Get ready because Sneakerella is going to get you up on your feet and dancing. This EXCLUSIVE sneak peek gives a glimpse into how the epic “Kicks” musical number came to be. “Filming ‘Kicks’ was like the thesis for our movie because we were able to scream at the top of our lungs about why sneakers are amazing,” Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum, Sneakerella’s director and co-executive producer, says in the video.
Chosen Jacobs, who leads the film as El, reveals that he and the others in the number trained for a month with choreographers to prepare for filming. Co-choreographer Ebony Williams reveals that the inspiration behind the choreography was “just paying respect to New York.” She wanted “Kicks” to literally be a “melting pot of movement.”
Chosen, who is known for playing young Mike Hanlon in the It movies, admits that Sneakerella marks the first time he’s ever danced for a project. “Of course, I had a little self-doubt in there, but my mother helped me train, and the team really pushed me,” he says.
Ebony adds that she tried to have the cast “sing all the time. Sing the lyrics as you’re doing the step so that every step has a purpose.” Chosen gushes that performing “Kicks” was a “dream come true. The energy was electric, the vibe was immaculate, and I think we created something truly special.”
Sneakerella is a contemporary twist on the classic Cinderella tale. El is an aspiring sneaker designer from Queens who works as a stock boy in the shoe store that once belonged to his late mother. He hides his artistic talent from his overburdened stepfather and two mean-spirited stepbrothers who constantly thwart any opportunity that comes his way.
When El meets Kira King, the fiercely independent daughter of legendary basketball star and sneaker tycoon Darius King, sparks fly as the two bond over their mutual affinity for sneakers. With a little nudge from his best friend and a sprinkle of Fairy Godfather magic, El finds the courage to use his talent to pursue his dream of becoming a ‘legit’ sneaker designer in the industry. El is now ready to lace up and dream big. Sneakerella will debut on Disney+ on May 13.