Sneaks

by Mike McGranaghan

We’ve seen plenty of animated movies about robots, animals, toys, cars, and fish. But shoes? That’s a new one. The main character in Sneaks is a basketball sneaker that uses its laces the way humans use their hands. Our hero goes on an adventure to find its mate, encountering various other types of shoes in the process. I’m up in the air on whether or not this is a “good” movie. It’s definitely odd, though, and at a time when animated movies often seem similar, I found the oddity kind of refreshing.

Ty (Anthony Mackie) and Maxine (Chloe Bailey) are a pair of custom designed, one-of-a-kind sneakers. They’re won in a raffle by Edson (Swae Lee), a teenage athlete who couldn’t be more excited to own them. Unfortunately, they’re stolen by “the Collector” (Laurence Fishburne), a guy famed for his massive sneaker collection. (He’s sore about losing the raffle.) Ty is separated from his “sister” in the process of the theft. He turns to a ratty old street sneaker, J.B. (Martin Lawrence), for help in reuniting with her.

Along the way, Ty meets an old-school basketball shoe (Keith David), a fancy women’s dress shoe (Macy Gray), and an all-star cavalcade of footwear. As befitting a picture with a hip-hop soundtrack, the supporting cast includes musicians Quavo, Ella Mai, Kiana Ledé, Mustard, and Roddy Ricch.

Sneaks uses its story to explore the phenomenon of collecting sneakers. A clever touch is introduced by having Ty prefer to be pampered and placed on a shelf, whereas Maxine wants to be on a kid’s foot, even if it means getting scuffed. The film borrows from Toy Story 2 in having the villain be a collector who cares more about displaying his prized items than using them. Okay, it more than borrows, it outright rips off. There’s still merit to the skewering of the idea of robbing basketball shoes of their purpose in the name of status. When their function is removed, do they really have any value?

Quite a few scenes elicit laughter. The sight of talking shoes is humorous all by itself. Sneaker-related jokes come on a regular basis, several of them extremely clever. For example, during a round of smack talking, J.B. tells another sneaker, “Your mother came from Payless!” At times, I chuckled at the sheer strangeness unfolding onscreen, including a full-fledged dance sequence that made me think of the opening credits from Footloose. Another appealing element is the Greek chorus comprised of three sneakers that have been tossed up onto a power line, where they comment upon the action.

The animation in Sneaks has a hip, urban style that nicely distinguishes it from the pack. This is a cool movie to look at. As for how it plays, the word “odd” is worth reusing. Is odd automatically bad? I don’t think so. The film has fun with itself, recognizing and embracing its own quirkiness. There’s something endearing about that.

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