This story appears in SLAM 255.
Remember when you got that pair of kicks to play in? You know, the ones you were begging for. Hoping for. Praying for. And then that anxious, exhilarating feeling that led up to that first time lacing ’em up? Then you’ve probably got something in common with our guy Edson, one of the characters from the new sneaker-themed animated film, SNEAKS.
In a world where talking sneakers embark on adventures, SNEAKS follows a pair of high-end sneaker siblings, Ty and Maxine, voiced by Anthony Mackie and Chloe Bailey. When Maxine is stolen before Edson’s (Swae Lee) high school game by the nefarious Collector (Laurence Fishburne), Ty journeys throughout New York City to find her.
Deadstock kicks collectors, hoopers wanting the latest heat and even replica endorsers are all represented. You’ve got original music by Mustard, Ella Mai, Roddy Ricch and more. You’ve got Chris Paul. Keith David plays a pair of Chuck Taylors, Martin Lawrence voices a scuffed-up sneaker named JB and Olympic skateboard phenoms Rayssa Leal and Sky Brown conduct the Borough Board Express as a pair of Nikes.
With a flick that follows sneakers running around the streets of Harlem and playing pick up at the park, writer-director Rob Edwards and the producers behind SNEAKS—including SLAM’s sister studio, RTG Features—brought in Bobbito Garcia, the legendary outdoor hoops historian (and baller), DJ, radio Hall of Famer, filmmaker and sneaker culture icon, to put that authentic stamp on it all.
Jared ebanks 