Sneakerella
Official release poster
Directed byElizabeth Allen Rosenbaum
Screenplay by
Story by
  • Mindy Stern
  • George Gore II
  • David Light
  • Joseph Raso
Based onCinderella
by Charles Perrault
Produced by
  • Christopher Scott
  • Jane Startz
  • Rachel Watanabe-Batton
Starring
CinematographyMatt Sakatani Roe
Edited byIshai Setton
Music byElvin Ross[1]
Production
companies
Distributed byDisney+
Disney Platform Distribution
Release date
  • May 13, 2022 (2022-05-13)[3]
Running time
112 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Sneakerella is a 2022 American musical comedy film directed by Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum and written by David Light & Joseph Raso, Tamara Chestna, Mindy Stern, and George Gore II. A re-imagining of the classic fairy tale Cinderella, the film stars Chosen Jacobs, Lexi Underwood, Devyn Nekoda, Bryan Terrell Clark, Kolton Stewart, Hayward Leach, Robyn Alomar, Yvonne Senat Jones, Juan Chioran, and John Salley.

Produced by Disney Channel and Jane Startz Productions,[2] the film was released on Disney+ on May 13, 2022. The film received generally positive reviews from critics. Sneakerella was nominated for 11 Children's and Family Emmy Awards at its inaugural ceremony, winning four awards including Outstanding Fiction Special and Outstanding Music Direction and Composition for a Live Action Program.

Plot

In Queens, teenage El works in his late mother's shoe store "Laces", now run by his stepfather Trey, who overworks El instead of his stepbrothers Zelly and Stacy. El closes the store early to join his best friend and fellow sneakerhead Sami at the release of a new sneaker, where they meet Kira, who is impressed by El's insight into people from looking at their shoes. They miss the drop, but El shows Kira around his neighborhood, losing track of time as they fall for each other.

El is forced to rush back the store without a way to contact Kira, and is grounded by Trey, to his stepbrothers’ delight. Kira returns home, and is revealed to be the daughter of sneaker mogul and former basketball star Darius King. Inspired by El, Kira suggests that her older sister Liv's shoe design is too “basic” and convinces their father to let her look for another original design before the upcoming SneakerCon.

Learning Kira's identity, Sami and El plan to sneak into King's charity gala to find her. Overwhelmed by running the business alone, Trey has decided to sell the store, leading El to draw on memories of his mother and create a unique shoe design, with inspiration and help from the neighborhood. The night of the gala, Zelly and Stacy trap El in the stockroom, but he is rescued by Gustavo, the community garden's magical caretaker. He provides El and Sami with outfits, tickets, and a classic convertible to reach the gala, but warns that they must leave by midnight.

At the event, El's custom-made shoes become the talk of the crowd, as Sami inadvertently spreads rumors that El is a sought-after independent designer. El reunites with Kira, who prepares to introduce him to her father as the designer everyone is talking about, but he and Sami are forced to flee at midnight. El loses one of his shoes on an escalator, which is found by Kira. Determined to track down the young mystery designer, Kira and Liv launch a viral campaign to find her “prince”.

El is unsure how to explain the truth to Kira, but Sami convinces him to reach out to her and arrange a meeting with her father. Realizing El's plan, Zelly and Stacy steal his other shoe, and El arrives just after his stepbrothers have informed Darius that El is merely a stock boy. El tries to explain himself, but Darius and Kira rebuke him for breaking their trust and send him away. As Trey prepares to close the store and move the family back to New Jersey, El throws away his designs, which are found by Gustavo.

Kira's mother suggests that her disappointment in El comes from trying too hard to meet her father's expectations, leading her to realize that she put just as much pressure on El herself. El wakes up to find a pair of sneakers from Gustavo, created from his design inspired by Kira. While Sami distracts his stepbrothers, El races to the King brand sneaker drop, where he and Kira apologize to each other.

Zelly and Stacy take off in the moving truck to confront El, and Sami urges Trey to see how unfairly he has been treating El since his mother's death. El convinces Darius of his good intentions, his talent, and his feelings for Kira, but is interrupted by his stepbrothers. Trey arrives, reining in his sons. He apologizes for being so hard on El, and asks for a second chance to be a real father to El, while Darius declares El his new designer.

One year later, El is in a relationship with Kira, and has transformed Laces into “El-evate”, his own sneaker store pushing new and creative designs for all of Queens.

Cast

Chosen Jacobs plays the lead role of El and John Salley plays Darius King.
  • Chosen Jacobs as El, an aspirant sneaker designer from Queens who works as a stock boy in his late mother's shoe store.[2]
  • Lexi Underwood as Kira King, the beautiful and "fiercely independent" daughter of Darius King.[2]
  • John Salley as Darius King, a sneaker tycoon and former basketball star.[2]
  • Yvonne Senat Jones as Denise King, Darius' wife.[2]
  • Devyn Nekoda as Sami, El's openly lesbian best friend.[2]
  • Juan Chioran as Gustavo, a friendly neighbor of El's.[2]
  • Robyn Alomar as Liv, Kira's sister.[2]
  • Bryan Terrell Clark as Trey, El's overburdened stepfather who runs his late wife's shoe store, from whom El keeps his sneaker designer talents a secret.[2]
  • Kolton Stewart as Zelly, El's mean-spirited stepbrother from whom El keeps his sneaker designer talents a secret.[2]
  • Hayward Leach as Stacy, El's mean-spirited stepbrother and Zelly's brother from whom El keeps his sneaker designer talents a secret.[2]
  • Mekdes Teshome as Rosie, El's late mother who was loved by all.
  • Elia Press as Sneakerhead, always on the look out for the latest sneaker drop.[2]
  • Andrew Ward as Sneaker Buster, a popular sneaker authenticator social media influencer.[2]
  • William Crockett as Sneak-Disser, a battle rapper known for his fresh kicks.[2]

Production

Development

Director Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum

In October, 2020, it was reported that Disney had begun production on Sneakerella, a modern re-imagining of the Cinderella story centered around sneaker culture, for Disney+. David Light, Joseph Raso, Tamara Chestna, Mindy Stern, and George Gore II were writing the script, with Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum directing.[2] Chosen Jacobs, Lexi Underwood, John Salley, Yvonne Senat Jones, Devyn Nekoda, Juan Chioran, Robyn Alomar, Bryan Terrell Clark, Kolton Stewart and Hayward Leach were announced to have been cast in the movie.[2] It was also reported that Allen will co-executive-produce the film, with Jane Startz and Rachel Watanabe-Batton serving as executive producers.[2] Disney Channel was reported to be producing the movie.[2]

Filming

Filming was originally set to begin in May 2020 in Toronto and Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Production on Sneakerella began on October 19, 2020, and ended on December 9, 2020.[4]

Music

The film's soundtrack was released on May 13, 2022, the same day as the film. Alongside original songs created for the film, it also features a cover of "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes" from Disney's animated film of Cinderella,[5] sung by Chosen Jacobs and Lexi Underwood.[6]

Release

Originally, Sneakerella was scheduled to be released in 2021.[2] The release was at first shifted to February 18, 2022, on Disney+ but was then delayed to May 13, 2022.[7][8] While initially reported delayed again, its May 13 release date was confirmed in April.[3][9]

The film made its linear premiere on Disney Channel in the United States on August 13, 2022.[10]

Reception

Critical reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 92% of 13 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.7/10.[11]

Courtney Howard of Variety found that the film manages to be a satisfying refreshing take on Cinderella, praised the narrative for its contemporary approach on the original tale's plot points, complimented the performances of the cast and the chemistry between the characters, while commending the soundtrack and the costumes, while criticizing some clichés that the film provides.[12] Radhika Menon of Decider found that the film provides a solid modern perspective on Cinderella through its gender-swapped story and the diversity of its cast, praised the humor and the chemistry between the characters, while complimenting the songs of the film, drawing comparisons with Hamilton and In The Heights.[13]

Jennifer Green of Common Sense Media rated the film 4 out of 5 stars, stated that the story promotes different positive messages, such as being true to oneself and the difficulty for women to become entrepreneurs, found that the film manages to depict several role models that are positive, while praising the diversity among the characters across their national origins and sexuality.[14] Amy Amatangelo of Paste rated the film 7.6 out of 10 and found Jacobs and Underwood charismatic and delightful, acclaimed the songs and the choreography, but found some plot points to be nonsensical, while claiming that Nekoda's character was undeveloped.[15] Abhishek Srivastava of The Times of India rated the film 3.5 out of 5 stars and claimed that the film recalls hallmarks of Bollywood blockbusters with its plot, colors, and different songs, stated that the film manages to provide an effective fresh take on Cinderella, while praising the performances of the cast.[16]

Accolades

Year Award Category Recipient Result Ref.
2022 Children's and Family Emmy Awards Outstanding Fiction Special Sneakerella Won [17]
Outstanding Art Direction/Set Decoration/Scenic Design Elisa Suave Nominated
Outstanding Cinematography for a Live Action Single-Camera Program Matthew Sakatani Roe Nominated
Outstanding Choreography Emilio Dosal Won
Outstanding Costume Design/Styling Rachael Grubbs Nominated
Outstanding Makeup and Hairstyling Brian Hui, Jen Fisher Nominated
Outstanding Directing for a Single Camera Program Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum Nominated
Outstanding Editing for a Single Camera Program Ishai Setton Won
Outstanding Music Direction and Composition for a Live Action Program Elvin Ross Won
Outstanding Original Song "In Your Shoes" – William Behlendorf, Jason Mater, Brandon Rogers Nominated
"Kicks" – Antonina Armato, Tim James Price, Adam Schmalholz, Thomas Armato Sturges Nominated
Directors Guild of Canada Awards Outstanding Achievement in Production Design - Television Movie/Mini-Series Elisa Sauve Won
2023 Women's Image Network Awards
Outstanding Made For Television Movie / Limited Series Sneakerella Nominated
Outstanding Actress Made For Television Movie / Limited Series Lexi Underwood Nominated
[18]

References

  1. ↑ "Elvin Ross". Incite Management. 20 January 2022. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Petski, Denise (October 21, 2020). "'Sneakerella': Chosen Jacobs, Lexi Underwood & John Salley To Star In Disney+ Movie". Deadline. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  3. 1 2 Palmer, Roger (January 11, 2022). ""Sneakerella" Disney+ Release Date Moves Again". What's On Disney Plus. Archived from the original on February 10, 2022. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  4. ↑ "Current Productions | IATSE 873". IATSE 873. Archived from the original on January 18, 2021. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  5. ↑ Urban, Sasha (23 June 2022). "How Disney+'s 'Sneakerella' Reimagined 'A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes' for a Modern Audience". Variety. Even the most casual of Disney fans know "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes," from the animated film Cinderella.
  6. ↑ ""Sneakerella" Soundtrack Out Now | What's on Disney Plus". 13 May 2022.
  7. ↑ Disney+ [@disneyplus] (November 12, 2021). "The classic fairy tale with new heart and sole. Athletic shoe Stream #Sneakerella, an Original Movie, February 18 only on #DisneyPlus. #DisneyPlusDay" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  8. ↑ Palmer, Roger (December 24, 2021). "Disney+ Original Film "Sneakerella" Release Delayed". What's on Disney Plus. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
  9. ↑ Romanchick, Shane (April 8, 2022). "'Sneakerella' Trailer Reveals a Gender-Swapped Take on a Classic Fairytale". Collider. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
  10. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20220804141954/https://tvlistings.zap2it.com/?aid=gapzap Disney Channel listing, switch to August 13
  11. ↑ "Sneakerella". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  12. ↑ Howard, Courtney (2022-05-09). "'Sneakerella' Review: Disney+ Innovative, Imperfect Cinderella Story Has Lots of Heart and Sole". Variety. Retrieved 2022-05-14.
  13. ↑ "'Sneakerella' Disney+ Review: Stream It or Skip It?". Retrieved 2022-05-14.
  14. ↑ Jennifer Green. "Sneakerella Movie Review". Common Sense Media. Retrieved 2022-05-14.
  15. ↑ "Disney+'s Gender-Flipped Sneakerella Has the Dance Moves but the Story Drags". Pastemagazine.com. 2022-05-09. Archived from the original on 2022-05-13. Retrieved 2022-05-14.
  16. ↑ "Sneakerella Review: This film actually nudges you to go to the nearest sneaker store", The Times of India, retrieved 2022-05-14
  17. ↑ Schneider, Michael (December 11, 2022). "'Heartstopper' Leads All Winners at 1st Annual Children's & Family Emmys (FULL LIST)". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on December 12, 2022. Retrieved December 11, 2022.
  18. ↑ Office, Directors Guild of Canada, National. "WINNERS ANNOUNCED FOR 21st ANNUAL DGC AWARDS". www.newswire.ca. Retrieved 2023-02-08.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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