Sonic the Hedgehog is a 2020 action-adventure comedy film based on the video game franchise of the same name published by Sega. Directed by Jeff Fowler (in his feature directorial debut) and written by Pat Casey and Josh Miller. It stars Ben Schwartz and Jim Carrey, with James Marsden and Tika Sumpter also in starring roles. It is the first installment in a planned Sonic the Hedgehog film series. The film follows Sonic the Hedgehog (voiced by Schwartz), who runs supersonic speeds, as he teams up with local town sheriff Tom Wachowski (Marsden) to find his lost rings and escape the mad scientist Dr. Robotnik (Carrey).
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 James Marsden and Jim Carrey, but criticized the film’s lack of ambition and amount of product placements. 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.
