Sonic the Hedgehog (also known in their short name as the Sonic the Movie franchise) is an American CGI/live-action film series produced by Paramount Pictures that is based on the Sonic the Hedgehog video game series. It features animation from Sega's Marza Animation Planet.
History[]
Attempts had been made as early as 1993 to get Sonic made into a film; the first of these was Sonic the Hedgehog: Wonders of the World, which was pitched to MGM in August 1994 and had Sonic coming into the real world of a kid named Josh, and fighting Eggman (Robotnik). The film would've tied-in to the cancelled Sega Saturn game Sonic X-treme, and despite a positive internal reception, MGM would drop the project without warning. Writer Richard Jefferies suggests the film was dropped due to creative differences between Sega and Trilogy Entertainment Group, who were also producing the film.
Ben Hurst had also attempted to make Sonic the Hedgehog into a film, this time based on the aforementioned SatAM series; the project was dismissed after former comic series writer Ken Penders allegedly told a Sega representative that Hurst was attempting to "co-opt" the franchise. Penders proposed his own film titled Sonic Armageddon in September 2003, which would have incorporated elements from SatAM and the Archie Comics series, but was itself dropped in 2007 due to massive corporate upheaval, and the death of Sega license manager Robert Leffler. The original pitch video still exists, and was uploaded to YouTube in 2017.
Films[]
Sonic the Hedgehog (2020)[]
- Main article: Sonic the Hedgehog (film)
Sonic the Hedgehog is an action-adventure comedy film directed by Jeff Fowler and written by Pat Casey and Josh Miller; in the film, Sonic is forced to abandon his home world and ends up on Earth, and eventually is forced to team up with a human named Tom Wachoski to stop Dr. Robotnik; it was originally released in theaters on February 14, 2020.
Originally intended for release in late-2019, Sonic the Hedgehog ended up being pushed back several months due to the overwhelmingly negative response to Sonic's design in the trailer; upon its release, the film was met with mixed reviews from critics, although it was a large commercial success, being the sixth-highest-grossing film in 2020.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022)[]
- Main article: Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is an American action-adventure comedy film based on the video game franchise published by Sega. Directed by Jeff Fowler and written by Pat Casey, Josh Miller and John Whittington, it is the sequel to Sonic the Hedgehog (2020). Ben Schwartz reprises his role as the voice of Sonic the Hedgehog, alongside Jim Carrey as Dr. Robotnik, with James Marsden and Tika Sumpter in the roles of Tom and Maddie Wachowski, while Idris Elba joins the cast as Knuckles the Echidna. After the events of the first film, Sonic joins forces with Miles "Tails" Prower to stop Dr. Robotnik and Knuckles from finding a powerful emerald that has the power to build and destroy civilizations.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 was released in the United States on April 8, 2022, by Paramount Pictures in association with Sega Sammy Group.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (2024)[]
- Main article: Sonic the Hedgehog 3
In February 2022, Sega and Paramount confirmed that a third film is in development. On August 8, 2022, it was announced that the third film will be scheduled for release on December 20, 2024.
Adaptations[]
Aside of live action films, the Sonic the Hedgehog film series also has several adaptations that take place within the same universe.
Comics[]
- Sonic the Hedgehog: The Adventures of Sonic & Donut Lord is a short comic that basically retells the events of Sonic the Hedgehog. It was released on 19 May 2020 as a gift included with the steelbook release of the film.
- Sonic the Hedgehog 2: The Official Movie Pre-Quill is a one-shot comic book by IDW Publishing that serves as a prequel to the Sonic the Hedgehog 2 film. It was released on 30 March 2022.
Novelizations[]
- Sonic the Hedgehog: The Official Movie Novelization is a paperback book for 8–12-year-olds published by Penguin Young Readers Licenses. It is the novelization of the Sonic the Hedgehog film.
- Sonic the Hedgehog 2: The Official Movie Novelization is a paperback book for 8–12-year-olds published by Penguin Young Readers Licenses. It is the novelization of the Sonic the Hedgehog 2 film.
Shorts[]
- Around the World in 80 Seconds (Sonic the Hedgehog) is a short film that takes place after the events of the first Sonic the Hedgehog film. It features Sonic exploring many places on Earth within eighty seconds. It was released as an extra with the digital release of the film on 30 March 2020.
- Sonic The Hedgehog: Sonic Drone Home is an animated short film that takes place after the events of Sonic the Hedgehog 2. It features Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles dealing with one of Robotnik's Badniks trying to upgrade itself at the junkyard. It was released as an extra with the digital release of the film on 24 May 2022.
Television series[]
- Sonic the Series is an upcoming television series featuring Knuckles the Echidna. It is planned to be released on Paramount+ sometime in 2023.
Box Office performances and Releases[]
Releases[]
| Film | U.S. release date | Director(s) | Screenwriter(s) | Producer(s) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sonic the Hedgehog | February 14, 2020 | Jeff Fowler | Pat Casey and Josh Miller | Neal H. Moritz, Toby Ascher, Toru Nakahara and Takeshi Ito | Released |
| Sonic the Hedgehog 2 | April 8, 2022 | Pat Casey, Josh Miller and John Whittington | Neal H. Moritz, Toby Ascher, Toru Nakahara and Hitoshi Okuno | ||
| Sonic the Hedgehog 3 | December 20, 2024 | Pat Casey, Josh Miller and John Whittington | Neal H. Moritz, Toby Ascher, Toru Nakahara and Hitoshi Okuno |
External Links[]
