MANILA, Philippines – The last time most audiences saw Zendaya on the big screen was as the mesmerizing trapeze artist who falls into a star-crossed romance in The Greatest Showman. Now, she makes a return to the big screen (though we don’t exactly get to see her) in Smallfoot, a new animated movie where she plays a curious Yeti.

The film is new territory for Zendaya, whose physicality is almost always a big element to her performances (she is also a dancer, after all). But she’s carried her childhood love for animated films all the way to adulthood, making the role in Smallfoot “a quick yes” for her.

“I’ve always, I have as an adult, have an obssession with animated movies. I love them, I think they’re fun, and anyone can enjoy them so when I heard about this animated movie and heard about the storyline and the messages behind it, it just seemed like a lot of fun,” Zendaya told Rappler in a phone interview.

“Growing up and being a fan of animation, I’ve always wanted to do something like this. I don’t know, it’s so much fun, and just seeing the detail, it just looks real,” she said.

The film follows the story of Migo (Channing Tatum), a Yeti who is content with his simple, routine-based life in their Yeti village above the clouds. The village is led by the Stonekeeper, who wears the a robe of stone tablets that carry the code the Yetis are supposed to live by – something like a bible. Among the provisions of the stones: Smallfeet (humans) don’t exist.

But then, Migo briefly encounters a Smallfoot – and rushes to his community to tell them all about it. After being banished for defying what is clearly written in the stones, Migo sets out to look for evidence to prove what he saw, and along the way encounters a band of misfits who, like him, believe in the existence of the Smallfoot, and are searching for answers themselves.

What follows is quite the romp punctuated by fun musical numbers, light-hearted comedy, and a lot of snow and skydiving action. It’s a delight to watch, from start to finish.

Zendaya’s character Meechee – much like the actress herself – is the epitome of girl power. As the daughter of the Stonekeeper, she’s expected to behave in a straitlaced, proper manner, and follow the rules of their little village to a T – chief of them being never to question the wisdom of the stones.

But Meechee is also inquisitive and spirited, and, unlike most of the people in their Yeti town, goes out of her way to search for answers herself.

“I definitely love that she doesn’t allow people to define who she is. She’s very strong in herself, which is great,” Zendaya said.

“She’s very curious and thoughtful, and I think it’s important that even though she’s the stone chief’s daughter, and people expect her to think one thing, I think it’s cool that she actually goes against the grain and against what other people think she is and defines herself. I definitely can relate to that,“ she added.

She is also, like all the Yetis in the film, fluffy and adorable – a creature children will want to hug, instead of be afraid of.

“She actually was already kind of being created and mocked up when I first started on the project so I just thought she was super cute, and I love that she’s tall and has big feet, because, I mean, obviously, so do I,” Zendaya quipped.

Raising her voice

While Zendaya has worked on animated films before (her acting credits include voice roles in animations like Super Buddies and Duck Duck Goose), she was quick to underscore how voice acting can be quite the challenge.

“People don’t think that it’s as hard as it is but it’s actually quite difficult to I guess give as much. You have to find a way to find emotion just through your voice,” she said.

“Also sometimes you get confused because you don’t really know where you’re gonna be, or what it’s gonna look like you know? Things are still being animated so you kind of have to use your imagination a lot,” she added.

The actress shared that she only got to record with Channing once, and recorded separately from the rest of the cast, which also includes James Corden, Gina Rodriguez, Common, and Lebron James.

“Like I said, it has to do a lot with imagination…We have a great director [Karey Kirkpatrick] who definitely paints the picture for us, and really helps us understand where we are in the different scenes, and what’s needed and how to get there, so we just rely heavily on him.”

Zendaya also sings for the film, performing a couple of musical numbers, including the song “Wonderful Life,” which is pretty much the entire theme of the film distilled into a song.

“’Wonderful Life’ was fun to record. Adding music to animated movies is a great mix,” she said. “The song definitely encompasses the meaning behind the movie and really what Meechee is trying to get across to Migo, and she just does it through song and it was definitely fun to see my singing voice come out of this adorable, fluffy Yeti.”

Inspiring curiosity 

As playful and cheery as the film is, Smallfoot also gets political – at least as political as a kid’s movie can get. There’s a leader who discourages his followers from questioning traditional ways and wisdom – and banishes those who do. There’s a documentary host who attempts to fake a story to boost ratings. There’s an underground society that keeps a collection of contraband material as they search for more answers.

All of these elements are sure to resonate with viewers in an age of disinformation and fake news, but their inclusion in the film is subtle – they don’t weigh the film down. Any anti-establishment message one might pick up is secondary only to the true heart of the film – that is: pure curiosity and genuine wonder, something kids know by nature, and adults love to be reminded of.

“I want the kids to leave inspired, and excited and obviously just having a lot of fun,” Zendaya said. “I want them to have a lot of fun, but just be inspired, and maybe if they wanna go learn more subjects that they’re really interested in, we will have done something good.”

Whether it’s a grown-up viewer who picks up on the film’s subtle political themes, or a kid who is inspired by its call to curiosity, Zendaya says that in general, the film is about following one’s heart.

“I think it’s a lot about just following your heart, following what feels right, your gut, your instincts and going after those things, and finding out truths for yourself,” she said. “And also just that sense of acceptance and open-mindedness, working together. There’s a lot of really great messages you can get from it.”

Smallfoot premieres in Philippine cinemas on September 27. – Rappler.com