Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
It’s movie time on HBO, and this week the feature presentation is 2018’s Smallfoot, an animated children’s musical about Yetis. The Smallfoot cast, like many animated films, features the voices of such A-list celebrities like Channing Tatum, LeBron James, and yes, Zendaya, though I’m currently having trouble remembering which character she plays. More on that later, though—first let’s give you some more background on Smallfoot!
Smallfoot comes from director Karey Kirkpatrick, who also helmed big children’s blockbusters like Over the Hedge, The Spiderwick Chronicles and Charlotte’s Web. Kirkpatrick, along with co-writer Clare Sera, adapted the story from an unpublished children’s book Yeti Tracks by Sergio Pablos. The songs were written by Kirkpatrick and his brother, musician Wayne Kirkpatrick, with whom he also wrote the 2015 Tony-nominated Broadway musical Something Rotten!.
The basic plot is this: Migo, a young Yeti living in the Himalayas with his family, is convinced that the mythic species known as “smallfoot” (humans) are real. He joins a secret society of Yetis called the Smallfoot Evidentiary Society (S.E.S.) who believe the same. As it turns out, Migo is right: Humans are real! He meets one, a documentary filmmaker named Percy, and the two become fast friends—until Percy’s video of Migo starts to cause the Yetis trouble.
The film saw mixed reviews from critics, but it took home $214 million in the box office, and the kids seemed to like it—for more reasons than one. The writers have said they already have ideas for a Smallfoot 2, so be on the lookout for that. But let’s get the main issue I have with this film: I cannot, no matter how hard I try, remember who Zendaya is in this movie. Is anyone else having this problem? Let’s take a look at the Smallfoot cast, and maybe it will come to me.
Channing Tatum is Migo.
That’s right. Channing Tatum—AKA the muscled dancer in Step Up, the muscled stripper with a heart in Magic Mike, the muscled dumb jock in 21 Jump Street, and much more—is the main yeti, Migo. And let’s be honest, Migo’s muscles are nothing to scoff at, either! But I still can’t remember who Zendaya plays.
James Corden is Percy.
Oh yeah, James Corden—from The Late Late Show with James Corden and the 2014 film adaptation of Stephen Sondheim’s musical, Into the Wood—plays Percy, the British human filmmaker who befriends Migo. I remember that now! Yet I just can’t seem to recall which character Zendaya is.
LeBron James is Gwangi.
I feel confident in my assertion that three-time NBA champion and Lakers forward LeBron James voices the character of Gwangi, a very large yeti, in this film. Glad we figured that one out. Somehow, I am still completely at a loss when it comes to which yeti (if indeed it is a yeti) Zendaya plays.
Danny DeVito is Dorgle.
Danny DeVito—known for his roles in many films, but perhaps most notably as the Taxi dispatcher in show Taxi, the dad in Matilda, and more recently, Frank Reynolds in It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia—plays Dorgle, Migo’s dad. But what about Zendaya? The name of her character has completely slipped my mind!
Common is Stonekeeper.
It’s true, Common—a rapper known for songs like “Love of My Life” and an actor known for films like Wanted, Suicide Squad, and Selma—plays Stonekeeper, chief of the Yetis and a strict father to his children. But who, pray tell, does Zendaya play?
Yara Shahidi is Brenda.
Duh, Yara Shahidi—who is best known as the daughter Zoey in Black-ish and is now the star of her own Black-ish spinoff, Grown-ish—plays Brenda, aka the human woman in the film and Percy’s skeptical coworker. That’s all well and fine, but really: Who the heck does Zendaya play? Anyone? Bueller?
Gina Rodriguez is Kolka. But who is Zendaya?
Of course! Gina Rodriguez, the star of Jane the Virgin who’s recently been trying her hand at movie stardom with titles such as Miss Bala and Someone Great, plays a character named Kolka, a member of the yeti secret society. But seriously, you guys, I cannot, for the life of me, remember who Zendaya is in this movie. Is there anything that can help me out? Some kind of catchy tune or viral video, perhaps?
