Director Jeff Fowler teases that Sonic the Hedgehog 2 has tons of video game Easter eggs and jokes there are too many to actually list. Based on Sega's platforming franchise of the same name, the film franchise first launched with the 2020 hit centered on the titular blue speedster as he befriends small town sheriff Tom Wachowski and attempts to stop the mad scientist Dr. Ivo Robotnik, also known as Doctor Eggman, from using his powers to conquer the world. Sonic the Hedgehog ended with Eggman being sent to the isolated mushroom planet with the use of his magical rings.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 picks up some time after the events of the first film as he hopes to become a bigger hero for the world, though stays at home as Tom and Maddie go on vacation. His relaxation is upended when Eggman returns with the help of Knuckles the Echidna in search of the Master Emerald to again conquer the world, requiring Sonic to step up with new friend Miles "Tails" Prower to find the powerful jewel before it's too late. Ben Schwartz returns to lead the cast of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 alongside Jim Carrey as Eggman, James Marsden as Tom, Tika Sumpter as Maddie, Natasha Rothwell, Adam Pally, Colleen O'Shaughnessey as Miles and Idris Elba making his debut as Knuckles.
While speaking with IGN for their virtual Fan Fest, director Jeff Fowler offered some insight for the highly anticipated Sonic the Hedgehog 2. When asked about bringing in specific elements from the source material, Fowler teased that the sequel has tons of video game Easter eggs and jokes it's "a great problem" trying to figure out how to work them all in. See what Fowler said below:
"[There were] all kinds of [Easter eggs]. One of them was in the trailer, of course, the biplane. It's such an iconic visual from Sonic 2. So as we were sort of setting out to plot Sonic 2, I think we all got excited to pull in that great imagery that all of the fans are going to get excited about when they see it on the big screen and create a cinematic version of the stuff that fans have loved from Sonic 1 and 2. It's a great problem to have that there's so many great Easter eggs that we can incorporate, this movie is chock full of them. I couldn't even begin to list them because there's so much stuff for fans to get excited about."
As Fowler notes, the marketing for Sonic the Hedgehog 2 have shown plenty of iconic video game imagery making its way to the screen, be it through Easter eggs or direct-to-screen translation. The most notable has indeed been that of Tails' Tornado biplane, which he and Sonic fly in a mid-air battle with Eggman's giant robot and dodge his various missiles and drones launched against them. The Tornado biplane made its video game debut the same time as Tails did in the original Sonic the Hedgehog 2, though in the games it was first owned by the titular hero rather than his newfound friend.
While it may not be clear who is the original owner of the Tornado in Sonic the Hedgehog 2, its inclusion in the film and the various other video game Easter eggs and plot elements have seen anticipation for the sequel skyrocket past its predecessor prior to its release. The biggest point of interest amongst audiences has been that of Idris Elba's Knuckles, one of the more powerful and complex characters in the games that viewers have gone wild for upon hearing the Golden Globe winner's voice in the first trailer. The wait for the film is nearly over as Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is set to hit theaters on April 8.
Source: IGN
