Film review: Sneakerella - a cute idea that takes pains to tick all the fairytale boxes

Disney's "Sneakerella" stars Chosen Jacobs as El, and Lexi Underwood as Kira King

★★★☆ ☆

Sneakerella (PG) is New York-set fairytale starring Chosen Jacobs as El, a teenager who believes that ‘sneakers are a window to the soul'.

Fostered by his late mother, El’s ambition to become a sneaker designer is quashed by his wicked stepfather and stepbrothers until he meets Kira (Lexi Underwood), daughter of the legendary basketball player Darius King (John Salley), the creator of the most famous sneaker in history. It’s a cute idea that takes pains to tick all the fairytale boxes — as the daughter of a King, the Manhattan socialite Kira is a de facto ‘princess’ — and even includes El’s very own fairy godfather, the neighbourhood gardener Gustavo (Juan Chioran).

 Set in the vibrant street-sneaker subculture of New York City, "Sneakerella" is a high-energy, music-driven movie that puts a contemporary twist on the “Cinderella” fairy tale. 

Directed by Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum, the movie also functions as something of a love letter to Astoria in Queens, a multicultural haven where everyone is part of ‘one big happy family’.

If that all sounds a bit too mawkish, this fairytale-musical isn’t for you. But if you’re in the mood for some toe-tapping songs and a wholly unrealistic but sweet-natured love story with a good old-fashioned moral at its heart, Sneakerella might just fit the bill.

(Disney+)