you overcome your fears. These are very horror kid experiences, but to have it play out with big superhero action is what we do.

JM: Yeah. And decorating everything. Everyone in the costumes… all those details you get just right. Do you have real life inspiration for that — looking around your own neighborhood and figuring things out as far as what to incorporate?

CM: Yeah. We have tremendous designers and other artists who work with us on that. Everybody’s pouring their experiences in and thinking of their own childhoods.

JM: The “Spidey” series just passed 100 episodes and got renewed again, which is fantastic. The impact of this show on so many kids and families, along with the “Iron Man” show, how have you really seen that firsthand?

CM: On a number of levels. I’ve been a Spidey fan since I was a little kid. He’s still my favorite superhero. Just seeing kids everywhere all around the world. Everywhere I go, a child somewhere is wearing a Spidey t-shirt or has a Spidey backpack. My daughter just started school recently and every other kid has a Spidey t-shirt / Spidey backpack, talking about Spidey. To feel like we’ve all been a part of that in some small way is very gratifying. I love the character. I love what the character stands for and what the characters stand for on our show and the things they represent. To see these are universal, and things that kids relate to and grab onto, is pretty awesome.

JM: Very cool. We’ve got more Spidey coming. We’ve got more Avengers coming with “Avengers: Mightiest Friends” premiering next year. Anything you can tease as far as what’s coming with “Avengers”?

CM: I don’t particularly work on that show, so I don’t have any advance knowledge on that. But yes, everything you’ve heard with “Spidey” with the green light for everything onwards and upwards has been most of my time. But yeah, basically, just stay tuned. There’s gonna be a lot more adventures and characters and all kinds of fun.