What if something you think doesn’t exist, thinks you don’t exist?
What if the giant yetis of legend are real and the stories we tell about them—with their thick wild hair, booming roars and enormous feet—are like the tall tales they tell about us…but with a twist. To them, we’re strangely hairless little beasts with screechy voices and freakishly small feet. And entirely imaginary. That is, until one yeti sees a human with his own eyes and becomes a believer.
That’s the big idea behind Warner Animation Group’s “Smallfoot,” a joyful, laugh-out-loud, family-sized adventure set in a dazzling snowbound world above the clouds, that starts when a man named Percy comes face to face—or face-to-knee—with a yeti named Migo. This astonishing encounter sends them both on an unexpected journey of discovery that will open their hearts, challenge old ways of thinking and show them there’s more to life than they ever thought possible.
Shocked at first, even frightened, Migo and Percy are soon delighted to have found each other. For Migo, capturing a “smallfoot” will be the greatest and most important thing he’s ever done, and he can hardly wait to tell everyone in his village about it. If only he can get his tiny prize home in one piece. For Percy, a down-on-his-luck animal TV show host, evidence of an actual yeti could put him one viral video away from the fame and glory he craves, and he’s determined to capitalize on this good fortune. Even if it’s the last thing he ever does.
“Smallfoot” follows Migo and Percy through a realm rich with imagination, heart, humor and high spirits. Unique characters are brought to life through leading-edge animation that finds warmth in the coldest climates, and a diverse cast from the ranks of film, television, sports and music: Channing Tatum, James Corden, Zendaya, Common, LeBron James, Danny DeVito, Gina Rodriguez, Yara Shahidi, Ely Henry, and Jimmy Tatro.
“Smallfoot” began with the inspiration its filmmakers drew from a concept presented by Sergio Pablos, one of the film’s executive producers and a veteran animator himself. Producing partners Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, who also share story credit, explain. “The idea was about a yeti finding and interacting with a human, and that seemed so right for a movie,” says Requa. “Then Glenn suggested: what if we flip it on its head, where the yetis were the ones who believed humans were a myth? And that became the genesis of our story.” With that, audiences could experience the encounter from both points of view, offering what Requa calls “an opportunity to see that what divides us is often just the unwillingness to see the other side, and not see each other for who we really are.”
“But the heart of the tale is about these two becoming friends,” Ficarra adds. “For all the slapstick comedy and the fun, their friendship remains the emotional through-line of the piece.”
In Philippine cinemas Thursday, September 27, “Smallfoot” is distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.