“It’s really the best possible sort of outcome in terms of people enjoying the work we did. I mean, movies take the efforts of so many people, so many artists, so many actors, and for us to get to see people respond so positively and just really embrace the characters in the story, it’s an amazing feeling.” Said directorJeff Fowlerwhen looking back at the success of the first twoSonic the Hedgehogmovies.
Sonic 2 will be available on Digital on May 24 and on 4K, Blu-ray, and DVD on August 9. In anticipation of the home entertainment release, Fowler and Colleen O’Shaughnessey (voice of Tails) joined us to talk about the characters, working together, and the making of the movie.
The firstSonic the Hedgehogmovie wasa huge success, claiming its space in the realm of video-game movies as it should. There’s been a large base of Sonic fans since the ’90s. It was actuallythe highest-grossingvideo-game movie of all time, that is, untilSonic the Hedgehog 2was released, which nowholds that title.
Fans Love the Characters
Fowler creditsthe successto the heightened sense of care that the audience is able to build with the continuation of theSonicmovies and the introduction of more beloved characters. He noted, “it’s the importance of heart… the way the audience connects with Sonic and with Tails, with the new characters, writing, and Knuckles. It’s just so important that the audience cares about your characters. I think that’s one thing that in the first film, we were very successful at getting the audience to connect with Sonic. As a character to root for and to be emotionally invested in his story…. So, no matter how manySonicmovies get made, I think we’ll always come back to that same, very important principle of just really making it have heart.”
O’Shaughnessey voicing Tails inSonic the Hedgehog 2 wasa reprisal for her as she also voiced Tails in the first movie, as well as in 2014 for the TV seriesSonic Boom. “I was over the moon… because oftentimes actors don’t get to continue playing their parts in movies like this. So, I was thrilled and over the moon,” said O’Shaughnessey.
“Colleen comes in the door with so much experience. She knows more about tails than any of us from having played the character for so long. And so, it really is kind of the best scenario to be able to work with her. She knew the character so well, and it really made my job much easier because she knows that little fox inside and out,” added Fowler.
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Voicing the Characters
Among Sonic and Tails is Knuckles, voiced by Idris Elba who according toScreenrant, improvised a lot of his dialogue. When asked if the same is true for Tails, O’Shaughnessey explained, “Some of it was, and that was great. Working with Jeff, you know, he’s open to that and allowing us to work off what may work best in the particular moment. That was really such a great gift as an actor, to be able to bring more of yourself and to have a director that allows you to do that is very exciting. So, I wouldn’t say that a percentage of it was improv, but there was definitely some of it in there.”
O’Shaughnessey also had nice words to say about working with Ben Schwartz, the voice of Sonic. “We were via screens, but he’s such a great person. He’s such a great actor. And he’s so funny. And improv… he’s so great at it. And I have an improv background. So, it was so much fun to be able to work off of him and work with him. It was dreamy and so much fun.”
“The two of them, even off the first record, it was just obvious how great they were going to be together. They just felt so natural. And that was really one of the things we look at as having to be perfect. I mean, it’s Sonic and Tails. It’s like the most iconic duo we could possibly be setting out to create. I slept very good that night, after our first record, just knowing how great the two of them sounded together.” Added Fowler.
As for what’s next forSonicmovies, Paramount has confirmed thatthere will be a third movie, with the addition of an original Knuckles spin-off series with Elba.
