Sneakerella is a musical that takes one of the world's oldest tales and adds Black characters and Black culture. Then it goes a step further, changing its main character into a young shoe-lover named El who is in love with Princess Kira King. It is an uninspired remake and its young audience deserves more.
The Cinderella story has an evil stepmother and stepsisters, but El has an awful stepfather and stepbrothers. Kira's father is a basketball star and sneaker tycoon, so he leads him to his gay best friend to buy limited-edition sneakers. Sneakerella has effectively retread all of its predecessor's well-worn territory by turning the pumpkin carriage into a classic car and the fancy ball into sneakers.
There is a problem. It feels like opening a gift on Christmas morning and finding a pair of socks when you really want a new phone. This remake is a huge missed opportunity because no one asked for it. At a time when Disney could use the talent at its disposal to create authentic stories that capture the communities it aims to reflect, it has instead offered up one of its oldest stories with some new faces and a few overproduced musical numbers. Taking marginalized groups of any kind and sticking them into a narrative that wasn't created for them is lazy. The kids who need to see themselves represented the most might not be able to watch the movie. Disney has been able to reach people from all walks of life. It feels like a step in the wrong direction to limit the accessibility of a film.
The Disney films that everyone could relate to, such as The Cheetah Girls, Camp Rock, and High School Musical, became successful empires. They kept programming fresh by adding sing-alongs, teaching dance during commercial breaks, and hosting Disney Channel Games. Disney's need to keep up with the streaming wars is understandable, but it should still be creating quality content across platforms, which is something it seems to have dropped the ball on. Disney puts money where it can make money, but that isn't always the best place to do good.
Over the past few years, the company has created a number of new shows, including: High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, Proud Family: Louder and Prouder, and more. It should be giving new shows a chance to shine. Disney has shown us that it can. The channel that used to allow us to feel like anything was possible should be using its shows and movies to inspire the next generation. Disney has a way of doing things. The writers and directors can do it. All it has to do is try.
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