10 Movie Franchises That Inspired Countless Sneakers

Inspiration for creative endeavors can come from just about anywhere. Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto, the mind behind some of the greatest video game franchises in history, designed titles that we know and love today, like The Legend of Zelda and Mario Bros., from everyday life and exploration. Apparently, Jay Z finds inspiration for his freestyles at the moment from being mad as hell at certain figures who he feels have used his and his family’s name in vain. Sneaker designers can draw from those places as well, but a resource that has served them well through the years has been movies. Nicole Kidman isn’t the only one who can feel something in a movie theater.

From viral moments like the hype surrounding Marty Supreme that led to an A24 sneaker collab with Japanese brand Koyo Bear to adidas working with Toy Story for what seems like decades at this point, sneakers almost feel like part of the marketing push for certain films and vice versa. That was certainly the case for a handful of movies where sneakers were even plot points in the narrative.

But for every official partnership that is mutually beneficial to both the film and the sneaker brand, there are the sneakers that exist in the grey area where the line between respectful homage to potential copyright infringement is razor-thin. Unrestricted by countless levels of approval between sneaker brands and movie studios, these sneaker nods to cinema are at times even more revered than the official collaborations themselves. Here are some of the more notable examples of film franchises and movie icons whose work has been adapted by sneaker brands both in official and unofficial capacities.

Back To The Future

The dream of power-lacing Nike Mags finally came true in 2016 after teasing everybody in 2011 with replicas that had everything but the futuristic technology. Unfortunately, between the technology being cumbersome to use and the prohibitive cost to make and sell them, we might have to hop on a DeLorean again just to find out when everything is sorted out. Until then, we’ll just have to settle for the various sneakers that Nike has released through the years that borrow the Mag’s color scheme of grey, white, light blue, with a splatter of color on the midsole. Some of the most famous Mag sneakers include the Hyperdunk, the Adapt BB 1 and 2, and the Nike SB Dunk Low. There’s even an upcoming Nike Air Tech Challenge 2 inspired by the film.

Jurassic Park

Everybody is fawning over the Nike Ja 3 Jurassic Park collab for its dedication to accuracy, but years prior, Reebok was nailing the theme perfectly on the Instapump Fury. Not sure where you would actually be able to wear these outside of a comic book convention or a gathering of cosplayers, but respect is due to the designers who were able to make these sneakers inspired by the 1992 Ford Explorer tour vehicles work. Other brands that have worked on the Jurassic Park license include Puma for the Jurassic World series of films, Crocs, and Converse, which kept it old school with their Chuck Taylors that feature the logo print all over the canvas upper.

Kill Bill

No matter the sneaker, no matter the black, if you see yellow and black on a sneaker, your mind is going to drift to Kill Bill… or Bruce Lee… or the Pittsburgh Steelers… It’s actually a little bit more confusing, maybe it should be… unless that’s the point in order to avoid the wrath of copyright lawyers. But there are a few tell-tale signs that would tilt a sneaker towards being Kill Bill-inspired, including the use of a “Kill List” like on the insole of the Big Nike High, the red hits of blood having a splatter finish instead of scratch marks on the Asics Gel-Saga II, or a slimmed down silhouette like the Bad Bunny x adidas Ballerina. Of course, there’s Onitsuka Tiger just doing a re-release of the actual Tai Chi sneaker that was used in the movie sans the profane message on the outsole.

Spike Lee

With Spike Lee’s beloved New York Knicks in the NBA Finals, there’s going to be plenty of discussion about the Academy Award-winning director's connection to sneaker culture. His collaboration with Michael Jordan in the 1980s and 1990s and subtle use of sneakers as plot points in films like Do The Right Thing and He Got Game solidified his position as a legend in the game long before people even thought to give him the title. His work with Jordan Brand includes retros that pay homage to his films, special editions to wear on the red carpet, and his own Spizike signature line that’s a step above your typical hybrid mashup of classic Air Jordans. And never forget these words of wisdom from Spike…

Batman (and The Joker)

Because of Batman’s moral code, the fandom is destined to watch this dance between the Dark Knight and the Clown Prince of Crime forever. Considering this rivalry will be closing in on a century sooner rather than later, there are no signs of it slowing down. Through the years, there have been so many sneakers dedicated to the different movie versions of Batman and the Joker, with Heath Ledger’s version from The Dark Knight being the overwhelming favorite.

If there was a population report of custom NFL cleats based on pop culture icons, Ledger’s Joker would be at the top of the list. The delta between the two characters is even highlighted by the late Kobe Bryant’s signature shoe line, with several Nike Kobe pairs unofficially inspired by Batman and Joker. Nicknamed Chaos, the Joker-themed Kobes were a holiday staple for several years.

Batman’s counter? Michael Keaton actually wore Air Jordan 6s during the filming of Batman Returns. That’s pretty good, Bats…

Marvel Cinematic Universe

For over a decade, Marvel Studios had a hold on popular culture that might never be replicated again. Beginning with the first Iron Man film in 2008 starring Robert Downey Jr., every subsequent entry leading up to 2019’s Avengers: Endgame felt like a can’t-miss event that rewarded fans with easter eggs galore that all connected into one cohesive universe. Adidas jumped on the bandwagon midway through the run with a collaboration in Avengers: Age of Ultron that included the Adizero Prime Boost with new releases dropping every few months that tied to releases like Black Panther and Spider-Man: Far From Home. With Avengers: Doomsday on the horizon, featuring Downey playing Doctor Doom (because cohesion no longer matters), will adidas return as well with a new collection of sneakers? Well, at least Nike is planning on retroing the Doom Foamposites.

Star Wars

Similarly to how people will automatically associate yellow and black sneakers to Kill Bill or purple, red, and green with the Joker, white with hits of black automatically brings to mind the fascist Stormtroopers from the Star Wars saga. Because of the ubiquity of white and black sneakers, not every pair is automatically assumed to be a Stormtrooper homage. Adidas has been making official sneakers that directly link to the Stormtroopers, but certain pairs like the adidas Crazy 1 or the adidas AE1 in white and black earn the nickname simply off the vibes. Since the late 2000s, adidas has been handling the Star Wars license with the occasional collaboration with Vans and Crocs.

Nike’s connection with Star Wars has been of the unofficial variety, with SB Dunks that appear to have an affinity to moments and characters that debuted in The Empire Strikes Back, but recently, Jalen Brunson debuted a Nike Kobe 6 Protro that plays into Anakin Skywalker’s descent into the dark side. At 29 years old, it makes sense that Brunson would be a fan of the prequel trilogy.

Laika Studios

Since rebranding as Laika in 2005, the stop-motion animation studio has grown in stature, with Academy Award-nominated films like Coraline, Paranorman, and Kubo and the Two Strings earning it even more prestige. Thanks to their connection to Nike (Phil Knight is Laika’s chairman and son Travis has directed several Laika films while also serving as the studio’s President and CEO), each film has also received a limited edition sneaker to promote its release.

To no one’s surprise, each pair captures the essence of their respective films and goes for a lot of money in the resale market. Examples include the Coraline Nike SB Dunk High that has become a cult classic among fans of Dunks, the Paranorman Foamposites that top plenty of lists of the best Foams ever made, and the Kubo and the Two Strings Air Jordan 15 that addressed the Air Jordan 15’s most controversial feature, the exaggerated tongue, and “fixed” it.

Space Jam

It’s not just those 11s, fans of the Tune Squad. Michael Jordan made the Air Jordan 11 iconic, but Space Jam made them a pop culture icon. Who wouldn’t want to own the shoes that Jordan used to help defeat the Monstars? But there are plenty of sneaker alternatives that have copied the Space Jam 11s aesthetic to mixed results. The attention being all on the 11s has even obscured the fact that Michael Jordan also wears the Air Jordan 9 in the movie. And then there are the Nike LeBrons that are based on the 2021 sequel Space Jam: A New Legacy, but that’s all that really needs to be said about those sneakers and the film. They happened.

Scarface

Considering how deeply tied Scarface and its brutal underdog story are to hip-hop and popular culture, it is a little shocking that sneaker brands have not tapped into the movie’s iconography (the sunset, Tony’s suits, the pelicans…) to draw inspiration for a collaboration beyond the legendary black and white poster. In 2006, Nike dropped an unofficial Scarface Air Force 1 that split the upper right down the middle just like the movie poster with red laces and branding hits.

For the 20th anniversary, Nike released another Air Force 1 that leaned into the red a little bit more, so the nod to the poster is a little less obvious. In between the two releases, a handful of sneakers have gone the split route, including a Nike KD 1 colorway. Puma went the official route with their Scarface sneakers, even going so far as to include the Tony Montana monogram on the Suede. However, the sneakers did not stray too far from the formula of a split pair down the middle to reference the movie poster.

Juan Martinez

From video game journalism to veteran of the sneaker blog era to podcasting about well, everything, Juan is smiling through it all and can't believe this is his life. After recently getting into Formula 1, he now has hot takes about who the greatest driver of all time is. Email: juan@soleretriever.com