CinemaCon is an annual convention held in Las Vegas dedicated to the world of cinema, where production companies gather to reveal information and details about their upcoming movies. Paramount was one of those companies, and one of the films about which it revealed more details was the movie starring SEGA's mascot, Sonic the Hedgehog.
Ben Schwartz (Sonic), James Marsden (Tom), and Tika Sumpter (Nan), talking about the movie's first trailer, which focused on Sonic and Tom.
Paramount did not allow cell phones to be used to record the panel, ensuring that it would not leak. Two previously unseen trailers were shown to the audience, the first focusing on Sonic and Tom, a police officer from the town of Green Hills. Description provided by American writer Jim Vejvoda:
1st Trailer: Sonic and Tom
"The Sonic trailer began by showing a deserted rural road, where Tom Wachowski (played by James Marsden), the sheriff of Green Hills, is sitting in his parked car holding a radar gun and trying to catch speeders breaking the law. And that is when a blue blur races past him. Tom cannot believe his eyes. The radar shows a speed of '1,130 kilometers per hour.'
We see Sonic's point of view as he runs down the road and through a forest. We hear him say 'Gotta go fast' while Coolio's Gangsta's Paradise plays. Tom finally catches Sonic when the hedgehog is inside a shed. When he is spotted, Sonic responds, 'Uhhhh, meow?' Tom then shoots the hedgehog with a tranquilizer dart.
Movie poster at the event.
We see Tom driving with Sonic, the blue hedgehog sitting in the passenger seat of Tom's vehicle, while Sonic explains that he is on Earth to save his planet. Sonic can travel between worlds using power rings. A scene then appears showing several craft (possibly alien) in the sky, followed by Sonic confronting other flying weapons while cracking jokes and destroying the robots.
Tom and his wife (played by Tika Sumpter) have to sneak Sonic into a building, hiding him in Tom's gym bag. But Sonic will not stop talking, complaining that the bag strongly smells of deodorant and an old ham sandwich. The movement inside the bag and Sonic's conversation attract the attention of two people while the Wachowskis wait for an elevator. The people think they put their child inside the bag. Tom then says the child is not theirs, but there IS a child in the bag.
The trailer then ends by showing Jim Carrey as Robotnik. He looks like Jim Carrey wearing a large mustache. He is not bald, and he is dressed entirely in black (overcoat and boots)."
Jim Carrey takes the stage to show the Dr. Robotnik trailer.
2nd Trailer: Dr. Robotnik
After the Sonic trailer ended, Jim Carrey took the stage to present a new trailer, joking that the movie belongs to Robotnik (the name Eggman will not be used). The actor suggests the title "Robotnik Conquers the World" for the movie. The second trailer then begins:
"This trailer begins at the Pentagon, where the military is discussing the sudden appearance of a super-powerful energy that knocked out electricity in the Pacific Northwest. Despite their reservations, the military asks Dr. Robotnik for help with the problem.
He arrives by helicopter, aided by an assistant who clearly idolizes the scientist. Robotnik quickly brushes off a uniformed military officer (played by Neal McDonough), and then we see Robotnik greeting Tom at his house ('Good morning, my rural chum.'). The two then exchange lines where Robotnik tries to joke that he was bottle-fed, but the police officer replies that he was actually breastfed. 'Nice,' Robotnik responds. 'Rub that in my orphan face.'
C+C Music Factory's song 'Everybody Dance Now' starts playing over a series of Robotnik clips, with Jim Carrey doing his slapstick comedy. Robotnik receives a latte from his assistant, and the scientist calls him several names, but Agent Stone (Lee Majdoub) is clearly too captivated by the villain to notice he is being insulted.
At the end of the trailer, we then see Carrey's Robotnik looking more like his video game version, with a bald head and a giant, bushy mustache. He is in a post-apocalyptic landscape in the middle of a desert. (It is worth noting that Carrey is not doing any kind of accent or 'voice' for the character, using his natural voice.)"
Actors Explain How They Portrayed Their Characters
During preparations for the panel, some actors were interviewed about how they portrayed the characters and what their personalities would be like. Jim Carrey describes Robotnik's personality in the movie:
He is someone who really does not know what he is doing. He may be the smartest, most intelligent person with the highest IQ in the world, but he is spiritually stupid.
Ben Schwartz had the following to say about Sonic's personality in the movie:
The idea is that he is a child who runs very fast, and he has a little sarcasm, a little attitude, and I bring that to the character through comedy. When I looked at Sonic and then played a little Sonic Mania again, he is like this little kid who is so excited and moves so fast, and the script really shows that. And so I wanted to bring that to life.
High-Profile Cast Involved
The movie will combine computer graphics and live action, with Sonic finding himself on planet Earth after an accident and receiving help from Tom Wachowski against the evil Dr. Robotnik.
Sonic the Hedgehog will premiere in Brazilian theaters on November 14, 2019.
