When the first Sonic the Hedgehog movie (I find it fascinating that I have to make that distinction now) hit theatres in those mystical, far-off pre-COVID days, it’s fair to say we were all somewhat sceptical. A live-action adaptation of a popular platforming franchise? Well, Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo are living proof – well, at least one of them is – that that’s not always a spectacular idea.
Not that purely animated ones inherently fare any better; a certain Lombax and his robotic buddy discovered that being DreamWorks-ified can be a painful, painful process in 2016. On top of all this, the Sonic film hadn’t gotten off to the best start in the court of public opinion. Early test screenings had not gone down well. The ‘hog’s original design can be charitably described as a cross between a gremlin and a mutant, humanoid blue rat. Thankfully, comic artist Tyson Hesse was drafted in to pull his spiny rump out of the fire in terms of appearance. Audiences remained wary of whether Paramount could deliver a satisfying inaugural theatrical outing for the character.
Some Sonic movie backstory
Regardless of what your opinion on the final product was (personally, I found it to be a tad on the Alvin and the Chipmunks side for my tastes, but enjoyed the fast-paced final act and sight gags) most could agree the casting was more or less pitch perfect. Ben Schwartz brought a youthful, charming, bouncy naivete to Sonic’s personality that we’d rarely seen before; James Marsden tapped into his Hop days to play a serviceable straight man; and legend Jim Carrey made for a stellar, sufficiently hammy Dr. Robotnik.
Viewers eager for a sequel had the mother of all bones tossed to them in a couple of post-credits scenes. In one, we saw Carrey take on the more traditional Eggman “bald head and flight suit” garb, and in the other, who should pop through a portal into the real world but Miles ‘Tails’ Prower himself. Rendered in lavish CGI and voiced by his longtime game actress Colleen O’Shaughnessey, the fox’s presence was brief but just enough to dangle a chili dog in front of the snouts of fans everywhere. The message from these two scenes was clear. Movie 1 was just obligatory, safe family movie table-setting. Movie 2 was gonna be the real deal.
Tails finds their voice (again)
So, it was pretty much a given that Tails would be sticking around for the eventually-confirmed sequel, due out in April 2022 at the time of writing and supposedly getting a trailer at this week’s Game Awards. In fact, we’ve reported that a poster for it dropped today, depicting Sonic and Tails atop the Tornado, flat-out verifying that the duo are to play a major role. However, one question remained for the longest time – who would be playing Tails? Sure, O’Shaughnessey reprised her role for the short, 20-second snippet in the first film, but what with Knuckles being brought to life by the ever-suave Idris Elba for the second adventure, many folks reasonably assumed she’d be getting replaced with a more bankable name. Several guesses have been trotted out over the last few months. Names likes Tom Holland and Chris Pratt have sarcastically topped some lists.
As NintendoEnthusiast reports, though, this won’t be the case. For once, Hollywood has gone with talent over big-name stardom, as O’Shaughnessey has confirmed she will be reprising her… reprisal. That’s right: she’ll be playing Tails, in full, for the Sonic movie sequel proper. Quite the feather in her cap, and no mistake. Colleen broke the news on Twitter, which you can check out below:
Final thoughts
O’Shaughnessey has been in the role of the beloved yellow/orange/whatever-colour-SEGA-feels-like-at-the-time sidekick for almost ten years. She took over from fellow voice artist Kate Higgins in late 2013. O’Shaughnessey delivered such a scarily accurate imitation of Higgins’ performance that many fans didn’t even notice the switch until they were told. Colleen continued to play Tails all the way through the Sonic Boom days – including every episode of its fantastic cartoon show – right up to the present, with Forces and a bunch of other Sonic media. It’s perfectly plausible that some fans will have grown up with her in the role, and will be thrilled to hear her on the big screen.
I know that I for one will be getting some pretty big nerd chills sat in that cinema come April; if we’re all even allowed out of our houses by then, that is. Seriously, though. Mad props to Colleen, and hopefully this big break leads to even greener pastures for her career.
Are you happy to hear Colleen will be reprising her role? Let us know!
Via, NintendoEnthusiast.
