Sony Pictures Animation’s new comedy The Emoji Movie unlocks the never-before-seen secret world inside your smartphone. Hidden within the messaging app is Textopolis, a bustling city where all your favorite emojis live, hoping to be selected by the phone’s user.
The world inside the phone of the story’s lead character, Alex, is loaded with cameos. TV’s Modern Family star Sofia Vergara plays one of the most popular emojis – Flamenca. The Flamenca Emoji is the saucy Latina dancer in a fire-engine red dress. She’s spicy and exuberant and always finishes her sentences with a rapid-fire flamenco flourish.
“Sofia Vergara as Flamenca felt like a really fun thing to do,” says producer Michelle Raimo Kouyate. “She told us that everybody always tells her she looks like the Flamenca emoji, and she even came in to her recording session in a fabulous red dress. She really embraced it and had fun with the role.”
The Piracy app is like a rowdy pirate bar where all the baddies party and hang out: Internet Trolls, Trojan Horses, Viruses and all sorts of nasty creatures. There you’ll find Jeff Ross – Comedy Central’s Roastmaster General – playing an obnoxious and hilarious internet troll. “Who but Jeff Ross would you go to if you wanted someone to roast you?” says Kouyate.
You’ll also find Spam – voiced by Rachael Ray – who is constantly trying to distract Gene and Hi-5 with offers and discounts on tons of useless stuff they don’t need. Spam is like your best friend who just won’t leave you alone, except, she isn’t your friend and she’ll never go away! Director Tony Leondis explains, “Rachael is so much fun, she always makes every one of her shows a joy and that’s the kind of voice I really wanted for Spam. She had to be friendly and accessible because that’s what Spam is… or pretends to be!”
Christina Aguilera takes on the role of Akiko Glitter, the coolest and most outrageous dance hostess ever to grace the Just Dance app! She’s always serving up the hottest mix of music and she’s got the step on the best dance moves around. Her life goal? She just wants to dance! And if you want to hang with her you gotta follow her moves!
“I’m pretty obsessed with emojis,” says Aguilera. “I’m very visual when it comes to expression so I use them often for any and every mood. With emojis, you don’t need words at all to convey a feeling. My kids are also at an age where they understand the meaning of emojis so this is a project that my kids can be proud of. Plus, who wouldn’t want to voice the dynamic Akiko Glitter.”
Now showing across the Philippines, The Emoji Movie is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International.