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<\/article>\nThe result was a character design that looked much more like the Sonic fans are familiar with, and the box office numbers reflected an appreciative audience, with the first film raking in more than $300 million worldwide. The authenticity Fowler and his team delivered in response to the fans paid off.<\/p>\n
Part of that equation included actors who provided authentic performances for the brand\u2019s biggest characters. Jim Carrey (Dumb and Dumber<\/em>, The Mask<\/em>) delivered an all-in performance as Dr. Robotnik. Ben Schwartz (Parks and Recreation<\/em>, House of Lies<\/em>) is a lifelong fan, so sliding into the role of voicing Sonic the Hedgehog was a dream come true. However, to find his performance as Sonic, he intentionally didn\u2019t study any of the other interpretations of the character.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I read the script, to me, Sonic felt like this kid, this really energetic kid,\u201d Schwartz says. \u201cI didn\u2019t really look at the other performances, so I took it from the movie script because I didn\u2019t want to feel like I was copying anything. But in my head, I was like, \u2018I want him to have heart, I want him to be excited, I want him to feel like a kid, and I want him to be funny. I want him to deflate any situation that feels too big for him with a joke, because he\u2019s been through a lot of stuff, so that\u2019s kind of how he\u2019s lived his life.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n In the first film, Sonic finds Tom, a human father-figure character played by James Marsden (Westworld<\/em>, X-Men<\/em>). While Marsden has a long history of prominent roles, acting alongside a virtual character has been a new experience for him.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve worked with actors where the animated hedgehog who\u2019s not there is more animated than the person I\u2019m acting opposite,\u201d Marsden says, laughing. \u201cIt\u2019s a different skillset. You\u2019re on set and you\u2019re sitting in a rowboat having a heart-to-heart with your son, and he\u2019s not there; it\u2019s just a voice from behind the camera somewhere. It definitely takes a little bit of your imagination.\u201d<\/p>\n In Sonic the Hedgehog 2, moviegoers are introduced to silver-screen versions of Tails and Knuckles, voiced by Colleen O\u2019Shaughnessey (Sonic Boom<\/em>, Sonic Forces) and Idris Elba (The Wire<\/em>, The Suicide Squad<\/em>), respectively. Like Carrey, Elba provides A-List star power, but O\u2019Shaughnessey grants additional authenticity, thanks to her long tenure voicing Tails in the games and recent TV series.<\/p>\n O\u2019Shaughnessey thought her appearance as Tails in the first movie\u2019s credits scene would be a one-and-done situation and never expected to join the main cast. \u201cI had no idea where this would go; I had no idea how excited people would be to see it!\u201d she says. \u201cPeople sent me videos of their theaters exploding in joy! I knew people liked Tails, but I had no concept of how that reaction was going to go!\u201d<\/p>\n Sonic the Hedgehog 2<\/em> recreates multiple iconic scenes from the games. The snowboard scene in the trailers is reminiscent of games like Sonic 3 and Sonic Adventure, but Fowler loves the climax of the second Sonic game. \u201cTails flying the Tornado, delivering Sonic into battle on the biplane \u2026 it\u2019s such an iconic image from Sonic 2,\u201d he says. \u201cTo be able to do the big-screen, cinematic version of that, it gave all of us goosebumps and got us so excited.\u201d<\/p>\n Schwartz agrees that Sonic the Hedgehog 2<\/em> delivers plenty of fanservice and nods to iconic moments from the games, but he also has a list of other game moments he\u2019d love to make the jump to live-action. \u201cOh my goodness, in Sonic 2, the casino zone is pretty amazing!\u201d he excitedly says. \u201cBut there is this zone in Sonic Mania \u2013 though I guess it wouldn\u2019t make sense because we\u2019re a film \u2013 but in Sonic Mania there\u2019s this incredible zone that\u2019s all about movies and zapping you from a TV to a different TV. I was blown away by how amazing all that stuff was. I\u2019m a big side-scroller guy because that\u2019s what I came up with. Sonic 2 has so many things I\u2019d love to put in there. Sonic Mania has a similar fun vibe.\u201d<\/p>\n Sonic the Hedgehog 2<\/em> is in theaters now, but don\u2019t think that once you see it that\u2019s the end of the Sonic saga. A third film has already been greenlit by Paramount Pictures, as has a live-action show starring Knuckles for Paramount Plus. When you add a mid-credits scene for Sonic the Hedgehog 2<\/em> that sets the table for the next entry in an exciting manner, the future of the live-action Sonic franchise looks bright.<\/p>\n For more on\u00a0<\/em>Sonic the Hedgehog 2, check out our review of the movie<\/a>, or see more of our interviews with those involved with the film in our videos here<\/a>. For our recent ranking of all the mainline Sonic the Hedgehog games, head here<\/a>.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n![\"sonic](\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/sonic-2-movie-stars-and-director-talk-bringing-the-blue-blur-back-to-the-silver-screen-2.jpg\" "\\"sonic")
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