“Sonic the Hedgehog" has been a favorite of gamers since the 1990’s. That’s why fans made noise when the trailer for the original movie adaptation didn’t live up to their expectations. The studio delayed the film’s release to give Sonic a makeover.
The 2020 movie went on to be a huge hit, grossing more at the North American box office than any other film based on a video game.
“I think we’re giving video fans what they want,” said Ben Schwartz, the actor who contributes the voice of the computer-generated Sonic.
Now “Sonic the Hedgehog 2” picks up where the last one left off, with our little blue hero defending himself and his family from Jim Carrey’s villainous Dr. Robotnic.
Describing what makes Robotnic tick, Carrey said, “He starts out with a 300 IQ and a chip on his shoulder.”
Sonic is a fast-mover with a heart of gold.
“He just loves the world and he’s not skeptical about anything," Carrey said. "And he’s just enjoying things like we wish we could again.”
James Marsden plays the adopted father of Sonic, and credits the voice of Schwartz for bringing the animated character to life.
“This man (Schwartz) is the heart and the energy and the humor of the movie,” Marsden said.
“It’s a testament to how good of an actor James Marsden is," Schwartz said, returning the favor. "Because he has full emotional scenes, full comedic scenes opposite a tennis ball.”
Because the film mixes live action with animation, all the actors have shared time on the set with tennis balls and other non-human stand-ins.
“We were fortunate enough to have life-sized models of the characters," co-star Lee Majdoub said. "After that, they remove that model and you’ve got a piece of tape or tennis ball, or whatever it is, and you just kind of commit to believing it.
Tika Sumpter and Natasha Rothwell play sisters in the film. Natasha also starred in HBO’s wildly popular “White Lotus,” which was filmed at a Hawaiian resort, just a few months before "Sonic" took her back to Hawaii for filming.
“Not a bad office at all,” she joked.
“I feel terrible for her,” Sumpter replied.
The cast of “Sonic 2” hopes to get together again soon, for themselves, and for those dedicated fans.
“Makes me feel happy to be a part of something that brings a lot of joy,” Marsden said.
Sonic 2 is now available on Blu-ray.
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