The Sonic franchise is the rare film series that gets better and better with each successive sequel. In this case, the reason is actually very simple: every new one adds at least one new one Little guy. And the filmmakers have absolutely perfected the creation of these Little Guys, translating them from their cartoonish designs to “realistic” designs.
It’s a bit of a miracle, considering the original Sonic design was so poorly received that the crew went back and remade all the animations. If director Jeff Fowler hadn’t taken the film back to the drawing board, it’s unlikely we would have seen the film. Sonic 2let alone Sonic3 (or Sonic 4which is officially in the works for 2027). The first version of Sonic was downright terrifying. It skews too realistic, with beady little eyes, strangely human legs and, most infamously, a series of individually rendered chompers. The response was so strong that Team Sonic (Movie) postponed the film for five months to work on the Little Guy just now right.
And boy, what a makeover. Sonic is the perfect mix of cartoony and realistic. His fur is so textured that I have a pretty good idea of what it would feel like if I touched him, but his eyes and facial features are big, exaggerated and just plain adorable. (Also, his teeth aren’t high definition enough for me to floss them.)
With Tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessey) and Knuckles (Idris Elba) introduced in Sonic 2 and Shadow (Keanu Reeves) introduced Sonic3that cast of adorable and perfectly calibrated Little Guys has only grown – each with their own unique personality. Tails’ bubbly and cheerful personality is the one you would most expect from a cute, talking animal sidekick, but he never gets irritated. Meanwhile, Knuckles is incredibly serious and thinks with his fists instead of his brain. Shadow is fearful and full of revenge. It’s just damn funny when a character plots a murder when that character is a 30-foot-tall black hedgehog with streaks of red hair.
But what makes these movies absolutely amazing is the fact that these cute little guys are interacting with the human world. The sheer comedy of a veteran general of a powerful military organization sitting next to three brightly colored anthropomorphic creatures and very seriously presenting them with the launch card for a deadly secret weapon is unparalleled.
As more Little Guys are introduced, there’s always the chance that the films will tip at much into CG creature territory and lose the crackling juxtaposition of the real and cartoonish. Yes, there is charm in having a full animated movie with the Sonic characters. But personally, I think a lot of the humor comes from seeing the grounded human characters interact with the brightly colored cartoons. Humor works best when there’s contrast, and the crazier elements of the Little Guys and Jim Carrey’s bizarre Dr. Robotnik come to the fore even more as the ordinary people of Green Hills, Montana, must adapt to having a bizarre group of aliens walking through town. . The regular human characters may be boring, but that’s the point. It’s like how the Muppets work best when they can play against some strict people. It’s all about the balance between the crazy and the mundane.
And so far, Fowler has deftly maintained that balance, and against all odds, each new film has only gone from strength to strength. And with the post-credits scene teasing Amy Rose, and an army of Metal Sonics, there are even more Little Guys (gender neutral!) to look forward to, with new personalities joining the mix. Come on Sonic 4. At this rate it will probably be a masterpiece.