Sonic the Hedgehog (2020)

Sonic the Hedgehog is a 2020 adventure comedy film directed by Jeff Fowler (in his feature directorial debut) and written by Pat Caseyand Josh Miller based on the video game series and franchise of the same name created by Sega. It stars Ben Schwartz, James Marsden, Tika Sumpter, Natasha Rothwell, Adam Pally, Neal McDonough, and Jim Carrey. It is the first installment in a planned Sonic the Hedgehog film series. The film follows Sonic the Hedgehog (voiced by Schwartz), a hedgehog who can run supersonic speeds, teams up with local town sheriff Tom Wachowski (Marsden), to stop the evil mad scientist Dr. Robotnik (Carrey), who seeks to use Sonic's superpowers to conquer the world.

Development for a Sonic film began in the 1990s, but did not leave the planning stage until Sony Pictures acquired the rights in 2013. Production involved the collaboration of Sega Sammy's Japanese studio Marza Animation Planet, with Fowler brought in to direct in 2016. After Sony put the project in turnaround, Paramount Pictures acquired it in 2017. The majority of the cast signed on by August 2018, and principal filming took place between September and October that year in Vancouver and on Vancouver Island. Following the negative reaction to the first trailer in 2019, the film's release was delayed by three months to redesign Sonic.

Sonic the Hedgehog premiered at the Paramount Pictures studio lot on January 25, 2020, and was theatrically released in the United States on February 14, 2020. The film received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the Sonic character and the performances of Marsden and Carrey but criticized the film for its product placements and a lack of ambition. The film set the record for the biggest opening weekend for a video game film in the United States and Canada. It grossed $319.7 million worldwide, becoming the sixth-highest-grossing film of 2020 and the highest-grossing video game film adaptation of all time in North America. A sequel, titled Sonic the Hedgehog 2, is scheduled for release on April 8, 2022.

## Plot

On a distant planet, Sonic, an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who can run at supersonic speed, is chased by a tribe of echidnas for his power. His guardian, Longclaw the Owl, gives him a bag of rings that open portals to other planets. She uses one to send him to Earth while she stays behind to hold off the echidnas.

Ten years later, Sonic enjoys a secret life near the town of Green Hills, Montana, but longs to make friends. He idolizes the local sheriff, Tom Wachowski, calling him "Donut Lord", and his veterinarian wife, Maddie, calling her "Pretzel Lady", unaware the pair are planning to relocate to San Francisco, as Tom, bored with the lack of action in Green Hills, plans to accept a position he's just been offered with the San Francisco Police Department.

One night, Sonic becomes upset over his loneliness while playing baseball by himself and starts running at high speeds in a circle, inadvertently triggering an electromagnetic pulse which causes a large-scale power outage across the Pacific Northwest. The United States Department of Defense reluctantly enlists the services of eccentric roboticist and scientific genius Dr. Robotnik to determine the cause. Sonic, in a state of shock, flees from his underground home, but Tom discovers Sonic in his shed and accidentally shoots him with a tranquilizer dart, causing Sonic to drop his bag of rings through a portal to San Francisco's Transamerica Pyramid instead of the "mushroom planet" he was planning to travel to. A hesitant Tom agrees to help Sonic and the two flee when confronted by Robotnik, who falsely labels Tom a domestic terrorist. The two slowly bond, with Tom finding himself sympathetic to Sonic's desire for a real friend. Sonic creates a bucket list and Tom helps him complete several entries along their journey.

Having recovered one of Sonic's quills, Robotnik analyzes it and discovers it holds an almost limitless amount of electrical energy. He decides to capture Sonic and use him to power his machines. As he tracks them down, Sonic and Tom debate over Tom's plans to leave Green Hills, which Sonic disapproves of because, regardless of how much action there needs to be, he knows it's still Tom's duty to protect and serve Green Hill's citizens. Sonic and Tom manage to fight off several mechanized pursuit drones sent by Robotnik until Sonic is badly injured after the battle. Arriving in San Francisco, Tom brings him to Maddie, who treats him at her sister Rachel's home. While Tom explains their situation to her, Sonic receives a new pair of red sneakers to replace his ruined ones from Jojo, Maddie's niece. The group soon heads to the roof of the pyramid and recovers the rings. Robotnik arrives, piloting an advanced attack hovercraft powered by the quill. Sonic taunts Robotnik by calling him "Eggman" naming him after his egg-shaped drones. Sonic used his speed to fight off Robotnik's drones and manage to use one of his rings to send Tom and Maddie back to Green Hills in order to protect them.

Sonic challenges Robotnik in a race, but the doctor is able to match his speed using the quill. The two engage in a chase battle across the world through San Francisco, France, China, and Egypt – inadvertently completing several of Sonic's bucket list entries at the same time – ultimately returning to Green Hills. Robotnik finally corners a beaten Sonic, but Tom and the townsfolk intervene, and Tom says that Sonic is his friend, causing Sonic to regain his strength. Sonic then defeats Robotnik by opening a portal to send him to the mushroom planet, through the force of an electromagnetic-powered spin dash. Following the incident, Tom and Maddie decide to stay in Green Hills and let Sonic live with them. The government agrees to hide Sonic's existence by erasing all evidence of the events, including records of Robotnik's existence.

Three months later, a now insane Robotnik is still in possession of Sonic's quill and usable equipment salvaged from the remains of his hovercraft. He swears to return to Earth and exact revenge against Sonic, while a young two-tailed fox emerges from a ring portal on Earth to search for Sonic.

## Cast

* Sonic - Ben Schwartz/Benjamin L. Valic (child)
* Tails - Colleen O'Shaughnessey