Rihanna is a pop star of many firsts. The first woman to be featured on the cover of GQ‘s “Men of the Year” issue in 2012, the most streamed female artist in the world on Spotify, and potentially the first black woman to be the face of Christian Dior.
Now, she is making history again with DreamWorks Animation for playing the voice of the first black lead of a 3-D animated film.
“Bad Girl Riri” plays Gratuity “Tip” Tucci, a savvy curly-haired youngster who survives an alien abduction, in “Home.” The film hits theaters on March 27 and includes the voices of Jennifer Lopez, Steve Martin, and Jim Parsons.
As a performer, Rihanna is constantly breaking barriers, but her role in “Home” may be momentous for DreamWorks Animation considering the billion dollar company premiered its first 2-D animation “The Prince of Egypt” in 1998 and boasts a portfolio of 30 blockbuster films. Historically, the studio is known to be strikingly more diverse and dynamic than its competitors, such as Disney.
“Tip” is the company’s third female protagonist and their film “Kung Fu Panda 2,” directed by Korean-American Jennifer Yuh Nelson, was a smashing hit in the U.S. China, and South East Asia.
Alicia Maule