Sonic the Hedgehog (film)

Sonic the Hedgehog is a 2020 live-action/CG-animated adventure comedy film based on the video game franchise published by Sega. The film is directed by Jeff Fowler (in his feature directorial debut) from a screenplay by Pat Casey and Josh Miller. It also stars James Marsden, Jim Carrey, and Ben Schwartz as the voice of Sonic the Hedgehog. In the film, Sonic teams up with a small-town sheriff named Tom as he attempts to escape Dr. Robotnik and the government.

In 2013, Sony Pictures acquired the film rights to the franchise, and by 2014, had a movie adaptation in development. Fowler was hired to direct in 2016. After Sony put the project in turnaround, Paramount Pictures acquired it in 2017, and the majority of the cast had signed on by August 2018. Filming took place between July and October 2018 in Ladysmith and Parksville both on Vancouver Island, and in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It is the first entry in a planned film series.

Sonic the Hedgehog was initially scheduled to be released in the United States on November 8, 2019, but after an overwhelmingly negative reaction to the first trailer, Paramount delayed the film in order to redesign Sonic. The redesign was shown in a new trailer which was well-received for its tone and humor, with Sonic's appearance receiving particular praise with many noting the closer resemblance and similarities to Sonic's main appearance in the games. The film premiered at the Paramount Theatre on January 25, 2020, and is scheduled to be theatrically released in the United States on February 14.

Plot
Sonic is an extraterrestrial anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who can run at supersonic speeds. His caretaker, Longclaw the Owl, encourages him to hide his powers, but Sonic does not listen. The two are attacked by a tribe of echidnas; after one echidna fatally wounds Longclaw, she gives Sonic a bag of rings he can use to travel to other planets. Longclaw uses a ring to send Sonic to Earth before she is killed by the echidnas. On Earth, Sonic lives in secret in the town of Green Hills, Montana. He idolizes the local sheriff, Tom Wachowski, and his veterinarian wife Maddie. Tom has recently been hired by the San Francisco Police Department and is preparing to move.

Although he enjoys his life, Sonic longs for real friends. One night, he plays baseball by himself, and after realizing his loneliness, he gets upset and starts running around the field. The energy Sonic emits creates an electromagnetic pulse that knocks out power across the entire region. Baffled, the United States Department of Defense enlists roboticist and scientific genius Doctor Robotnik to help discover the cause of the outage. Robotnik's robots discover Sonic, and he hides in the Wachowskis' shed, where he is discovered by Tom. Tom shoots Sonic with a tranquilizer, causing Sonic to drop his rings in a portal to San Francisco. After Sonic awakens, Tom reluctantly agrees to help Sonic recover the rings. Robotnik invades the house, but Sonic and Tom escape. Robotnik comes across one of Sonic's quills, and Tom is declared a domestic terrorist.

Tom and Sonic manage to narrowly evade Robotnik on a number of occasions, and grow closer as they journey to San Francisco. Sonic disapproves of Tom's decision to leave Green Hills, arguing that he is leaving his true friends. Sonic is injured in an explosion shortly before the two arrive in San Francisco, where Tom is reunited with Maddie. Maddie helps revive Sonic, and the three travel to the building that Sonic dropped his rings on. Robotnik and his robots attack them at the top, but Sonic uses the rings to teleport Tom and Maddie back to Green Hills before taking on Robotnik. Using the power of Sonic's quill, Robotnik is able to achieve supersonic speed, and he and Sonic fight across the world.

Robotnik and Sonic's fight eventually makes it back to Green Hills, where Robotnik manages to defeat Sonic. However, Tom intervenes, and Sonic regains his strength. Sonic manages to reclaim the energy that Robotnik is using and, with help from Tom, uses a ring to send Robotnik to a planet made of mushrooms. With Robotnik defeated, Tom and Maddie decide to stay in Green Hills and let Sonic live in their house with them. The US government also erases all evidence of the incident, including records of Robotnik's existence. However, Robotnik survives his teleportation and, still in possession of Sonic's quill, begins plotting revenge.

In a mid-credits scene, Tails emerges from a ring portal, searching for Sonic.

Premise
Sonic (Ben Schwartz), a blue anthropomorphic hedgehog from another world, comes to Earth to escape malevolent forces that seek to harness his power of super-speed. After accidentally causing a massive power outage while hiding out in the town of Green Hills, Montana, Sonic is targeted by the government who then hire the tyrannical roboticist Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey) to hunt him down. Meanwhile, Green Hills sheriff Tom Wachowski (James Marsden) meets Sonic and decides to help him evade capture, collect his rings and stop Robotnik from using Sonic's powers for world domination.

Voice

 * Ben Schwartz as Sonic the Hedgehog
 * Benjamin L. Valic as Baby Sonic
 * Donna Jay Fulks as Longclaw
 * Colleen Villard as Miles "Tails" Prower

Live-Action

 * Jim Carrey as Dr. Robotnik
 * James Marsden as Tom Wachowski
 * Tika Sumpter as Maddie Wachowski
 * Natasha Rothwell as Rachel
 * Adam Pally as Wade Whipple
 * Neal McDonough as Major Bennington
 * Lee Majdoub as Agent Stone
 * Shannon Chan-Kent as Roundhouse Waitress
 * Frank C. Turner as Crazy Carl
 * Debs Howard as New Girlfriend
 * Elfina Luk as Secretary of Homeland Security