120 replies to this topic

[FreakyFilmFan4ever]

Let's imagine there was a Sonic movie in pre-production, depicting the origin story of Sonic the Hedgehog.
(like an ACTUAL movie, not canceled anime episodes edited together and sold under the title: "Sonic: the Movie".)

SEGA (miraculously) allows full creative control to the writers hired for the job. What would YOU like to see in a Sonic movie (trilogy)?

Would you like the story to stick to either the SatAM cartoons, Archie comics, SEGA video game characters, or integrate the best plots and characters from multiple Sonic continuities and have it go wherever the story would lead it?

[Malus Hedgehog]

A GOOD sonic movie has been long hoped for by [i]this[i] guy. I think a trilogy would be in order... soemthing depicting the little blue guys roots and development up to his struggles in later lif would be good. Sure, sega would have to have a hand in it but i would not sit through 3 hours of sonxamy crap SONSAL ALL TEH WAY. A satAM/archie blend would do it for me but a fresh take might be cool as well.

[FreakyFilmFan4ever]

I think that the original SatAM Archie, and classic-game-story premise would be nice for a movie with perhaps no ten year war with Robotnik no Eggman or any Sally Acorn. Eggman hasn't marketted well to anyone but babies, and it thus lowers the potential fans the movie could reap in. Also, no Sally because given the many characters who'd need to be depicted as close to Sonic, I think she'd be more trouble then she's worth. The characters I would work with the most would depend on how much potential they have in bringing out something in Sonic's character. How good a foil are they to Sonic? Are they good supporting characters or are they pretty hollow and only good for manfight. Many of the characters have the potential to be good and interesting, but those with that potential that naturally seem capable of acting as a foil for Sonic, are of higher precident I would think.

Well, I see your point. But most of the Sonic characters are pretty shallow. Using ANY of them would mean re-constructing their characters to some extent. I think Sally brought much to Sonic's character back during the SatAM days, although her Archie days I feel stray from that too often. Starting a staroy from Sally's origins as well would allow writers to start with a clean slate for Sally, and thus loose all of that left-footed baggage she had in the Archie comics.

[Vlad Yvhv]

I'd stick with the SatAM chars, with some minor char tweaking and improvements to correct the things that don't work quite right... I'd also make the Wolf Pack a more prominant part of the plot. Give them some real teeth... I'd focus more on the geneneral idea of an action movie, with more of a plot than most, but not so much as to actually bog the movie down. Sure, it may not win many awards or really explain very much, but it'd be fun to watch and rewatch...

After all, what good is a fancy, high-price award winning movie if you only wanna see it once and be done with it? A well put together movie that's fun and entertaining is the mark of a truely good movie, in my book. Romance and drama are overrated...

[FreakyFilmFan4ever]

'd stick with the SatAM chars, with some minor char tweaking and improvements to correct the things that don't work quite right... I'd also make the Wolf Pack a more prominant part of the plot. Give them some real teeth... I'd focus more on the geneneral idea of an action movie, with more of a plot than most, but not so much as to actually bog the movie down. Sure, it may not win many awards or really explain very much, but it'd be fun to watch and rewatch...

After all, what good is a fancy, high-price award winning movie if you only wanna see it once and be done with it? A well put together movie that's fun and entertaining is the mark of a truely good movie, in my book. Romance and drama are overrated...

Exactly. I don't believe "I Am Legend" won awards, but I thought the movie was so good I bought the DVD. But I never watched after buying it. The re-play value kinda sucked. Waste of money now that I think back on it. Whereas I still watch "Transformers", despite the somewhat clumsy script, because the action scenes are more entertaining. As a matter of fact, I think that's why they call it the "entertainment business".

I would include elements from the early games and SatAM(with greater emphasis on the latter of course )

I was comparing the Sonic 1, 2, 3, & Knuckles games for the SEGA Genesis and came to the conclusion that I liked Sonic's character best in Sonic 1. His eyes were more determined than they were in Sonic 3 & Knuckles, and after he busted open the animal traps at the end of each boss, he just ran off screen. Didn't even waste time posing for the scoreboard as he does in the latter ones. Made it seem as if his quest to defeat Robotnik was more important than his self-image, something you don't see in the more recent renditions of Sonic. That little character element should be in a Sonic movie, instead of the "ultra-pose-y" "Sonic X" character.

[salamander]

I would do a disney style musical, pure Satam. Think of the Lion King, same mix of darker drama and lighter comedy. The plot would be an abridged version of the Satam series, ending with the Doomsday project. We'd see some short flashbacks to the coup and Bunnie's roboticization. Just a couple tweaks:everybody gets deroboticised in the end, Antoine and Bunnie get together, and the void/Naugus/time stones are left out.
Any further sequels would deal with everybody getting their parents back, and Snively becoming a villain and/or defecting to the freedom fighters.
Antoine would get lots of screen time and his own musical number of course.. Don't know how many people would pay to see it, but it's what I want

[Gojira007]

Actually I find that the problem with Sally. By being built to be the foil for Sonic's personality, a lot of the other characters didn't really have room to add to Sonic's character. That's what I meant when I said she's more trouble then she's worth because there are so many characters who'd need to be portrayed as having bonded well with Sonic. The problem I have with her is not in her origins, it's more to do with how her relationship to Sonic operates.

So whether she does or could add something to Sonic's character is irrelevant; she needs to go so that other characters can fulfill the role of "Foil"?

That seems counterintuitive to me in a lot of ways. First, it assumes that the only function any given character has is how they relate to Sonic, but in a good story, all the characters should matter as individuals in addition to what they bring out in the main character. Second, it assumes that there can be one and only one foil. Yet if that's true, why not let Sally be that foil? And if it ISN'T, why can't Sally remain and the other characters still get to play that part as well? Third, it assumes that only through being a "Foil" can a character reveal something about Sonic; yet doesn't Sonic's brotherly relationship with Tails show us something about his character? Doesn't his choice to confide in Rotor? Doesn't his constant teasing of Antoine? Doesn't his trust in Bunnie? These are all things I saw demonstrated in SatAM even with Sally present as the person who would challenge Sonic, so why can't that carry over into this hypothetical movie?

[FreakyFilmFan4ever]

Actually I find that the problem with Sally. By being built to be the foil for Sonic's personality, a lot of the other characters didn't really have room to add to Sonic's character. That's what I meant when I said she's more trouble then she's worth because there are so many characters who'd need to be portrayed as having bonded well with Sonic. The problem I have with her is not in her origins, it's more to do with how her relationship to Sonic operates.

So whether she does or could add something to Sonic's character is irrelevant; she needs to go so that other characters can fulfill the role of "Foil"?

That seems counterintuitive to me in a lot of ways. First, it assumes that the only function any given character has is how they relate to Sonic, but in a good story, all the characters should matter as individuals in addition to what they bring out in the main character. Second, it assumes that there can be one and only one foil. Yet if that's true, why not let Sally be that foil? And if it ISN'T, why can't Sally remain and the other characters still get to play that part as well? Third, it assumes that only through being a "Foil" can a character reveal something about Sonic; yet doesn't Sonic's brotherly relationship with Tails show us something about his character? Doesn't his choice to confide in Rotor? Doesn't his constant teasing of Antoine? Doesn't his trust in Bunnie? These are all things I saw demonstrated in SatAM even with Sally present as the person who would challenge Sonic, so why can't that carry over into this hypothetical movie?

I would be more interested in seeing how Sonic's character would flesh out before seeing what supporting characters are suitable to be part of the cast. We know what Sonic was like in SatAM and Archie, but to be in a movie that might be three hours long, he would have to be less... oh, how shall I say this? .... annoying?

Sonic's happy-go-lucky "way-past-cool" attitude suited the SatAM series mainly due to the fact the episodes are only 28 minutes each and the series didn't show ALL of Sonic's problems in the past. The only character from Sonic's family we saw in the show was Sir Charles. Muttski only showed up in a pilot episode that most didn't even associate with the final arch of SatAM.

That attitude just wouldn't make sense in a longer (darker?) movie with more serious situations, like, Sonic seeing what became of his parents, along with Sir Charles, and his home, and his friends,... ect., after Robotnik takes over.

After seeing all of these devastating things, people would expect Sonic's motivation and attitude for defeating Robotnik to be less than happy-go-lucky.
(Example: I like Sonic's motivation in the "Ultra Sonic" episode rather than in "Sonic Racer". Sonic seemed to care more about getting his family back in "Ultra Sonic", rather than maintaining his self image as "the fastest thing alive" in "Sonic Racer".)

After finding Sonic's motivations in the movie, it would be easier to see what other characters would be best to support Sonic.

[FreakyFilmFan4ever]

1. None of these characters really display qualities that Sally herself couldn't do. In this instance they'd only stand to destroy the value of one another, and the veiwer is left wondering why Sonic just doesn't normally go to Sally all the time. Obviously this little twist is done for screentime purposes. Not to continue the flow of beleivability. I'd also like to add that none of these characters added any qualities viewers wouldn't have already assumed Sonic was capable of doing since most people are capable of asking for advice or trusting another person.

2. None of these qualities outlined (with the exception of perhaps Antione's cowardice) are very unique to the characters. This standard sets to make them incredibly generic and boring. So what, Bunnie and Rotor are "trustworthy" or have ideas (not that personal expiriences = revealing personality traits ). This is something that really doesn't help the veiwer to see them as distinct or unique because most people and virtually every protaganist is expected to have these qualities. It's like saying someone is "nice."

Whatever character that would be used in a movie would also have the same dilemma. I think it was demonstrated in the game "Sonic Heroes", where there were four different groups of characters that could all accomplish the same role in the story. And neither of them were Sally. So, it's more than just Sally's character. It's ALL of them. I think the writers would just need to find out what they could change in the characters to make them something different and supportive to Sonic's character, because all the characters are going to have to be changed in some way.

Personally, I see a potential for Sally being a great supporting character to Sonic in many ways that are not romantic/girlfriend like. I don't even think Sonic and Sally would be interested in relationships if their motivation was fixated on Robotnik's downfall. Being in some form of royalty before Robotnik's take-over, she would resources to weapons, armor, and vehicles that were in the primary stages of development by Sir Charles (head of Science Ministry) before Robotnik (former head of War Ministry) would have gotten word of it. As a matter of fact, that could be where Sonic got a lot of his gear (power rings, flexible fireproof shoes and gloves. They need to come from somewhere).

There is definably more potential in Sally than there is in Amy (we don't need a hammer), Cream (we don't need a chao), or Mina (yay, babysitting!).

I don't see Rotor as being a supportive character for Sonic since he would have so little screen time, and it's hard to develop someone's character without that. He next to never goes out on missions, and since they whole plot of the movie would be based around one, Rotor would only show up in the beginning and end.

Tails could be the hope that everything WILL get better. Nothing like a child to do that for the audience. Sonic could also be Tails' saragent father.

Antoine is just gonna be in the way. I don't know if I'd want to see him in a movie.

Bunnie could be the victim that has a grudge against Robotnik. She could also be the key to his demise (seeing that she's half robotic, she could be analyzed to find a weakness in Robotnik, who suffered the same fate).

Dulcy... meh.

I'd like to see Knuckles, but I don't know what he'd do in the movie.

[Mithrandir]

I've thought about this before; selfishly speaking, I'd give it mostly SatAM elements, but I'd find a way to introduce at least Knuckles, if not all the Chaotix.

I think I'd open it with a prologue depicting Robotnik's coup, and showing Uncle Chuck's robotization, and the children escaping to Knothole.

That said, I'd open up the world of Mobius a bit. Yes, the heroes still live in Knothole, but there's a wider world not too far away from them, villages and small towns (not many huge cities or anything highly advanced, since Robotropolis is supposed to be the mechanical city) where they sometimes travel for supplies, for news, etc.

Somehow, these towns exist, but under the constant threat of robotization. Maybe you could have an element where the townsfolk resent the Knothole Freedom Fighters, because their mere presence means that Robotnik may not be far behind, and innocents could be arrested as conspirators.

Then again...do you go that route, or do you simply have Robotnik roboticizing any and everything he can get his hands on? Meh, I'll think it over more later.

For a one-shot movie, I'd have no qualms with having the Chaos Emeralds being a story point, but I'd be sure to include a psychadelic sequence where, in order to get them, the heroes have to make their way through a, well, "Special Stage", with bright, vibrant colors, warped environments, maybe even a floating fish or bird in the background or two.

Hell, for a one shot movie, I'd even think of using the Death Egg as Robotnik's big threat to everybody, since it's so recognizable to most Sonic gamers (at least those who lived for the Genesis games like I did growing up).

I'll try thinking this through more later, but I think, again, a one-shot movie would need to have some iconic stuff in it (i.e. Emeralds/Death Egg/etc.), stuff people would immediately identify with and enjoy, while introducing enough newer and reborn retro stuff that it's fresh, unlike current Sega Sonic.

Oh, and Antoine would man up a bit. Maybe start out as the cowardly comic relief, but be forced to strengthen up midway through.

[FreakyFilmFan4ever]

Miko, I think I know what our problem is... we're trying to figure out what kind of characters would give the movie heart when we don't even know what the movie would possibly be yet. I love movies with heart. I even like to cry at movies (and I'm a guy! ). But you'd also want you characters to do two things at once, advance the plot AND give the movie heart. And since we don't really know what the plot could be, we don't know how to give it heart. And it takes a lot of little specific moments inside a movie to give it heart that make it hard to sum them all up in one general statement without it sounding shallow (at least, I can't sum them up that way). There are a lot of little scenes in my head that would give the movie heart, but I can't really convey them without actually sitting down and writing them within a proper story setting inside a script.