Sonic Prime gets first teaser, revealing Deven Mack as Sonic’s voice
Everyone’s favourite spiky blue rodent has been poking his alarmingly elongated nose into a whole host of mediums recently. Of course, you have your usual video games and accompanying comic books; that’s been the case since the 90s, after all. Plus, there’s been a steady procession of Saturday morning cartoons, including the bitingly satirical (and much-overlooked) Sonic Boom. One of these days, we will get key writer from that show, Alan Denton, on ‘ere for an interview.
I swear it. Personal mission. Maybe for issue 3 of the mag, eh, Alan? However, what’s been slightly different lately is the fact that we now have not one, but two (!!) blockbuster movies starring the Blue Blur that have graced the silver screen – and they’ve been rather spiffing, if I do say so myself. And what goes well with an established movie franchise that dabbles in the idea of a multiverse? Why, a Netflix original series that explores said multiverse, of course!
Primed and ready
When Sonic Prime was first unveiled, the internet became awash with speculation. Would it be 2D? 3D? Stop-motion? Hey, a man can dream. More importantly, who would the voice cast be? As it’s a Canadian production, laws surrounding the VA industry mandate that those lending their voices must be Canucks themselves, which put paid to the idea of the usual New Yorker lineup – Roger Craig Smith, Mike Pollock et al – reprising their cherished roles. As fortune would have it, in one fell swoop a surprise teaser trailer (which lasts all of 15 seconds) has answered both those burning queries. Check it out below:
Yep, Sonic Prime is set to be a 3D CGI endeavour, which may come as a slight disappointment to fans who dug the stylised 2D concept art we were treated to last year. Still, Sonic is no stranger to the 3D realm, and though the plasticky motion of the basic model on display in the trailer calls more to mind a YouTube fan SFM than a multi-million dollar Netflix effort, it does the job. What’s far more interesting is the ‘hog’s new vocal cords, which are being provided by artist Deven Mack. Mack ticks the required boxes: sassy? Yep. Canadian. Aye. Owner of Sonic merch? You bet. Devotees will note this isn’t the first time a black dude has voiced the iconic hedgehog; Family Matters‘ Jaleel White kicked things off in the 90s, so this very much has the feel of passing on the torch.
Mack ‘n me
Mack has had a long tenure in animation, voicing characters in the LEGO, Transformers, Marvel and Angry Birds universes over his career. He’s joined by a host of other Canadian faces, and though we haven’t been told which character matches with which actor, we can make some educated guesses. Here’s the list: Ashleigh Ball, Shannon Chan-Kent, Brian Drummond, Vincent Tong, Ian Hanlin, Kazumi Evans, and Adam Narada. Ashleigh Ball seems a shoe-in for Tails, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t note that Brian Drummond (not to be confused with Ryan Drummond – lots of Drummonds running around in this franchise, aren’t there) has already played Knuckles in the highly off-brand Sonic Underground. If he puts in a repeat showing here as the echidna, it’ll be a level of surreal I never thought attainable.
Mack was very clear on Twitter when the news broke that he isn’t replacing the usual cast in the games – this change is just for the Sonic Prime show. Though it’ll be tough for me to hear literally anyone other than Mike Pollock as Eggman, I suppose I can power through. Won’t be easy, lads and lasses.
How about you? What’s your take on the animation and vocal stylings of Sonic Prime? Let us know!
Via, YouTube.
