{"id":194277,"date":"2025-04-20T07:39:01","date_gmt":"2025-04-20T07:39:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/animation\/keith-david-and-rico-rodriguez-lace-up-for-sneaks-animation-scoop\/"},"modified":"2025-04-20T07:39:01","modified_gmt":"2025-04-20T07:39:01","slug":"keith-david-and-rico-rodriguez-lace-up-for-sneaks-animation-scoop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=194277","title":{"rendered":"Keith David And Rico Rodriguez Lace Up For \u201cSneaks\u201d \u2013 Animation Scoop"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Three-time Emmy winning voice acting icon Keith David and four-time Modern Family<\/em> SAG Awards winner Rico Rodriguez star in Sneaks<\/em>. It opens in theaters this Friday April 18th. The animated comedy adventure is about new sneakers won by teen basketball player Edson. The pair is quickly stolen from him \u2014 and gets separated. The quest to be reunited in time for a big game is on! David voices \u201cO.G.\u201d, and Rodriguez lends his talents to \u201cIce\u201d. (Interviews were conducted separately. This Animation Scoop Q&A<\/em> was edited for length and clarity.)<\/p>\n

Jackson Murphy:<\/strong> Keith, what do you love so much about the voice acting aspect of your career \u2014 all the projects you\u2019ve been a part of, and lending your voice to great animated films like this one that have such a good spirit to them?<\/p>\n

Keith David:<\/strong> Working!<\/p>\n

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JM<\/strong>: (laughs)<\/em><\/p>\n

KD<\/strong>: That\u2019s what I like about it. Working! I got a job. And outside of that, I get to be a part of a great story. The story in anything you participate in as an actor is not always life-changing. It can have that effect but it\u2019s not always. Sometimes it\u2019s just fun. And we need that. Sometimes we just need a fun escape. Now if within that there are some values to be considered, like forgiveness and community, faith, perseverance\u2026 if some of those things come into play, well, all the better. But there\u2019s nothing wrong with just having a little old-fashioned fun.<\/p>\n

JM:<\/strong> And this is a fun film. You do a wonderful job giving advice and wisdom as O.G. You also voiced Dr. Facilier in \u201cThe Princess and the Frog\u201d, which was written by \u201cSneaks\u201d co-director Rob Edwards.<\/p>\n

KD:<\/strong> Yes, indeed!<\/p>\n

JM<\/strong>: What do you like about the vision Rob has, towards \u201cPrincess\u201d and \u201cSneaks\u201d, and working with him on this?<\/p>\n

KD:<\/strong> Rob is one of my favorite guys. He\u2019s got vision. And he\u2019s tasteful. He\u2019s got good taste. One thing about \u201cSneaks\u201d: it\u2019s not just fun, it does speak to values that are essential to good community. Like the song says, \u201cWe get by with a little help from our friends.\u201d Nobody does anything by themselves. Nobody. We always need help. We need a hand. We need assistance. And this film talks to\u2026 asking when you need it, accepting help when you need it, the importance of finding the help you need, even when it\u2019s hard. Those are important values that we as a society should not gloss over.<\/p>\n

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Keith David (right) and his \u201csneak\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

JM:<\/strong> I agree. Are you a big sneaker guy? Do you have a real connection to them, as you approached your role of O.G.?<\/p>\n

KD<\/strong>: Over the years I\u2019ve had some great sneakers. It was kind of a nice irony that I got to play the old Converse, because I love Converses. That was probably my first pair of sneakers.<\/p>\n

JM:<\/strong> You have one of the great voices. What would you say to aspiring voice actors to get into the business?<\/p>\n

KD:<\/strong> Just keep doing it. Follow your heart. There\u2019s room for everybody. The truth of the matter is: You\u2019re not gonna get every job you go out for, but every time you go out for a job is an opportunity for you to get a job. Keep doing the best that you can, and somebody is going to appreciate your uniqueness and use you in their project.<\/p>\n

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JM:<\/strong> Rico, we meet Ice during a gumball-style basketball scene that\u2019s a lot of fun. And a lot of your smack talk dialogue is to Martin Lawrence\u2019s character [J.B.]. He\u2019s one of the comedy greats.<\/p>\n

Rico Rodriguez:<\/strong> It was a blast. Being able to be a part of this project and then being able to do a scene with Martin Lawrence, who I grew up watching\u2026 he\u2019s hilarious. And I\u2019m playing basketball with Captain America [Anthony Mackie, the voice of Ty]. Not a lot of people can say that. When I recorded\u2026 Martin and Anthony had already recorded their parts for that enough, so I was able to get a good mixture of what they were gonna sound like. I was able to match their energy. It was so much fun.<\/p>\n

JM<\/strong>: Nice. I think this film is gonna connect to families, especially kids who love sports.<\/p>\n

RR<\/strong>: My scene is one of the first times you see what Ty is capable of. He\u2019s meant for something special. This movie is something I would see even if I wasn\u2019t in it: It has sneaker culture, basketball, hip hop\u2026 the soundtrack is amazing.<\/p>\n

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Rico Rodriguez and Jackson Murphy (right)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

JM:<\/strong> Yes it is. You have also done voice work on several Disney animated shows, like \u201cThe Lion Guard\u201d, \u201cKick Buttowski\u201d and \u201cJake and the Never Land Pirates\u201d. So what has the voice acting aspect of your career meant to you?<\/p>\n

RR<\/strong>: I think it\u2019s so unique and special. I don\u2019t get to do it as often, but when I do\u2026 no project\u2019s the same. It\u2019s always something different. On-camera acting is tough. You\u2019re on set for hours with the lights and the lines. And in the booth, you have it right here and you\u2019re recording. You can come in your pajamas. But every sound, every movement of your body, every facial feature comes with a sound that you have to omit from yourself. And that\u2019s always fun.<\/p>\n

JM<\/strong>: In 2019 I interviewed your \u201cModern Family\u201d co-star Eric Stonestreet for \u201cThe Secret Life of Pets 2\u201d, and he told me what he loves about animation is the zaniness and craziness. He\u2019s not as much into deep messages and deep commentary \u2014 he wants it to be all about fun. When you watch animated films and shows, what\u2019s the tone you\u2019re going for? What are you a fan of?<\/p>\n

RR<\/strong>: A lot of movies, when they do it right, blend a good message with a great plot and great fun and craziness that comes to it. It\u2019s animation. It\u2019s not real life. It\u2019s something people are creating from their own imaginations. With \u201cSneaks\u201d they do a great job. I resonate with movies like \u201cCoco\u201d and \u201cMonsters, Inc.\u201d Yeah it\u2019s a movie about monsters scaring, but at the end I always tear up because it\u2019s bittersweet \u2014 you went through this whole journey with these characters and you\u2019re seeing them get to their end point. When a movie does it right, it\u2019s inflicting great stories and emotions and you\u2019re laughing and having a good time. At the end of the day, that\u2019s what I think people will take away from this movie: you\u2019re having a good time. Those are the best animated movies: combining all those elements into one.<\/p>\n