One of the newest additions to the world of animation in 2025 is Sneaks, which comes right out of the gate with a strong message about overcoming obstacles. Starring Anthony Mackie as a uniquely designed sneaker named Ty, Sneaks follows his journey to save his sister Maxine (Chloe Bailey) from a collector (Laurence Fishburne) after she gets kidnapped, bringing the story to New York City. As Ty reaches New York, the Sneaks protagonist is surrounded by a unique group of allies in the form of other talking sneakers.

Sneaks is directed by Chris Jenkins and Rob Edwards (Captain America: Brave New World), with the latter also writing the script for the animated feature. Alongside Mackie, Bailey, and Fishburne, Sneaks stars Martin Lawrence as the shoe JB, Keith David as O.G., Roddy Ricch as The Forger, Ella Mai as Britany, and Macy Gray as Adriana.

ScreenRant’s own Joe Deckelmeier recently caught up with Mackie, Lawrence, and David to get more insight into Sneaks. Throughout the interview, Mackie discussed taking on the position of a protagonist in an animated setting, while David defined landing the Sneaks gig as well-timed, and Lawrence explored how his character brings street smarts to the sneaker dynamic.

Anthony Mackie’s Sneaks Character, Ty, Grows To Understand The Value Of Community

“It’s About The Wealth Of Love That He Has From The Shoes Around Him”

Mackie voices Ty, a box-fresh, high-performance sneaker prized as the gold standard, but one who still has a lot to learn. The MCU veteran was asked about stepping into the shoes (pun intended) of a character spends his life being celebrated on a pedestal, and he gave a surprising reply. “I think that’s the best thing about playing Ty, that vanity and that acknowledgement of how beautiful and pristine he is.”

Sneaks serves as a big part of a coming-of-age story, helping him realize “that it’s not so much about him being this glamorous shoe. It’s about the wealth of love that he has from the shoes around him.” For Mackie, the foundation of Sneaks is heavily dependent on the movie having “a lot of heart.” He praised co-star Chloe Bailey, who “did such a great job with Maxine, making her the bossy, bullying, but loving and compᴀssionate sister to Ty. When creating a character like that, you really just have to give yourself the freedom to go as far down that road of vain insecurity as you can.”

Ty’s Sneaks story is about learning to embrace life and risking pain to experience genuine joy, and Macke stressed that “failure is a necessary evil.” He even related to that arc on a personal level: “It’s always been that for me. I’ve always pushed the limits to the opportunity of failure because if you succeed, it’s a completely different conversation. We saw that with Rory McIlroy at the Masters. That 7 Iron around the tree changed the scope of his career from the biggest flop of all time to the greatest ending in the Masters’ history, just from that one swing.”

Mackie hopes that when audience members see Ty, they realize, “It’s the exact same thing. Sometimes you’ve got to put yourself out there on the limb and just see how far you can go. How high can you jump? How much are you willing to fail so that, if you succeed, it’s a completely different conversation?” For Mackie, it’s the most relatable feeling. “We always see that, and we always aspire to that, and we want to be that person who’s given that opportunity to succeed.”

In many ways, Sneaks is a love letter to sneaker culture while also having a celebration that blends art, music, sports, and fashion. When asked how Mackie thinks Ty’s journey reflects the idea that sometimes stepping out of someone’s comfort zone is the only way to actually truly grow, the actor agreed that the story sees his character learning a lot about himself as a sneaker.

Mackie also looked at the significant differences between Ty and Maxine, describing his sister being “much more grounded; she’s much more aware of the world around her, but he is so conceited and so self-absorbed. He just loves the idea of being bedazzled and being fawned over.” However, Mackie stressed that by the end of Sneaks, “That heart kicks in. When you go on that journey with him, you realize, “Wow, this guy really is cared about, and he really cares about the people around him. It takes that journey for us to learn that about him, and for him to learn that about himself.”

Anthony Mackie Reflects On Working With Ron Howard In The Studio

The MCU Actor Also Teases His Dream Avengers: Doomsday Collaboration

2025 has been a busy year for Mackie, who was also recently on Apple TV+’s The Studio, where he shared the screen with Ron Howard. Mackie shared what it was like to be working alongside the Hollywood legend and if there was anything that surprised him about his comedy chops. “It’s so funny because Ron is quite possibly the nicest human being on earth. So, when he does the thing where he knocks Seth Rogen over the tray table? Literally, my reaction was the real reaction because Ron’s so nice. When he did it, everybody in the room went, “Oh, s–t!””

Mackie did add, however, that “it was a great experience,” adding that “Seth and Evan really have just the Midas touch when it comes to producing and curating content that people want to see. And I think The Studio, as outlandish as it is, it rings true to so many people who’ve been in the business.”

As Mackie gets ready to return to the MCU timeline, the Captain America: Brave New World post-credits scene had Samuel Sterns warning Sam Wilson about what is seemingly coming up in Avengers: Doomsday. With the new Captain America preparing for his biggest battle, Mackie shared which X-Men he is also excited to be teaming up in the Phase 6 installment.

“Look, I am a big Cyclops fan. That’s my favorite X-Men. I have a Cyclops action figure on my key chain that I’ve had since high school. When I was in high school, the X-Men cartoon was really big, and this was before the movies,” as Mackie also stressed that he has “always been a huge Cyclops fan, and I’m really, really excited – hopefully, knock on wood – for them to be a part of it and come into it. [I’m excited] to hang out with Xavier and Beast and all those guys.”

But he admitted, “My favorite is Nightcrawler. If I can hang out with one character? Me and Nightcrawler in the French Quarter during Mardi Gras for two weeks, that’s what I do.”

Keith David Knows The World Of Sneaks Like The Back Of His Hand

“Wisdom Is Just A Matter Of Good Timing”

When it came to bringing O.G., the King of the Blacktop Court and an original Chuck Taylor Converse, to life in Sneaks, it was not a big challenge for David to tap into that rich blend of wisdom and street humor. “I was there, son, so that wasn’t a hard negotiation,” he laughed while also recalling how “Converse was my first pair of sneakers, Converse and Spaldings. That was years before Nike. But it was great fun to play because I didn’t have to act; I didn’t have to make stuff up, you know what I mean? I lived it.”

With an expansive resume including films from Armageddon to Platoon and Nope, where he has played multiple iconic roles. When he was asked what inspired him to lend his voice to the sneaker world, and from his own experience to shape O.G.’s role both as a guide and a source of comic relief in Sneaks, it all began with being offered a gig: “Somebody offered me a job! And I had worked with Rob [Edwards] on The Princess and The Frog, so I was very happy to be invited to the party.”

For David, “Timing is everything,” while he also added that, “in some instances, what winds up being wisdom is just a matter of good timing. I have a response that says, “Oh, we don’t talk, we converse.” Didn’t have to work too hard for that one.” As for the message of the movie itself? “It’s really about acceptance and a sense of community. The way we deal with conflict around here is we come together, we talk it out, we work it out. We don’t have to fight. Leave that for somebody else. The rats, as it were. Let them do the fighting, and we do the defending.”

David also chimed in about Sneaks’ celebration of the sneaker culture, and the vibrant visuals and hip-hop beats that come with New York City’s cultural energy, as he got to immerse himself in that environment through the animated story, as he stated that “a lot of those things happened in post.” It wasn’t until when David “got to see the movie, got to hear the music, and got to see everything altogether? I was thrilled by that aspect that you mentioned. I especially loved the music. The music was тιԍнт.”

Keith David Offers Short & Sweet Updates On Hazbin H๏τel, Community, And A Reflection On They Live

“I’ve Never Seen Anybody Else Eat 50 Pieces Of Sashimi At One Sitting”

Outside Sneaks, David was also asked for some updates about other projects he is involved with, including his role as Husk in Hazbin H๏τel, as he gave a brief tease to what fans can expect in season 2 with his character: “A new, great song.”

One of David’s other famous roles was in the Community TV show, where he played the recurring role of Elroy Patashnik. As the Community movie is on its way, with Joel McHale having recently revealed that the reunion film is eying production in the fall, David replied that the only thing he would want to see for Elroy in the movie is “a job.”

Many fans may know David for his role in They Live, as he was asked whether or not he would want to see that film either get revisited or rebooted for the next generation. However, rather than a revival of any kind, David stated, “Just rescreen it. I had a wonderful co-starring part with a great dude. Roddy Piper was a really wonderful guy, and we shared some really great memories and many great meals. To this day, I’ve never seen anybody else eat 50 pieces of sashimi at one sitting.”

How Anthony Mackie’s Ty Gave Martin Lawrence’s J.B. A New Perspective In Sneaks

“It’s Just About Living Life And Knowing You Want To Grow To Be A Better Person”

When it came to tapping into J.B.’s gritty and independent spirit in Sneaks, Lawrence stressed that his character “knows the streets. He’s been out there, but he’s a hustler, and he’s trying to hustle Ty at first for his jewels and bling bling.” However, Sneaks sees J.B. having “a change of heart when he sees that Ty is really a good guy and is really trying to get back with his sister.”

Lawrence added that “J.B., being a street-smart sneaker, is just trying to take him around and just get what he can until he sees that he’s a different kind of guy.”

Once J.B. finally joins forces with Ty, Lawrence’s character gets a taste of true friendship and a sense of belonging, the star explained how he enjoyed bringing that emotional turnaround to life in Sneaks: “Oh, that was nice because, for once, J.B. didn’t have to have this hard exterior. He could let some soft emotions out for Ty and let him know that he really do got a little love for him.”

To round things out, Lawrence left with some inspiring words about what he hopes audience members take away from J.B.’s Sneaks story as it pertains to their own lives when they face their own unexpected twist and turns, stating that people should not “worry about what other people are doing or what other people have.” Instead, Lawrence pointed out to “worry about yourself, what you need and what you need to have, and learn to get it the right way. I would say it’s just about living life and knowing you want to grow to be a better person, not a negative person.”