A Queens kid gets a shot at his dream in Disney+’s ‘Sneakerella’
The sneaker subculture of New York City forms the backdrop for a Cinderella story upcoming on Disney+.
In the feature-length movie “Sneakerella,” which begins streaming Friday, May 13, we are introduced to El (Chosen Jacobs, “It,” “It Chapter Two”), a nice, earnest kid from Queens who works as a stock boy in his late mother’s shoe store. He also has talent and an aspiration to become a sneaker designer – something he hides from his mean stepbrothers, who constantly try to quash any opportunity that comes his way.
But when he meets Kira (Lexi Underwood, “Little Fires Everywhere”), the daughter of basketball legend and sneaker tycoon Darius King (former NBA star John Salley), the two bond instantly over their mutual love of athletic footwear and sparks fly. With the help of his best friend and a fairy godfather, he just may get the push he needs to realize his dream of becoming a “legit” sneaker designer.
With its themes of fate, community, passion and love, it’s a tale told countless times in many different ways and settings. But it’s one that executive producer Jane Startz (“Ella Enchanted,” “Tuck Everlasting”) feels still resonates today.
“I think what is so appealing about the story is the aspirational element of the story and that people want to believe in good things happening ... ,” she says. “It’s about taking those dreams, having aspirations, working to make them realized, sowing the seeds to make things happen. And also, it’s about – which I think is so important – the support of community and family and helping our both of our lead characters, Kira and El, realize their dreams. So you know,
I think for me and I think for all of us, the sense of hope and community and family in this story is what makes it evergreen. ”
There was also a sense of community on the set of the movie, which was originally supposed to be filmed in Astoria, Queens, but was moved to Toronto due to the pandemic. During that time, the cast became especially close, and Jacobs says that he came away changed by the experience.
“So much of my creative vision was changed because you just really started to embrace your own individuality,” he explains. “I realized El has a character. He is so much himself. He makes his own shoes. And I feel like if we could pass anything to the next generation and my generation and every future generation, it’s to embrace who you are because that’s what makes you special.”