Sneakerella Trailer: Oh My God, Shoes
Someone call Kelly! Disney decided to make her dream movie: it's the story of Cinderella, but instead of a glass slipper, the magical footwear is a sweet set of kicks.
Disney has released the trailer for "Sneakerella," which puts a modern spin on the classic tale. The Disney+ original movie is a hip-hop musical that follows El (Chosen Jacobs), an aspiring sneaker designer from Queens who just wants to make cool shoes. When he meets Kira King (Lexi Underwood), the daughter of basketball star and sneaker tycoon Darius King (John Salley), he realizes that with a lot of work and a little luck, he can make his own dreams come true.
A New Twist on a Classic Tale
"Sneakerella" is a modern approach to the Cinderella story that doesn't rely on fantastical magic, but instead the magic of hard work and determination. For example, we don't see pumpkins turned into carriages or mice turned into horses, but there's a pretty sweet car-cover that gets yanked off to reveal a gorgeous old car. The magic is based in reality, which is a very unique take on a fairy tale.
Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum ("Ramona and Beezus") directed the film, which she also co-executive produced with Jane Startz ("Ella Enchanted") and Rachel Watanabe-Batton ("I Pity the Fool"). The script was written by Tamara Chestna ("After"), George Gore II ("My Wife and Kids") and Mindy Stern ("The Baxters"). Joining Jacobs and Underwood in the cast are Devyn Nekoda as El's best friend Sami, Juan Chioran as El's friendly neighbor Gustavo, Robyn Alomar as Kira's sister Liv, Bryan Terrell Clark as El's stepfather Trey, Kolton Stewart as El's stepbrother Zelly, and Hayward Leach as El's stepbrother Stacy.
"Sneakerella" comes hot on the heels of Amazon Studio's "Cinderella" musical, starring Camilla Cabello and Billy Porter. Both adaptations strive to modernize the tale, though "Sneakerella" definitely takes that modernization much, much further.
In a press release, the vice president of original movies for Disney Channel, Lauren Kisilevsky, expressed her excitement at the upcoming musical:
"'Sneakerella' brings a vibrant, modern approach to a beloved story by suggesting that magic is the result of hard work and determination and exists within each of us. Liz Allen's unique vision, Lexi and Chosen's amazing chemistry, the incredible music and the gravity-defying choreography, will bring this movie to life and inspire audiences of all ages."
"Sneakerella" will debut exclusively on Disney+ on February 18, 2022. Until then, I'll be watching that "shoes" video on a loop. Check out the vibrant, gorgeous poster below:
Disney+