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You can even change team members as you play the story, making the entire adventure mode feel like you're working together as a team. The best part? CNK even lets you play without teams and just play standard races in single race and multiplayer modes, so they don't force the gimmick in your face.
- Overview
- Plot
- Cast
- Easter Eggs and References
- Production
- Music
- Marketing
- Release
- Reception
— Tagline
is a 2022 action adventure superhero comedy film based on the Sonic the Hedgehog series and the sequel to the 2020 film Sonic the Hedgehog. It is the second entry in the Sonic the Hedgehog film series by Paramount Pictures. The film follows Sonic the Hedgehog, who aspires himself to become a hero after defeating his arch-nemesis, Dr. Robotnik in the first film, learns about the doctor's return with a help from a super-strong red echidna warrior named Knuckles, teams up with his new ally, Miles "Tails" Prower, a two-tailed yellow fox who can hover in mid-air by using his twin tails, to stop Robotnik and Knuckles from getting their hands on the Master Emerald for their purpose to bring catastrophy into the world.
The suggestion for a sequel to Sonic the Hedgehog was first brought up by Jim Carrey when he envisioned a second film entry where he got to reprise his role as Dr. Robotnik. Following the fairly successful release of Sonic the Hedgehog, director Jeff Fowler and several other cast members expressed an interest in developing a sequel that incorporated more elements from the Sonic games, with James Marsden in particular being revealed to have signed up for multiple sequels to the film. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 was later officially confirmed in May 2020, with most of the previous film's cast set to reprise their roles.
The film released in the United States on 8 April 2022, by Paramount Pictures in association with Sega Sammy Group. It was later announced by Paramount in February 2022 that a sequel, titled Sonic the Hedgehog 3, and a spin-off series, Knuckles, were in development. Knuckles premiered on Paramount Plus on April 26, 2024. And Sonic the Hedgehog 3 was scheduled to be released on December 20, 2024.
On the Mushroom Planet, dawn breaks. As a mushroom rises up in the sunshine, it sets off a mushroom-based, Rube Goldberg-esque mechanism that ends with a mushroom figurine of Sonic, along with other mushrooms, getting squeezed of their juices, which pour into a mushroom cup. Dr. "Eggman" Robotnik then shows up, picking up the cup as he documents his log of how he has been marooned on this planet for 243 days (which is about eight months) because of Sonic, who defeated and banished him on that planet from the first film managing to survive because of a breathable atmosphere and his own intellect (though his efforts to get something tasty from the mushrooms and fungi have all met with repeated, dismal, disgusting failure). Despite this, Robotnik sees a reason to be optimistic, as he has formulated a plan to get back to Earth and get revenge on Sonic. Having salvaged components from his Eggpod, Robotnik has constructed a beacon; he makes his final preparations, getting ready to hook Sonic's chaos energy-infused quill up to his masterpiece and see who will come to investigate his signal. However, the moment Robotnik connects the quill, an energy pulse flings him from the beacon and knocks him out, with the pulse extending far into space. After nightfall, Robotnik remains unconscious as a Ring portal appears, with a trio of alien scavengers stepping out of it and slowly approaching him. As one of them reaches for the quill in Robotnik's hand to take it from him, Robotnik comes to, proceeding to activate different traps that he has set up and easily dispatching the scavengers. With the opposition gone, Robotnik runs toward the Ring portal, only for him to come to a halt as he sees an anthropomorphic red echidna appear from the other side. As he approaches Robotnik, he aggressively asks where he acquired Sonic's quill, to which Robotnik explains that he got it from Sonic on Earth and that he will be happy to show him the way.
On Earth, in Seattle, the peacefulness of the city is disrupted when some bank robbers in a hijacked armored truck come driving through the streets with the police hot on their tail. As the bank robbers throw pipe bombs at the police, Sonic is shown standing on a building as he makes some preparations before going after the truck. Jumping into the truck, Sonic knocks out one of the robbers and pushes the other out of the truck before taking the wheel himself. Sonic proceeds to drive recklessly, causing the robbers in the back of the truck to drop their pipe bombs on the streets as they get knocked out. He also ungags a male captive onboard the truck, the security guard assigned to guard the money, who asks who Sonic is. Sonic tries introducing himself as a superhero, but loses focus as he drives. To make matters worse, Sonic's driving sets off the remainder of the robbers' pipe bombs. The captive questions why Sonic is not slowing down, to which Sonic reveals that he cannot reach the brakes, which are blocked by an unconscious robber. Regardless, Sonic insists that heroes can handle this without the police, and so throws the pipe bombs into a garbage truck that they pass by, which blows it up and scatters its trash. However, the captive can still hear an ignited bomb. As Sonic looks for the bomb while not looking at the road, the captive criticizes his performance, then notices that the bomb is stuck in Sonic's back quills. Grabbing it, Sonic throws the bomb into a storm drain on the side of the road. Not long after, Sonic notices that the truck is heading for a public ice cream stand. Spotting some power tools in the truck, Sonic uses them to take it apart at super speed, leaving only its undercarriage to slide to a halt right in front of the ice cream stand, much to the shock of a young boy standing in its path. As the people recover from their stupor, the pipe bomb Sonic threw in the storm drain goes off, resulting in several water spouts emerging from the manholes. Meanwhile, the robbers recover as the Seattle Police Department appears to apprehend them. Standing on top of a building, Sonic declares loudly that no thanks are needed for "Blue Justice". While the captive calls him "a terrible hero", Sonic does not mind as he runs away through the destruction he has caused.
Running back to Green Hills, Montana, Sonic greets Wade at the speed trap behind the welcome billboard before hurrying up to a mountaintop and greeting Green Hills from afar. He then runs back to the Wachowski house and sneaks into his room, only to notice that he got some dirty banknotes stuck to his shoes after the events in Seattle. As he puts them away in a drawer to avoid raising suspicion, Sonic takes a look at the map of safe worlds that Longclaw gave him, with a feather from Longclaw falling out of it. Reminiscing on Longclaw, Sonic tells her that he misses her and that he is trying to make her proud. Putting the map and feather away in his pouch, Sonic attempts to get some sleep, but then Ozzy and Maddie come in, with Maddie reminding him that he is supposed to meet Tom. With Ozzy forcing him out of bed, Sonic has no other choice but to get up. Later, Sonic and Tom are out fishing on a lake. As Tom tries to have a nice conversation with Sonic, he notices that the hedgehog has fallen asleep while Tom wasn't paying attention. Soon after, Sonic falls into the water as the boat tilts and gravity does the rest. With Sonic unable to swim, Tom pulls him back into the boat. As he helps Sonic dry off and warm up, however, he points out that he discovered Sonic's absence last night by coming into his room and discovering his attempt to fake his presence with a shoddy dummy and a taped recording. Tom then shows Sonic a newspaper documenting the mayhem he created in Seattle and asks him how many times they are going to have this discussion about the hedgehog lying, sneaking out, and trying to be a superhero. Tom calls him out for being irresponsible and reckless, but Sonic insists that the city was already a mess and that he was a hero back there. Tom, however, remarks that heroes do not put others in danger with their actions, to which Sonic asks Tom to be his friend and not his dad. He tries to insist that he can take care of himself, but Tom tells him that being a hero is about taking responsibility for other people and that he still has some growing up to do before he can be the hero he wants to be. He also adds that a moment will come where his powers are needed, but that the moment will choose him. Sonic is surprised by Tom's insight, and Tom explains it is a "Wachowski family special" that he got in the lake they are on from his father, who always tried to steer him in the right direction, like how he and Maddie are trying to do the same with him. This convinces Sonic to agree to being more responsible until his moment arrives. The two then high-five, and Sonic celebrates by using his speed to push their boat across the lake at high speed, much to Tom's dismay.
Later, back in the Wachowski house, Tom and Maddie are preparing to head to Hawaii for Rachel's wedding. As they enter their living room, they find Sonic and Ozzy playing the roles of flight attendants in front of a Ring portal leading to the couple's destination. After giving Tom and Maddie their send-off, Tom asks for a hug, but Sonic declines, seeing as he is going to be home alone for the first time and is therefore too mature for it. At Maddie's suggestion, they power-bump instead. Sonic then gives Tom a Ring that they can use to go home with, and the couple bids Sonic goodbye as the portal closes. Once they are gone, though, Sonic is determined to have fun with Ozzy for the next two days while he has the opportunity. Sonic proceeds to party it up, leaving the house in a mess along the way. Meanwhile, somewhere far away at a cliffside, Tails appears from a Ring portal. Consulting his Miles Electric, Tails proclaims that he has found "him" through the device's readings and hurries out to find that person before it is too late, taking flight with his twin-tails as he heads towards Green Hills.
As night falls on Green Hills, Tails arrives in town and decides to use a car to get around without being spotted, choosing Wade's police cruiser for the job. Meanwhile, Sonic is chilling when he notices that Tom is calling him on his phone via FaceTime. Cleaning up the house in a flash to avoid raising suspicion, Sonic answers Tom's call. While Sonic acts casual, Tom knows Sonic is up to something. Regardless, Sonic convinces him to just relax and enjoy his vacation, with Tom assured that Sonic can clean up his mess in good time. After then having a brief chat about Rachel's fiancé, Randall, Tom decides to introduce himself and hangs up on Sonic after encouraging him to stay out of trouble. When Tom tries to greet Randall however, he tells him with hostility that he should tear him apart for what he did to Rachel back in San Francisco. However, Randall quickly drops the façade and tells a relieved Tom that he is just kidding. The two proceed to talk about how Rachel is not fond of Tom, with Randall encouraging Tom to work things out with her. Rachel and Maddie come over, with Rachel seemingly happy about Tom's presence and insisting that they bury the hatchet. As they hug it out, however, Rachel quietly tells Tom that she will end him if he screws up her wedding, showing that she is still somewhat cross over the events in San Francisco, leaving Tom dreading what's to come if he gets on Rachel's bad side here.
Back in the Wachowski house, Sonic is watching TV with Ozzy when a blackout suddenly hits. Although thrilled at first, Sonic notices something is wrong when the TV turns on by itself and the lights start to flicker, making him uneasy. As he nervously heads for the front door to investigate, the doorknob gets cut off, leaving the door to open and reveal Robotnik. Sonic is initially shocked by this development, but steels himself and tells Robotnik that while he is not sure how he returned, he still made a mistake coming here. Robotnik, however, retorts back and threatens to have his revenge on him and the Wachowskis. Enraged by these declarations, Sonic jumps at Robotnik, intent on hitting him with a chaos energy-charged punch, only for the doctor to playfully step aside and reveal the same echidna from the beginning, who punches Sonic through a wall and the TV. As Robotnik introduces the echidna as Knuckles, who is a powerful warrior who is the last of his tribe, Sonic picks up his Ring pouch and tries charging at Knuckles, only to get punched through another wall and into the backyard by the echidna, who demands to know where "it" is. Taking it as a challenge, Sonic charges at Knuckles again with a spin attack, only for Knuckles—who has deemed the hedgehog an inexperienced and "unworthy" foe—to stop it with one hand and knock Sonic down. As he pins Sonic against a tree, Knuckles proclaims his intended destiny to restore the "ultimate power" to the home of his people. While Sonic insists that he has no idea of what he is talking about, Robotnik, who has been watching the fight from the sidelines, takes an interest in Knuckles' mention of "ultimate power." After labeling Sonic an "apprentice of Longclaw", Knuckles proceeds to elaborate that her people and his people, the echidnas, were sworn enemies, and that he will now kill Sonic for being an associate of the opposing side. Suddenly, though, Tails appears in Wade's police cruiser, with the emergency lights blazing, which he rams Knuckles with, much to Robotnik’s surprise and confusion. With Tails saying he is on his side and Knuckles recovering, Sonic jumps into Tails' car, which Tails uses his gadgets to drive. After shaking off Robotnik when he jumps onto the hood, the two drive away, with Knuckles hot on their heels. After an amazed Tails has introduced himself, Sonic demands an explanation for everything. Tails proceeds to tell him about Knuckles, the last of the echidnas, who is the most dangerous warrior in the galaxy and obsessed with finding the Master Emerald. Sonic dismisses the Emerald as a bedtime story, but Tails tells him that Knuckles believes otherwise and that Sonic is the key to its discovery. As Sonic takes the wheel, Knuckles quickly catches up to them and begins tearing the car apart. Tails, however, has them drive over a cliff. To Sonic's surprise, Tails is able to haul them to safety by using his twin-tails as helicopter blades. Meanwhile, Knuckles manages to get off the car and latch onto the cliff, leaving the car to explode when it hits the ground below, totally demolished.
Voice cast
•Ben Schwartz as Sonic the Hedgehog, an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who can run at supersonic speeds. Having settled into Green Hills, Sonic is ready for more freedom and to fight injustice. However, he soon finds himself called into action when his arch-nemesis, Dr. Robotnik returns to Earth seeking the Master Emerald. •Benjamin L. Valic as young Sonic (archived audio). •Colleen O'Shaughnessey as Miles "Tails" Prower, an anthropomorphic fox who can fly using his two twin-tails. As Robotnik returns to Earth with a new plan in mind, he teams up with Sonic to stop Robotnik, becoming the former's sidekick. •Idris Elba as Knuckles the Echidna, a serious yet gullible anthropomorphic echidna who has a hair-trigger temper and is a formidable fighter and can climb walls. Having teamed up with Dr. Robotnik, he comes to Earth seeking the Master Emerald. •Donna Jay Fulks as Longclaw, an anthropomorphic owl and Sonic's original guardian who sacrificed herself to bring Sonic to Earth.
Live-action cast
•Jim Carrey as Dr. Robotnik (Eggman), an evil human scientist and Sonic's nemesis, who's seeking global domination. After being defeated and banished to the Mushroom Planet by Sonic in the first film, he returns to Earth with a new ally seeking the Master Emerald, a gem with the power to both create and destroy civilizations while exacting his revenge against the blue hedgehog. •James Marsden as Tom Wachowski, the sheriff of Green Hills, Montana, who helped Sonic recover his Rings and defeat Robotnik in the first film, after which he took in Sonic as somewhat of a foster child. Now, Tom has approved of Sonic's desire for more freedom by leaving him home for himself while he and Maddie go on a vacation. •Tika Sumpter as Maddie Wachowski, Tom's wife and the respected veterinarian of Green Hills, Montana, who helped Sonic defeat Robotnik in the first film. Afterward, she and Tom took in Sonic as somewhat of a foster child. Now, in response to Sonic's desire for more freedom, she and Tom have decided to go on a vacation while letting Sonic stay home. •Natasha Rothwell as Rachel, Maddie's sister who disapproves of Maddie's marriage with Tom. •Lee Majdoub as Agent Stone, Dr. Robotnik's faithful assistant. •Shemar Moore as Randall Handel, the fiancé of Rachel, whom he is to marry in Hawaii, and an undercover Guardian Units of Nations (G.U.N.) agent. •Adam Pally as Wade Whipple, Tom's friend and chief deputy of Green Hills. •Tom Butler as Commander Walters, the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and founder of G.U.N. •Melody Nosipho Niemann as Jojo, Rachel's daughter and the niece of Maddie and Tom.
and its trailers contain the following Easter eggs and references:
•The first trailer showing footage of the film uses a slowed down version of the Emerald Hill theme in cinematic orchestra fashion. The theme can be properly heard by playing the trailer at twice its normal speed around 1:30.
•The advertisement used to promote the release of the Sonic the Hedgehog 2 film on DVD 4K Ultra-HD, and Blu-Ray is a direct callback to an advertisement used to promote the release of original the Sonic the Hedgehog 2 video game in 1992.
•At the beginning of the film when Robotnik is rolling the ''r'' at the end of his line ''sharpened against the only competitor savvy enough to brrrring it'' when playing chess, is likely a nod to his Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog counterpart rolling the r's in his lines. The same thing later occurs when he says ''lets rrrrenovate this dump!'' in the scene where he reunites with Agent Stone.
•The three alien scavengers who appear in the beginning of the film wear bird masks in the colors green, purple and gray. Artist Tyson Hesse confirmed that they were based on Jet, Wave and Storm, all of whom are members of the Babylon Rogues.
•Jim Carrey occasionally sounds like Mike Pollock's version of Eggman.
Development
Before the announcement of the film, Jim Carrey revealed in a promotional interview for the first film that he could imagine developing the character of Robotnik for a sequel and that the expansion of the character could lead up to that, stating "I wouldn't mind going to do another one because it was so much fun, first of all, and a real challenge to try to convince people that I have a triple-digit IQ... There is so much room, you know, Robotnik has not reached his apotheosis." It was later stated by Sonic the Hedgehog director Jeff Fowler in March 2020 that he had planned a potential sequel for Sonic the Hedgehog to involve more elements from the Sonic the Hedgehog video games. It was also stated by James Marsden in March 2020 that he had signed on for multiple sequels to Sonic the Hedgehog. In April 2020, Marsden revealed that he was interested in a sequel to Sonic the Hedgehog that includes other characters from the Sonic the Hedgehog video game universe, including Tails, who made a mid-credit cameo in Sonic the Hedgehog. Fowler similarly showed an interest in working on a sequel to Sonic the Hedgehog that focused on Sonic and Tails' relationship and the development of Dr. Robotnik. Later in April 2020, Ben Schwartz revealed in an interview that he felt that it made sense for Paramount Pictures not to announce a sequel by that point due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. However, he also mentioned that he was interested in a sequel to Sonic the Hedgehog that would feature Tails and a Robotnik that was more in line with his video game portrayals. However, if it were to arise, he was interested in playing a part in it. Towards the end of April 2020, Patrick Casey, one of the co-writers for Sonic the Hedgehog, revealed that there had been discussions about a sequel to Sonic the Hedgehog, although Paramount Pictures had yet to green-light it at the time. Casey also mentioned that Carrey was interested in wearing a fat suit in the potential sequel to make his appearance more similar to Dr. Eggman's. It was also hinted by Casey that a sequel could feature Super Sonic and the Chaos Emeralds from the Sonic the Hedgehog video games. Casey hinted as well that the sequel could explore a potential connection between Knuckles the Echidna, a supporting character from the Sonic the Hedgehog video games, and the echidna tribe that appeared in the opening sequence for Sonic the Hedgehog. On 28 May 2020, the sequel was officially announced to be in development by Paramount Pictures and Sega on an online Twitter post, with Fowler returning to serve as director, Neal Moritz, Toru Nakahara and Tim Miller serving as producers, and Patrick Casey and Josh Miller, who wrote Sonic the Hedgehog, serving as writers. In addition, Tim Miller, Hajime Satomi, and Haruki Satomi return to serve as executive producers and Neal Mortiz, Toby Ascher, and Toru Nakahara serve as producers, having co-produced the previous film alongside Takeshi Ito. Production was expected to start in March 2021 under the codename "Emerald Hill", a reference to the first Zone in Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Later, on 8 December 2020, Tyson Hesse, an artist who previously contributed to Sonic the Hedgehog by helping redesign Sonic during the production of the film, would return to work on the Sonic the Hedgehog sequel in the same field as art director and storyboard artist. Joining him were also storyboard artist Fill Marc, whose first live-action project would be this film. Marc's exact words were: "I wrapped up work on Lower Decks Season 2 last week. Excited 2 announce I’ve been working on the Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Story Team with Jeff Fowler and Tyson Hesse at Blur Studio. My first live action feature coming in 2022". From the beginning, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 was meant to built upon the foundation established in Sonic the Hedgehog. According to Fowler, the first movie was purposefully written and shot as a sparse introduction to Sonic's larger world, with its purpose being to introduce Sonic on his own, establish him as a character, and establish the pre-Eggman version of Dr. Robotnik. With Sonic the Hedgehog 2, the crew was able to open the world of Sonic and tell a much bigger story. Fowler also added that with Knuckles' inclusion in the film, the crew was obligated to make use of the Master Emerald in the story as well, with Fowler describing the two as a "package deal". On 10 February 2021, the official title for the sequel was revealed to be Sonic the Hedgehog 2 by Paramount Pictures on YouTube. Douglas Einar Olsen was also announced to be part of the Sonic the Hedgehog 2 storyboard team during the title announcement. In March 2021, it was reported that Moving Picture Company, who is known for working with Blur Studio on Sonic the Hedgehog, would provide VFX for Sonic the Hedgehog 2. During May 2021, the synopsis for the story of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 was released as Paramount submitted a patent to the U.S. Copyright Office catalog. Later, on 5 April 2021, Pat Casey and Tim Miller starred as guests on the Kellen's Petty Talk Show podcast, where they announced that the film trailer would be "so crazy it would shake the internet" and that Paramount Pictures had given them full artistic freedom when writing the screenplay due to the unexpected financial success of the previous film. As a part of the post-production, the visual effects and animation for the film would be provided by Moving Picture Company, after previously working on Sonic the Hedgehog. Later, on 10 August 2021, it was announced that John Whittington would serve as co-screenwriter.
Casting
In January 2021, Tika Sumpter announced that she would reprise her role as Maddie Wachowski for the film. Later in March 2021, it was revealed that Ben Schwartz, Jim Carrey and James Marsden would be reprising their respective roles as Sonic, Dr. Robotnik and Tom Wachowski. During the same month, Adam Pally was confirmed to reprise his role as Wade Whipple. In January 2021, the crew also held auditions for Knuckles. Also, production is searching for an A-List human cameo to make an appearance in the film. Names like Samuel L. Jackson and Chris Rock were thrown around, however the big name cameo is still up in the air at this time. In early February 2021, The Iluminerdi reported that Jason Momoa had been offered the role of Knuckles. On 16 June 2021, it was announced that Shemar Moore had the film for an undisclosed role. In August 2021, Idris Elba announced that he will be voicing Knuckles in the film. Soon after, on 29 September 2021, it was announced that Lee Majdoub would reprise his role as Agent Stone for Sonic the Hedgehog 2 as well. On 7 December 2021, Colleen O'Shaughnessey confirmed that she would reprise her role as Tails following the first film. It was later announced on 23 January 2022 that Tom Butler would return to reprise his role as Commander Walters.
Filming
During December 2020, it was reported that the BC Film Commission had listed that the production of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 would take place between 15 March 2021 – 10 May 2021. In January 2021, Tika Sumpter revealed that the film would shoot in both Vancouver and Hawaii. Principal photography for Sonic the Hedgehog 2 was done primarily in Vancouver and Hawaii, with production beginning in the former on 15 March 2021 and with Brandon Trost serving as cinematographer. Meanwhile, director Jeff Fowler confirmed via Twitter on 15 March 2021 that filming for the movie had begun. In an attempt to show his gratitude to the crew for the film, Jim Carrey held a raffle on 7 May 2021 so he could give away a Chevrolet Blazer. Eventually, the car was given to a grip. Filming concluded in Vancouver on 12 May 2021, while filming on Hawaii continued until 25 June 2021.
The first teaser for the film was given a remix of Emerald Hill Zone's music, the iconic first Zone of Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Masato Nakamura, the composer for the first two main Sonic the Hedgehog games, expressed excitement for his song appearing in the film: "When I composed the music for "Sonic the Hedgehog 1&2", I tried to write a soundtrack for a movie. I imagined the game like a movie. 30 years later, my music for the game becomes a part of the movie soundtrack of "Sonic the Hedgehog". Literally, it's a dream come true."
Later, on 8 December 2021, Tom Holkenborg, the composer of Sonic the Hedgehog, was announced to return as the composer for the score of Sonic the Hedgehog 2. The debut trailer presented at The Game Awards uses a customized version of "Age Of Heroes" by Really Slow Motion & Giant Apes, once again incorporating the music from Emerald Hill Zone. The final, customized trailer music was composed and produced by Caleb Swift.
On 12 March 2022, Stéphane Legar announced on Instagram that "Speed Life", his new single, which came out on 18 March 2022, would be a exclusive song for the French version of Sonic the Hedgehog 2. On 23 March 2022, Kid Cudi announced that he had a single for the movie titled "Stars in the Sky" for the promotion of the film.
The soundtrack, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Music from the Motion Picture), was released digitally on 8 April 2022, the same day as the film in the United States. It was later released on CD on 12 April 2022.
Sega of America confirmed on 17 February 2021 that it would continue their partnership with Jakks Pacific on making merchandise to coincide with the release of the film, including action figures, playsets, plush toys and other collectibles. The costume division of Jakks, Disguise, would also be making costumes and accessories.
The first theatrical poster was released to theaters on 8 December 2021, with the trailer debuting during The Game Awards 2021 the next day. The trailer was met with positive reaction from fans. Elba's voice acting for Knuckles in particular drew in notable praise. Several reviewers would as well note how positive the reaction to the trailer was in comparison to the first trailer for Sonic the Hedgehog that was released on 3 April 2019.
On 23 December 2021, the Sonic the Hedgehog 2: The Official Movie Pre-Quill one-shot comic book was announced. This comic book serves as a prequel to the movie and will feature Sonic adjusting to his new life in Green Hills as boredom starts to set in. The comic also stars Agent Stone, Knuckles, Tails, and Dr. Robotnik in their own stories.
Nickelodeon, a fellow Paramount Global subsidiary, also promoted the movie during the network's special broadcast of the NFL Wild Card game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Dallas Cowboys on 16 January 2022. Sonic, in his movie style, made several appearances during the telecast, including a shot of him and Tails glancing to the camera on the stands before cutting to a commercial break. Later, four television spots for the film, which would feature never-before-seen footage and the reveal of the Death Egg Robot, was released online by Paramount a week before the Super Bowl. Additionally, a special TV spot would air on 13 February 2022, during Super Bowl LVI.
On 22 March 2022, Xbox Wire announced that Xbox and Paramount had teamed up to celebrate the release of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 by releasing a limited time only, custom Xbox Series S console and Xbox Wireless Controllers through two enter–to-win sweepstakes, inspired by Sonic and Knuckles. This customized black Xbox Series S console features a golden Ring shining on its surface alongside an embossed Sonic the Hedgehog 2 logo. Also, with textured coatings reminiscent of the "bristly" texture of wild hedgehogs, the Xbox Wireless Controllers come in the colors blue and red. Participants, who had to be of age 18 or above, could enter two sweepstakes for a chance to win the exclusive custom Xbox Series S and both customized Xbox Wireless Controllers by either retweeting the official Xbox sweepstakes tweet and including the hashtag "#XboxSonic2Sweepstakes" on Twitter, or for fans in the United States, by redeeming Microsoft Rewards points. The contest began on 22 March 2022 and ended on 4 April 2022.
On 24 March 2022, it was announced that the Build-A-Bear Workshop retailer would begin releasing Sonic and Tails bears along with Sonic-themed clothing and accessories from their website in the United States, and later in the United Kingdom, with Knuckles listed as an online exclusive coming soon.[100][101][102] The full line includes the three plush characters, Sonic's shoes (sold separately from the Sonic plush), a Ring, Sonic pajamas, a Sonic and Tails tee, and separate Sonic and Tails sound boxes.[101]
received a theatrical release by Paramount Pictures in France, the Netherlands, and the Philippines on 30 March 2022.[103] followed by Australia on 31 March 2022, It received a public release on 1 April 2022 in the United Kingdom and on 8 April 2022 in the United States. It was later confirmed by Paramount Pictures that both Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 would be released on Paramount+ with the latter being added after its theatrical release.[104]
In Japan, the film was released on 19 August 2022 with the original name Sonic the Movie / Sonic VS Knuckles (ソニック・ザ・ムービー/ソニック VS ナックルズ, Sonikku za Mūbī / Sonikku VS Nakkuruzu?).[105][106] Due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Paramount has halted the film's theatrical release in Russia.[107]
Box office
As of 2 May 2022, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 has grossed $178 million in the United States and Canada, and $187.2 million in other countries the world over, giving a total of $365.2 million worldwide.[108][109] In the United States and Canada, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 was released alongside Ambulance and the wide expansion of Everything Everywhere All at Once. It was projected to gross at least $55 million from 4,232 theaters in its opening weekend.[110] The release of the film, whose target audience is people between the ages of 16 and 25, coincided with the start of spring break in 15% of K–12 schools.[111][112][113] The film earned itself $26.8 million on its first day, including $6.25 million from Thursday night previews, doubling that of the original movie.[110][114] eventually grossed $72.1 million over its three-day opening weekend,[115] surpassing the three-day opening ($58 million) of Sonic the Hedgehog and Bruce Almighty ($68 million) to become Jim Carrey's highest three-day domestic opening and Paramount Pictures' biggest three-day opening since 2014.[116] Six million tickets were sold in the U.S. and Canada during its opening weekend. It broke the opening record for a video game movie adaptation, which was previously held by Sonic the Hedgehog. Among opening audiences, males made up 61%, those aged between 18 and 34 comprised 46% of ticket sales and those below 17 comprised 32%, and the ethnic breakdown was 38% were Hispanic/Latino American, 29% Caucasian, 20% African American, and 13% Asian or other.[114] The film also had the best pandemic-era opening for a kids' movie,[117] the all-time seventh best April opening, the second best opening of early 2022, and the fifth best opening since 2020.[118] In its second weekend, the film made $29.3 million, finishing second behind Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.[119] Sonic the Hedgehog 2 later returned to the top of the box office on Easter Monday with $4.5 million.[120] In its third weekend the film made $15.7 million, finishing in second newcomer The Bad Guys.[121] Eventually, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 would surpass the original Sonic the Hedgehog to become the highest-grossing video game film in North America.[122] The film remained in second place in its fourth weekend with the addition of $11.5 million.[123] It earned $6 million in its fifth weekend and $4.7 million in its sixth, leaving it to move to third place.[124][125] In international regions outside North America, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 opened in 31 markets and grossed $26.1 million in its first weekend, outpacing the original film in these markets.[126] In France, the film made $1.2 million on its first day of screening, reaching the top spot in the charts and surpassing the first film's opening day gross by 30%.[127] In the United Kingdom, it debuted at number one in its first weekend and later retook the top spot from Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore in its fourth weekend with £20.2 million in four weeks.[128] The film grossed $37 million in its second international weekend.[129] then added $25 million in its third weekend,[130] and another $19 million in its fourth.[131] The film crossed the $300 million worldwide mark in its fifth weekend.[132] It made $8.2 million the following weekend,[133] and $5.3 million in its seventh weekend.[134]
Critical response
The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes has reported an approval rating of 68% based on 156 reviews, with an average rating of 5.9/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "It isn't as much fun as the little blue guy's greatest games, but if you enjoyed the first film, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 serves as a generally acceptable sequel."[135] Metacritic would give the film a weighted average score of 47% based on 33 critics, which would indicate "mixed or average reviews".[136] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale (same as the first), while those at PostTrak gave it an 87% positive score, with 74% saying they would definitely recommend it.[114] Amy Nicholson of The New York Times gave the film a positive review, saying, "Jim Carrey's reprised role as a villainous weirdo helps this fast-paced, family-friendly video-game-movie sequel maintain a refreshing silliness."[137] Nell Minow of Rogerebert.com gave the film a two out of fours stars, writing, "Yes, we know we're appropriating details from better movies. It is over-plotted, with three different storylines mixing comedy and adventure."[138] Alex Stednan of IGN gave the film a seven 7.0/10, saying, "Sonic the Hedgehog 2 brings all the humor and charm of its predecessor, while also being delightfully more loyal to its source material."[139] Carlos Aguilar of The Wrap also gave the film a positive review, writing, "The screenplay reflects actual effort, and Jim Carrey gets to be unfettered in his performance, leading a surprisingly satisfying follow-up."[140] Leslie Felperin of The Guardian gave the film a three out of five stars and wrote, "There's not much to spoil about Sonic the Hedgehog 2 because there’s not very much to say about it, other than it's mildly amusing and reasonably competently assembled."[141] John Nugent of Empire Magazine gave the film a two out of five stars, writing, "Sonic's second outing is little more than a half-baked half-term distraction tool — though Jim Carrey's outrageously committed performance nearly saves the day."[142] Brian Lloyd of Entertainment.ie gave the film a three out of five stars and said, "Idris Elba as Knuckles is the most galaxy-brain casting idea ever conceived of."[143] Bob Hoose of Plugged In gave the film a positive review, saying, "In short, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 doesn’t necessarily grab the gold ring right out the first loop-de-loop, but it won't disappoint the kids or their "fanboy" parents by the time you hit the flag-waving goal."[144] Thomas Floyd of The Washington Post gave the film a two out of four stars and wrote, "In Sonic the Hedgehog 2, there is no problem that its titular speed demon can't outrun. With that in mind, it's especially perplexing that this video game-inspired sequel should be, of all things, a bit sluggish."[145]
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Mar 28, 2022 · James Marsden, Jim Carrey and Tika Sumpter return for this sequel about Sonic, the otherworldly blue hedgehog (voiced by Ben Schwartz).
Team Sonic is a group that appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog film series produced by Paramount Pictures and its spin-offs. It was founded by Sonic the Hedgehog, Knuckles the Echidna, and Miles "Tails" Prower.
May 24, 2019 · Team Sonic Racing has a strong titular team gimmick and offers a polished racing experience, but doesn't surpass its predecessors.
May 22, 2019 · As the name suggests, the main gimmick in Team Sonic Racing is the ability to race in teams of three. Whereas most races fit the usual leaderboard style points system (15 for a win, 12 for...
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May 19, 2019 · Team Sonic Racing (PC, PS4 [reviewed], Switch, Xbox One) Developer: Sumo Digital. Publisher: Sega. Released: May 21, 2019. MSRP: $39.99. The gimmick here is in the title. Team Sonic Racing...
