Sonic the Hedgehog (2004 film)

Sonic the Hedgehog (Japanese: ソニック・ザ・ヘッジホッグ, Hepburn: Sonikku Za Hejjihoggu) is a 2004 computer-animated action-adventure fantasy comedy film directed by Jeff Fowler and Conrad Vernon, produced by Ben Jameson, Andrew Adamson, Neal H. Moritz, Kelly Asbury, Toru Nakahara, Takeshi Ito, Graham Anderson and William Anderson and written by Patrick Casey, Josh Miller, Toru Nakahara, Takeshi Ito and F. Gary Gray based on a screenplay by Casey, Miller, Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg.

Based on the Sonic the Hedgehog series by Sega and Sonic Team, the film stars the voice of Greg Cipes as the titular character, with Tara Strong, Ewan McGregor, Jennifer Hale, Vin Diesel, Jack Black, and Hugh Jackman. After his home Green Hills gets tarnished by the wrath of Doctor Robotnik (Black), Sonic the Hedgehog (Cipes) teams up with his friend Miles "Tails" Prower the Fox (Strong) and Knuckles the Echidna (Diesel) after meeting some new friends, Wilson (McGregor) and Jenny Brenton (Hale), as Doctor Robotnik travels to Madison, Wisconsin.

The film, an international co-production between the United States, the United Kingdom and Japan, was produced by Paramount Feature Animation, Universal Pictures, Nickelodeon Movies, Amblin Entertainment, Sega Films, Sega Animation, Sonic Team, Games Animation, Inc., Original Film, Team Blue Studios and StudioCanal, with Sony Pictures Imageworks and Industrial Light & Magic providing animation and visual effects services.

Premiering in Glasgow, Scotland on April 1, 2004, Sonic the Hedgehog was theatrically released in the United Kingdom by StudioCanal on April 4, 2004, in the United States by Paramount Pictures on April 9, 2004, internationally by Universal Pictures on April 11, 2004. The film received universal acclaim upon release, with critics praising its animation, visual effects, voice cast (particularly Cipes, Strong, Diesel, McGregor and Black), musical score by Michael Giacchino and Henry Jackman, plot, storyline, humor, songs, and faithfulness to the source material. It was a box office success, grossing $899.7 million worldwide on its budget of $75-85 million.

Plot
The film opens with Sonic the Hedgehog, a hyperactive, blue hedgehog who can run at supersonic speeds, enjoying his peaceful life in Green Hills. He spends his days racing around and having fun, with his only worry being avoiding being spotted by humans. However, things take a dark turn when the evil Doctor Robotnik, a genius scientist with an army of robotic drones, attacks Green Hills with the intention of capturing Sonic. Sonic manages to escape, but the attack leaves his home in ruins and forces him to flee to safety.

Desperate for help, Sonic heads to his friend Tails' home in a nearby forest. Tails, a young fox with the ability to fly, is eager to help Sonic take down Robotnik. Together, they set out to find allies in their fight against the evil scientist. As they journey through the forest, they encounter Knuckles the Echidna (voiced by Keith Silverstein), a tough and independent character who initially clashes with Sonic and Tails. However, they eventually convince him to join their cause, and the trio sets out to track down Robotnik.

Their search leads them to Madison, Wisconsin, where Robotnik has set up his new base of operations. Here, they meet Wilson and Jenny Brenton, a husband and wife who run a local diner. The Brenton's are initially skeptical of Sonic and his friends, but they eventually come to believe in their cause and offer their help. Together, Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and the Brenton's launch an all-out assault on Robotnik's base. The final battle is a fierce and intense showdown, with Sonic using his lightning-fast speed to evade Robotnik's drones and the rest of the team using their unique abilities to take down the enemy.

In the end, Sonic and his friends emerge victorious, and Robotnik is defeated. Green Hills is restored to its former glory, and Sonic is hailed as a hero by the town's residents. Sonic bids farewell to his new friends, promising to come back and visit them soon. As the credits roll, we see Sonic racing through the forest with Tails and Knuckles by his side, teasing a potential sequel with even more epic adventures.

Voice cast
"Main article: List of Sonic the Hedgehog characters"


 * Greg Cipes as Sonic the Hedgehog
 * Tara Strong as Miles "Tails" Prower
 * Ewan McGregor as Wilson Brenton
 * Jennifer Hale as Jenny Brenton
 * Vin Diesel as Knuckles the Echidna
 * Jack Black as Doctor Robotnik
 * Rowan Atkinson as Metal Sonic
 * Cameron Diaz as Amy Rose the Hedgehog
 * Will Smith as Sheriff Gregory Richardson
 * Pamela Adlon as Jessica Richardson
 * Trey Parker as Vector the Crocodile
 * Kevin Michael Richardson as Espio the Chameleon
 * Maddie Blaustein as Charmy Bee
 * Debi Derryberry as Mighty the Armadillo
 * Scarlett Johansson as Ray the Flying Squirrel

Pre-development
Following the success of Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie on home video, Sega had visions of making another Sonic feature-length film. Plans for a second Sonic movie was in talks with Hollywood Pictures in 1998. Rocky Morton, the director for the 1993 live-action adaptation to Super Mario Bros., was set to direct it. However, it never came to fruition.

Development
In 2000, a Sonic the Hedgehog movie was given the green light by Paramount Pictures, who had worked out a deal with Sega to produce a fully computer-animated film, after it was previously envisioned as a 2D-animated film. It was later announced that Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment were attached to the project, with Steven Spielberg as an executive producer and screenwriter. Additionally, DreamWorks Pictures co-founder Jeffrey Katzenberg served as a co-executive producer and a screenwriter for the film, though DreamWorks was not credited in the final film.

Games Animation, Inc. was also attached to the project, with head of production being led by Graham Anderson, the company's founder who also served as a producer, backed with supervising work by his son, William Anderson, who was also serving as producer. Ben Jameson of Team Blue Studios was also attached to the project, as a producer. Originally intended to be a screenwriter and storyboard artist, they attached Jameson to the project as a producer. However, Jameson was given the rights to co-develop the script.

Casting
TBA.

Animation and visual effects
The animation and visual effects were produced at Sony Pictures Imageworks and Industrial Light & Magic. The film includes 1,205 computer-animated shots. Each shot was rendered using high-performance graphics card systems provided by American technology corporation Intel, and high-quality rendering capabilities funded by Microsoft Corporation. The main characters' fur and hair were rendered with additional CGI work by the now-defunct American animation studio Rhythm & Hues Studios. The latter company was credited in the final film, in the end credits.

Sony Pictures Imageworks and Industrial Light & Magic produced their animation separately. Sony Pictures Imageworks produced the CGI animation, while Industrial Light & Magic supervised in CGI animation, while they also provided the visual effects for the film. Rough Draft Studios, a Korean animation studio, providing 2D animation work for flashback sequences involving Sonic's past life. They, like Rhythm & Hues Studios, were credited in the final film.

Post-production
TBA.

Music
"Main article: Sonic the Hedgehog (soundtrack)"The film's score was composed by American composer Michael Giacchino and British composer Henry Jackman. Giacchino and Jackman worked closely with Sonic composers Masato Nakamura and Jun Senoue on the project, with Giacchino incorporating music from the games into the film's score. The scoring took place at the Newman Scoring Stage at 20th Century Fox. The process spanned from September 28, 2002 to December 12, 2003.

The film's score album was released on April 9, 2004 through Sony Music Entertainment, via Paramount Records. The film's soundtrack album, which contained original songs from various artists, was released on April 4, 2004 through Universal Music Group, via Interscope Records. The song The Speed of Sound by Black Eyed Peas received critical acclaim, earning 8x Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.

Marketing
The film was heavily promoted worldwide, with teaser posters and advertisements spread across the world. The first teaser trailer was promoted in the United States, with its original release date of August 22, 2003. The first theatrical trailer premiered on July 19, 2003, with its current release date of April 9, 2004. In the United Kingdom, its release date was April 4, as StudioCanal handled British distribution. Internationally, except for the United Kingdom, the distribution rights were handled by Universal Pictures, with its release date of April 11.

A special trailer debuted during commercial breaks, and featured the song "Gotta Go Fast", the main theme song for the 2003 anime television series Sonic X. Response to this was overwhelmingly positive.

Theatrical
The film premiered in Glasgow, Scotland on April 1, 2004. It was later released theatrically in the United Kingdom on April 4, 2004 by StudioCanal, in the United States on April 9, 2004 by Paramount Pictures, and internationally on April 11, 2004 by Universal Pictures. The film was rated PG by the Motion Picture Association of America for some rude humor, mild peril, language and action.

15-Year Anniversary release
A remastered version of the film, titled Sonic the Hedgehog: The Super-Sonic Edition, was released on April 12, 2019. It was remastered by a team of studio developers at Paramount Pictures into the 4K quality, and was equipped with Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision.

Box office
Sonic the Hedgehog debuted on April 4, 2004 in the United Kingdom, on April 9, 2004 in the United States and on April 11, 2004 internationally. The film grossed $397.4 million in the United States and Canada and $502.3 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $899.7 million against its reported budget of $75-85 million. Breaking several box office records, the film became the second-highest grossing film of 2004, behind Shrek 2.

Critical response
Sonic the Hedgehog holds an approval rating of 95% on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes based on 196 critics, with an average rating of 8.95/10. The sites' critical consensus reads: "Fast-paced, speedy, beautifully animated, and a breathtaking adventure, Sonic the Hedgehog is an animated dessert for fans of the classic Genesis games to enjoy." On Metacritic, the film holds a weighted average score of 88 out of 100 based on 21 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". Audiences polled by CinemaScore assigned the film an average grade "A" on its scale of A+ to F.

Home media
Sonic the Hedgehog was released on VHS and DVD on June 20, 2004, on Blu-ray on September 17, 2007, on Blu-ray 3D on November 30, 2010, and on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray on July 19, 2017 by Paramount Home Entertainment.