The Summit of the Gods (2021): finding new heights for sport animation and transmedia storytelling

Abstract

This article analyzes Patrick Imbert’s The Summit of the Gods (2021), which functions as a noteworthy example of animated sports film. As a result, the study of this animated film on climbing and of the authorial decisions made by Patrick Imbert and his collaborators is located at the intersection of several fields, which include the history of sport manga, the sociology of extreme sports, the philosophy of self-transcendence, as well as the literary (de)construction of transmedia storytelling. Consequently, the need to employ various sources becomes manifest in order to aptly frame the multiple significations present in both the form and the content of the film: the historical account of George Mallory’s and Andrew Irvine’s ascent, the playful comparisons between manga and animation, the director’s personal commentaries as well as the film’s reception and critique.