The Sonic the Hedgehog Movie 2

it is the sequel to *The Sonic the Hedgehog Movie*. It was directed by Jeff Fowler (in his animated feature directorial debut). The film stars the voices of Dane Cook, Mason Wertheimer, Jason Momoa, Adam James Sanderson, Nova Lee LeClair, Anna Kendrick, Tom Holland, Steve Carell, Arnold Gelderman (his last film role before his death ten days after the film's release) and Daniel Matamoros Jr. (as Doctor Eggman, an returning villian of the movie), with Brian Hull, Joel McHale, Kenau Reeves, Emma Berman, James Corden, Russell Brand, Gal Gadot, Benedict Cumberbatch and Landen Purifoy joining the cast. In the film, Sonic the Hedgehog, his brother and sister, Joey and Anna, and their friends go abroad to participate in the first-ever World Run Race to promote the new energy drink Aerosol, but Joey accidentally becomes involved in international espionage that will determine his and Sonic's fate, while also had to deal with the chaos caused by the black hedgehog named Shadow.

The sequel was announced to be in development during Paramount Global's conference meeting in The Hague, Netherlands prior to the first film's theatrical release. Dane Cook, Mason Wertheimer, Jason Momoa, Adam James Sanderson, Nova Lee LeClair, Josh Gad, Daniel Matamoros Jr., Anna Kendrick and Tom Holland were announced in June 2027 to return to the cast, with Keanu Reeves, Emma Berman, James Corden, Russell Brand, Gal Gadot, Benedict Cumberbatch and Landen Purifoy announced as seven new cast members of the film three months later in September.

*The Sonic the Hedgehog Movie 2* was theatrically released by Paramount Pictures in the United States on June 30, 2028. The film received hugely positive reviews from the critics, where the film was praised for its story, humor, the characters, the dark tone, the action scenes, the introduction of the Sonic Racing vehicles and an emotional tribute to Gelderman, with many considering it to be one of the best Goanimate Animation movies of all time. It was also a massive box office success, grossing $1.809 billion worldwide against a production budget of $150 million.

## Voice cast

* Dane Cook as Sonic the Hedgehog
* Mason Wertheimer as Miles ''Tails'' Prower
* Jason Momoa as Knuckles the Echidna
* Anna Kendrick as Amy Rose
* Daniel Matamoros Jr. as Doctor Eggman
* Adam James Sanderson as Joey Pansfluiter
* Nova Lee LeClair as Anna Pansfluiter
* Brian Hull as Hop the Goat. He was previously voiced by Josh Gad in the first film.
* Joel McHale as Chip. He was previously voiced by Ashton Kutcher in the first film.
* Tom Holland as Hank Amsterdamson
* Will Ferrell as Erik Pansfluiter
* Drew Barrymore as Gina Pansfluiter
* Arnold Gelderman as Eduardo Pansfluiter
* Brad Garrett as Bob
* Owen Wilson as Rushdie
* John Goodman as Jackie

### New characters

* Kenau Reeves as Shadow the Hedgehog
* Landen Purifoy as Metal Sonic
* Benedict Cumberbatch as Miles ''Shen'' Stratford, a villianous peacock from England with the british accent.

## Production

### Development

Jeff Fowler, the director of the live action *Sonic the Hedgehog* movies, replaced John Stevenson and Mark Osborne as the director of the film, since both did not return in the project. Even Guy Richard was not involved as a screenwriter and executive producer for the film since he left Paramount Animation and Goanimate Animation as the CCO of the two studios in December 2026 after allegations of sexual misconduct towards the employees of the studio.

Fowler confirms that *The Sonic the Hedgehog Movie 2* will be "too dark, emotional and scary for children'' because the scenes with Shadow the Hedgehog will be featured in the film.

### Casting

Josh Gad and Ashton Kutcher declined to reprise their respective roles as Hop and Chip due to the dispute over the AI labor rules. With the premiere of the teaser trailer at New York Comic Con in October 2027, it was revealed that Brian Hull and Joel McHale will replace Gad and Kutcher as the voices of Hop and Chip, respectively.

### Animation and design

Like its predeccesor, Goanimate Studios Amsterdam, in Amsterdam, Netherlands, provided the animation for the film, with the assistance of Marza Animation Planet in Tokyo, Japan.

## Music

On June 21, 2027, it was confirmed that Michael Giacchino, known for composing the score soundtracks for the Pixar and Goanimate Animation movies, will compose the score soundtrack for the film, replacing John Powell and Randy Newman from the first film.

## Release

*The Sonic the Hedgehog Movie 2* is scheduled to be theatrically released in the United States by Paramount Pictures on June 30, 2028. During the spring of 2027, Jeff Fowler announced that *The Sonic the Hedgehog Movie 2* would be pushed forward and released in the summer of 2028, six months earlier than the original Christmas 2028 release date (December 22, 2028), to avoid the competition with James Cameron's *Avatar 5* and also due to Paramount Pictures' 2023-2027 string of box office bombs and the management changes at its parent company ParamountRTL.

## Reception

### International classificaton ratings

* USA - PG (Thematic elements, scenes of action and voilence, mild peril and brief mild language)
* Netherlands - 6 (Violence and fear)
* Belgium - AL (Suitable for all ages)