Ray J's Review - "Sneakerella" (A Disney + Original Movie)

Happy Friday all😄 Got a new movie review for you all to 'kick' of the weekend😉 "Sneakerella" is a gender-swapped, re-imagined twist of the classic tale, that puts the shoe center stage!

El (played by Chosen Jacobs) is a talented and aspiring sneaker designer who unfortunately lost his Mom to cancer when he was a child. El now lives with his stepfather, Trey (played by Brian Terrell), along with his uncomfortably ignorant stepbrothers, Stacy (played by Hayward Leach), and Zelly (played by Kolton Stewart) in his mother's old shoe store in, Astoria, New York. One day when El, and his best friend Sammi (played by Devyn Nekoda) set off to a huge shoe launch event by sneaker mogul and former basketball star, Darius King (played by John Salley) they run into a girl named Kira (played by Lexi Underwood) who helps them escape some hooligans. Kira, who El begins to fall for, seems to have a pretty decent knowledge of sneakers, but not the people who wear them. As the two begin to hit it off they take an adventure around NYC so she can experience the different cultures, and El explains to her that he designed the super slick shoes that he's sporting, but before too long they both realize they have somewhere they are supposed to be. The next morning El, and Sammi awaken to a surprise on the front page of the newspaper...Darius King, and his family....but wait....is that👀 Is that Kira? Realizing that an opportunity may have just arisen, Sammi suggests that El try and get some of his shoe designs seen by King. So, the two hatch a plan to sneak out to a big gala event, but not without difficulties from those meddling stepbrothers🙄 Bibbidi Bobbiddi Boo? Where are you? Just remember 🎵Life Is What You Make It🎵

I'm not ashamed to say that I was in the minority of those who thoroughly enjoyed last year's comedy/musical "Cinderella" remake film (on Amazon Prime). I assume that "Sneakerella" is probably what people who didn't like the 2021 version wanted from it, and more!

I had a very fun time with this flick, and I think that if you enjoy Disney Channel Original Movie musicals, then you will enjoy this...of course this is of much higher quality than a DCOM due to it being on streaming😄

While the music is my favorite part, I want to take a few to let you know about some of the other aspects I appreciated. This film features some really clever cinematography, and use of hand drawn/CGI special effects sprinkled throughout...some little things here and there reminded me of Jon M. Chu's "In The Heights' movie🤩 I also think that this movie has some great moral lessons that can be good for kids and adults to hear! I liked the fact that El's stepfather was not just this mean stepparent stereotype, but rather a parent that was heartbroken from loss and just trying to do what was best for all of his kids. Now the Stepbrothers on the other hand, they are a different story😂 They were awful🙄 (but their song/scene has some really clever effects that fit the tone of their characters)!

Now you know you can expect some catchy bops, and I loved them all except for two! Rap/Pop/R&B music is heavily featured, as well as a surprise Acoustic/R&B version of "A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes", from the original Disney animated "Cinderella"🎵 My personal favorite songs are the incredible catchy opening song "Kicks", "Best Ever", "Life Is What You Make It" (the "Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo" of "Sneakerella"), and "Perfect Fit" (which I'm sure if you've seen any Cinderella movie, you can guess what part of the movie this song is in)😅

Consensus: "Sneakerella" is bursting with vibrant musical energy, and positive morals. As the saying goes "You can't fully understand someone, unless you've walked a mile in their shoes". That goes for EVERYONE!!

The Ray J's Reviews Rating is:

5 out of 5 Lime Green Hearts

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