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Sonic The Hedgehog

Sonic Live Action Film Being Aimed For PG-13

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Ever since the upcoming Sonic live action film was confirmed in June there has been little information. Now, six months later, there’s been a pinch of it.

Van Robichaux, writer of the upcoming official Sonic live action film, replied to a user’s comments that were posted on his official Facebook page with a couple of tidbits on the film:

  • The crew is trying to aim for a PG-13 rating.
  • There will be no news on the film until next year “for sure”.

With the film and the next Sonic Team game on the horizon 2015 looks to be a critical year for the blue hedgehog. We’ll keep you posted.

This post was originally written by the author for TSSZ News.

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Donnie

Donnie

A chao that wears a news reporter hat, Donnie has been a part of LMC since 2012, LMC's main news writer Donnie is also a part of the Uncutting Crew commentary series.

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180 Comments

    1. Why? It’s not unusual for very little info to be known about a film a year before its release. The next Sonic Team game will likely come first, and we know even less about that.

  3. A PG-13 rating sounds a little too high for something like Sonic. It probably means they want to avoid going for the wacky “G” rating stuff that movies like the Smurfs and Alvin and the Chipmunk did. Fantasy violence could also play a part.

      2. I agree that PG13 can be good, it can also be bad.
        The story could end up like 06’s you know?
        And I honestly don’t know if that many people over 13 would see a sonic movie. I thought more kids than adults would go to it honestly.
        I’m not trying to say you’re wrong. This is just my opinion.

        2. @Marvin

          Lol, that’s an unfair comparision because almost everything is >>>>>>> Smurfs.

          Then again I would say Sonic 06 / Shadow the Hedgehog stories >>>> Sonic Colors / Lost World.

          I didn’t like any of those stories but I rather watch a movie with ambition and even some complexity here and there, even if it fails in quality and doesn’t get the tone right rather than a movie with a sense of humor and scope of the caliber of Smurfs or Alvin and the chipmunks.

        3. I’m not the one trying to argue that a PG-13 Sonic movie isn’t a bad idea, based off of Sonic ’06 and Sonic and the Black Knight having a PEGI-12 rating…..

      3. That’s not the same as a PG-13 rating, though. Like, not at all. The words “shit” and “fuck” can be used in a PG-13 movie. That, right off the bat, sets it completely apart from a PEGI-12 / E10+ video game.

        I really feel like Sonic doesn’t enter into PG-13 territory unless the person telling the story is going out of their way to make it that way. Sonic, in its natural, purest state, is an all-ages series that is primarily geared toward children.

        The only thing that needs to be “mature” about the movie is the thoughtfulness of the story-teller, and wittiness of their dialogue.

        1. Rightly said. There is no reason to take the Sonic movie to profane areas because it goes outside of the definition of what makes Sonic Sonic. It totally does not fit the tone or atmosphere of the culture and the canon.

          If changes can be made to this extent, we might as well expected a Shaggy hillbilly geek Eggman to replace the fat round guy we know and love. Having changed the style and tone entirely, you might as well go the distance and create a whole new universe.

          It is one thing to throw in language to try to “spice” things up. It is something extraordinary altogether when you use your brains to put in a clever bit of two cents here and there and some well-thought ebbing and flowing of conflict.

        2. You mean there’s a massive difference between ‘suitable for 12 and over’ and ‘suitable for 13 and over’?

        3. Yes, RaceProUK, there is when the ratings systems for both mediums are conceived by two completely different entities….

          I just explained to you in the previous post why they are so very different. Whether or not you actually intend to acknowledge that explanation is up to you.

        4. And the BBFC system was conceived by yet another entirely separate entity. Yet no-one has any trouble accepting that a BBFC 12 is equivalent to an MPAA PG-13 or a PEGI 12+, and subject to similar standards.

        5. Try putting “shit” or “fuck” in a video game and see if it remains an “E for Everyone” game. I dare you.

          Also, you claim that “no-one has any trouble” making a comparison? I wasn’t aware you were the voice of everyone.

        6. Way to go, moving the goalposts to a whole new pitch. Do you plan on moving them back at any point? The Sunday League teams aren’t going to be happy if you don’t.

        7. Please explain (though, I doubt you will, because you’re clearly the master of side-stepping direct, blatant arguments against your points…).

        8. I’ll get straight to the point then.

          The closest equivalent of PG-13 and PEGI-12 is not ESRB-E10, but ESRB-T.

          And now I await the inevitable moving of the goalposts yet again.

        10. And let me be absolutely clear for *you*: In America, which is where I live, almost all Sonic games are rated “E for Everyone” by the ESRB (meaning six-year-olds can play them).

          PG-13 movies, rated by the Motion Picture Association of AMERICA, are allowed to use the words”shit” and have exactly one “fuck” in the movie somewhere.

          Since nothing in the Sonic franchise is so violent or vulgar as to warrant a PG-13 rating, it only makes sense for one to scratch their head as why the heck the Sonic movie would have said rating.

          No “goal posts” were ever moved. These are all facts.

        11. On top of that, Sonic ’06 and Sonic and the Black Knight received E10+ ratings in America. So, it very much would seem as though E10+ is the equivalent of a PEGI-12, going just by the two game examples you provided eariler….

        12. The world doesn’t revolve around America. Two Sonic games have a PEGI-12 rating. And that is equivalent to PG-13.

          Or are you one of those who don’t believe in the existence of countries outside the US?

        13. And basing your entire argument on just two games… well, that’s like building a castle foundation from a single box of matches.

        14. All of this nonsense about ESRB and PEGI is moot anyway, because as I stated much earlier, those rating systems do not equate to the MPAA ratings very well. You can get away with A LOT more in a PG-13 movie than you can in a “T for Teen” video game (I used “T for Teen” because technically it’s supposed to allegedly appeal to the same age bracket).

          The bottom-line here is: If we were to accurately and faithfully translate Sonic into a film, he wouldn’t naturally fit into the PG-13 rating range. PG is, by and large, the most suitable rating for a Sonic film that remains tonally consistent with the source material.

        15. And if you want to take the “world doesn’t revolve around America” route, then fine. The large majority of Sonic games are given PEGI-3 and PEGI-7 ratings.

          And you’re criticizing me for basing my argument off of two games, when you used the two Sonic games with a PEGI-12 rating to support your argument as to why Sonic being a PG-13 movie somehow makes sense???

          Mr. Kettle, you’ve just received a call from a Mr. Pot. He says you’re black….

        16. why Sonic being a PG-13 movie somehow makes sense

          And now let’s compare that to what I actually said:

          Sonic 06 and Black Night got PEGI-12 ratings, so it’s not totally unexpected.

          I would greatly appreciate if you actually read my comments, instead of making shit up.

        17. I did read your post.

          “Not unexpected” and “Makes sense” are practically synonyms. Don’t tell me you’re honestly trying to backpedal from an argument by way of “no, I didn’t exactly say that, even though I heavily implied it”….

        18. So in your world, it’s impossible for something nonsensical to also be expected? Must be nice to live in that world. Meanwhile, the rest of us have to deal with the real world.

        19. RaceProUK, I’ve never seen someone be proven wrong with such an utter lack of grace and sportmanship. Well done.

        21. I’m not the one trying to argue that a PG-13 Sonic movie isn’t a bad idea, based off of Sonic ’06 and Sonic and the Black Knight having a PEGI-12 rating…..

  4. I get the feeling these guys have no idea what they’re doing. Live action hybrid? PG-13? This is a disaster of nuclear proportions waiting to happen.

  5. Man this better not be nearly as edgy as they’re planning here. Because if so, this movie’s already dead in the water.

  6. Inb4 everybody complains about this movie being too mature for their little fragile hearts.

    Though I find this very suitable, most Sonic console games are rated for people over 10 years old (or even higher in other countries), here is hoping for a good plot and tone like the Adventure games have.

  7. So, let me get this straight: these guys are aiming for a rating that will surely alienate a part of Sonic’s audience, increase the stigma that there is no middle ground between childish stupidity and over-the-top “edginess” in this series, and all around look ridiculous when we either see a blue hedgehog trying to act in an overtly serious drama, or (even worse) be pretty much like a Michael Bay film.

    The thing is, I’m not one of those who thinks that Sonic can’t handle some serious elements. It’s just rarely been done well. What is there in a PG-13 rating that is so vital that a PG rating would undermine the story and its characters? I’ve seen insightful PG cartoon movies that have a depth that Sonic writers WISH they could achieve.

    1. For one thing, more action and fight scenes are allowed in PG-13 movies than they are in PG movies. That’s probably the olnly reason why they’re pushing for PG-13.

    2. Well there are several flaws in your statement, first, even being a PG-13 film it hasn’t been confirmed it will feature “over-the-top edginess” thus it doesn’t mean it will alienate the fanbase that much, second you think Sonic can’t handle serious elements but that’s only an opinion and not everyone thinks the same, personally I love the little bits of drama it had in the Adventure games which aren’t above your typical action, sci-fi movie drama, and third if you think Sonic writters can achieve the depth of other cartoon movies fear not because they hired brand new writers for this movie.

      1. You failed to notice that I said that I DID understand that Sonic could handle SOME serious elements. Incidentally, I don’t mind the Adventure series. I don’t particularly find anything PG-13 in them, and frankly, a PG animated film can get away with enough for a good Sonic film anyways.

        1. Yeah, sorry about that, my mistake.

          Also in one of the final sentences of my post I meant to say “Sonic writers can’t” instead of “can”, like “if you think Sonic writters can’t achieve the depth of other cartoon movies fear not because they hired brand new writers for this movie.”

          Wish there was an edit button.

  8. Why is everyone assuming PG-13 means dark and edgy?

    Futurama is (often) PG-13, and that’s not dark and edgy.
    Family Guy is normally higher than PG-13, and that’s not dark and edgy.

    I could go on.

    1. Sonic doesn’t have crude dialog and suggestive themes, and is normally not rated pg-13.

      The reason there have been sonic games rated E 10+ is because of either fantasy violence or language. Said violence in those E 10+ games would probably be equivalent to PG standards. So if it’s PG-13, something’s going on. Plus as others said, it’s alienation of Sonic’s fanbase.

      1. So, let me get this straight:
        Sonic Boom alienates the fanbase, because it’s aimed at children (not saying that’s your opinion, but it is of many).
        A film targetting PG-13 alienates the fanbase, because it’s not aimed at children.

        Conclusion: Everything Sonic-related alienates the fanbase, simply by existing.
        Solution: Create something Sonic-related that is aimed at no-one.
        Result: Said thing alienates the fanbase because it’s aimed at no-one.

        Here’s a crazy idea: how about we wait until we actually have plot details?

        2. @RaceProUK
          Hahahaha, oh yeah! I actually forgot about that! Tails got further down the bases than Sonic. Hahaha! 😀 If I remember correctly, none of that stuff was censored or changed for the U.S. release so, yeah. The OVA was great wasn’t it? 😀

        3. @Tomoki
          Man! Right in front of Cream too! I’ll never forget the scene in the beach episode where Amy repeatedly yells, “Bast*rd”. Good point.

    2. Agreed. In fact, the PG-13 rating has made me all the more curious about the film. The Marvel Cinematic Universe films have been all PG-13, IIRC, and they’re hardly dark and edgy. At most it might just have some minor swearing, which I’m totally fine with, because Sonic’s always had profanity in the Japanese version since SA1 on the Dreamcast. Hell, the Japanese version of Lost World had Zazz say “GO TO HELL!” and “KILL SONIKKU” in Engrish, and Sonic X had Sonic shout “Shit!” in Engrish in the second episode! Hopefully this will be breath of fresh air after the overly kiddy Colors, Lost World, and Boom, and not a repeat of Shadow The Hedgehog where everyone’s trying too hard to be dark and edgy. I’ve always wanted the series to go back to its Shonen action roots of the Adventure Era in terms of tone and storytelling, especially SA1.

        1. Why? The Chaos Emeralds were inspired by Dragonball, as was Super Saiyan… I mean Super Sonic…

          You don’t get more Shonen than DBZ, my friend.

        2. You fail to realize the Sonic was heavily inspired by various Shonen series.
          >7 Chaos Emeralds
          >7 Dragon Balls
          >Main character that is a young male that always craves adventure
          >Main character that is a young male that always craves battle
          >Knuckles, Shadow, Silver, Dr. Eggman, Amy
          >Piccolo, Vegeta, Trunks, Dr. Gero, Chichi
          …Mostly Dragon Ball, but you get the point.

        3. And of course, Super Sonic = Super Saiyan, Hyper Sonic = Super Saiyan 2. In Sonic 2, Super Sonic was even more muscular and taller than normal Sonic before getting redesigned for Sonic 3. Sonic had Shonen influence oozing out of it from even the Genesis Days. Colors’ Final Color/Prism Blaster was taken straight out of Kamen Rider. The somersault in Lost World 3DS was basically the tempest kick from the CP9 Arc of One Piece. Sonic = Son Goku, Tails is mix of Bulma, Krillin/Kuririn, and Gohan. Eggman releasing a Monster of the Week has parallels with the Pilaf gang releasing Demon King Piccolo from the original DB. I could go on all day about this.

        4. @Tomoki

          Kind of Off-Topic but also:

          >Death Egg
          >Death Star

          I agree with everything you said btw, especially about his shonen action roots in the Adventure Era ^^

  9. A Sonic PG-13 rating movie? Really???? Oh boy…

    Imagine if Mickey Mouse or Bugs Bunny be in a PG-13 rating film? I don’t think it’s a good fit for Sonic like this. And also will the older audiences watch something of a character design like that?

    I got a bad feeling about this… 🙁

      1. This film will never be a PG-13… and yea the film does have some mature tone, but, have you thought why the studio had to make it as a PG rating? Because of the Disney characters and the other kids’ friendly cartoon characters and they also had to make the story an little tiny bit of a softer tone instead of making it too intense. I remember that the studios did show a movie trailer to aim at the wrong people (Like the older teens) and they hated because of the kids’ shape cartoon characters. It did later become a box-office success and have rave reviews. I don’t know if the older teens enjoy this movie back then but it had to make PG rating for some reason.

        And did Mickey and Bugs make a cameo appearances? Image if Mickey plans Eddie?

    2. Dude, Sonic is no Mickey Mouse nor Bugs Bunny by a long shot, he’s more akin to the StarFox and Sly Cooper kind of world, get with the times.

        1. Well sorry about that, yes he was influenced by those (and Felix the Cat) but evolved into something entirely different, I seriously think Mario is the Mickey Mouse of videogames, he’s great but would never have a PG-13 feature film, Sonic on the other hand could absolutely pull that off, he’s all about action, attitude, explosion, epic battles, etc., the fact that he is an anthropomorphic animal doesn’t mean he has to be Winnie the Pooh, he could aim to be as complex and cool as say, a super hero movie for example.

        2. Dude do you know who we’re dealing here? Sh*tty movies like Smurfs comes from Sony. Do you want this movie to be like Smurfs? Do you WANT? THEN SHUT THE HELL UP!

        3. Sonic was made to be cool. Which is why he was influenced by Bill Clinton’s “get it done” attitude, and Michael Jackson’s boots from Bad. He’s nowhere near Mickey Mouse.

  10. This is great. Kids flock to movies like the Dark Knight,TMNT, Iron Man, Transformers, Guardians of the Galaxy all the time. Hopefully there will be enough coolness for the kids and and some good content for adults.

    1. Yea… but have you take a look at Sonic maybe one more time? Did you look at the character design? Do you think the older audiences will watch something like that? I don’t know think so. Sonic design is more of a kids’ style, little more like a Mickey Mouse design. It would be better if the writer and the film studios just make it PG rating. Making it a PG-13 rating.. sounds like they’re trying to make it as cool as possible but it’s not.. it’s just doesn’t fit the picture that way. Just saying.

      1. Toy Story
        Ice Age
        Finding Nemo
        Wall-E
        Up

        Just a small selection of kids’ movies full of colour that adults like too.

      2. Finding Nemo
        Ice Age
        Toy Story
        Wall-E
        Up

        Just a small selection of kids’ movies full of colour that adults like too.

        1. They’re all G and mostly PG films.

          Oh boy… most of you die-hard Sonic fans just say what you want.

        2. Congrats on missing my point so much you went right round the world and still missed the point.

        1. I think he was thinking more about the big-eyes-cuteness thing. Though that might have more to do with anime influences than some mouse from the 1930s 🙂

    2. Thank you! At least someone understands how this works. Iron Man, TMNT and Transformers are great examples- really, people shouldn’t even be upset over a simple PG-13 rating.

      1. Well, except that TMNT and Transformers sucked. That doesn’t really have anything to do with this conversation though.

  11. Wow……So many of you seriously do not know how movie ratings work. Maybe some of you should put the controller down for a few, get out and visit your local movie theater.

    PG-13 is NOT a mature rating, whatsoever. If it was rated R, then you could get nervous. PG-13 is the rating given to most action movies due to mild violence, explosions, some “mild” dialogue (that does not mean “swearing”, mild dialogue could be something as simple as a threat or harsh/violent dialogue), etc. Many Sonic games are full of explosions and threats, so the movie will most likely be filled with things we’ve already seen before. Seriously, guys…….calm down.

    2. Thank you, Ash. Honestly, given how some of the Sonic games with the best narratives got E10 ratings (Sonic and the Black Knight and Sonic Adventure 2 for its 2012 re-release), I don’t see this as a big deal. As long as the movie matches the tone and execution of SA2 and SatBK and not schlock like the Michael Bay Transformers movies, I’ll be happy.

  12. I think this is great news, at least this means they could go for a cool and complex action story with a fitting tone, hopefully of the likes of The Incredibles, How to Train your Dragon, Big Hero 6, etc., and this obviously means this isn’t just another Smurfs or Alvin and the Chipmunks movie, of course this doesn’t means that the story will atuomatically be good but at least I think they’re on the right track.

    Also this could confirm what many have suspected from some time ago; modern Sonic will go back to the tone of the Adventure era and some games after it while Sonic Boom will keep a more kids friendly tone.

    (To the admins: sorry for the repeated posts of earlier, I was posting from my phone but it went nuts)

    1. I’d be more worried over the fact that it’s a live action/CGI hybrid. Who knows how well they’ll pull that off.

      1. Narratively speaking I’m wondering that too, hope it doesn’t feels forced or out of place, I think is really hard for any studio and director to pull that off, hopefully Sonic and co. will be the only main characters and won’t interact too much with other humans that aren’t Eggman.

        But talking about action scenes I couldn’t be more excited, just think about all the stages in Sonic Generations made with hyperrealistic, hollywood caliber CGI, also with more cinematic shots and angles, like, how would this look if it where in a movie:

        1. Yes please! 🙂 The only thing I’m worried about is Dr. Eggman. How on Earth are they going to pull him off?

  14. I really hope this doesn’t mean it’s going to be a dark and edgy film. It probably won’t though.
    However, I guess a dark film would be a good idea because a lot of kids are fucked up and like that kind of stuff.

    1. “However, I guess a dark film would be a good idea because a lot of kids are fucked up and like that kind of stuff.”
      I know exactly what you’re getting at. I agree.

  15. PG-13 ? Why ?

    It would be better as a PG film I swear to Sega Genesis I hope they don’t over due the “dark” and “edgy” style because we all already seen how that turned out for Sonic *cough*Shadow the Hedgehog*cough* at least we got an update on Sonic’s film I’m hoping it releases in 2016 for the 25th anniversay

    1. Nah, it’s cool man, it doesn’t need to be dark or edgy even having a PG-13 rating, just think about this, Iron Man, Captain America, Thor and The Avengers all have PG-13 rating, they have very charimatic characters, over the top action, visual effects and are PG-13.

  17. This debate between the age demographic and the rating really shows to me that nobody knows what Sonic is supposed to appeal to. So it’s good to know that Sega isn’t the only one that are having a identity crisis with this character.

    1. I believe a fandom is a reflection of the series they’re fans of. Sonic, as a franchise, is a mess, so the fandom is also a mess as a result.

    2. I think that was the case a couple of years ago but not anymore; this is only a theory of mine (and several other fans) but I think Sega have probably splitted the Sonic franchise in two in order to appeal a wider range of audiences and more fans at the same time: on one side we have Sonic Boom, aimed at boys around 11 years old, it has its own world and tone and even a TV show where anyone can watch it, think of a Nickelodeon or Cartoon Network show.

      On the other hand we have Modern Sonic with whom most fans grow up wich is aimed to all kind of people if not a little more mature people than the Sonic Boom audience, it will probably still be multi-platform and will have a feature PG-13 film, think of a Dreamworks, Pixar or even Marvel Studios kind of movie.

  18. Why are some people thinking that a PG-13 rating would alienate many fans? Did you research how well the “darker” Sonic games have sold compared to the more “humorous” games. You probably should. Lost World flopped commercially, and both Boom titles likely will as well (although that could have to do with more than just being aimed at a younger audience, as we all know…). Meanwhile, Unleashed did very well (over 4 million), as did the Adventure series. Shadow the Hedgehog sold about a million copies on the Gamecube alone. Let that sink in. If anything, a PG-13 rating could bring back some of those fans that have been lost since 2012.

    1. Colors sold better than Unleashed though and that has about the same range as Lost World. Lost World and Boom are more results of the Wii U’s performance than anything else (Boom sucks on top of that though).

  20. Sonic the Movie, rated PG-13

    Starring Megan Fox as Elise
    Will Arnett as Dr. Eggman
    and the voice of Shiah Labeouf as Sonic

    Box office smash!

    1. It’s being worked on by Fast & Furious people, so:
      Sonic played by Vin Diesel
      Tails played by Paul Walker
      Knuckles played by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
      Michelle Rodriguez as Amy Rose
      And Danny DeVito as Dr. Eggman

      Tails: “I’m out of the game, Sonic”
      Sonic: “You’re the smartest guy I know, I need your help for one last job.”
      Tails: “Heist?”
      Sonic: “Heist.”
      *fist bump*

      GOTTA GO FAST CARS

      1. Is it wrong to think I’d actually enjoy that, bad though it almost certainly would be?v 🙂

        2. I’d probably watch it. The tie-in game can be made by SUMO Digital, since they made ASRT, which was pretty good.

    1. Why, because we’re not all dead inside? Or maybe because we know how to be something other than a bile-spewing dick?

      1. not you RacePro…this time… lol although I had a feeling when I checked responds you would be first to rely to me <3 I will always remember you as the first person to ever join my fanclub. 🙂

        These people seriously pissing themselves over a rating.

        Sonic was and should have always remained an action hero..so getting the typical action movie PG-13 movie is scaring yall? lol oh lord…guess we need more Pixar family moments to comfort you babies xD

        Nothing against Pixar by the way. They just aren't in the habit of making super/action hero movies which is what Sonic is. Do they make good movies? Absolutely. Do they make action movies? Besides "The Incredibles" the answer would be no. They don't fall in line with the Sonic identity. Simple as that. Now you can try to call BS and say "Sanic is a comaday nao!!!" But take a step back and observe the real picture…has that been profitable? Has SEGA's bottom line improved from this new mommy approved Sonic direction? Would the average movie goer stand in line to buy a movie ticket about an anthro "cartoon" animal traipse around in a kids movie? Aside from parents, and insecure fanboys, the answer would be a resounding no. The thing is…maybe comedy sonic WOULD be excepted and accepted if Sonic was expected to be a family, comedy-based product. He was established to be COOL not FUNNY and that won't ever change NO matter how hard SEGA may try to change that so this movie rating doesn't bother me in the slightest.

        And even if it isn't much better than the TMNT movie (I hope it is) Sonic will once again be making attempts to make his way back to the REAL mainstream audience for a change and with any luck we may get 2 of the following scenarios:

        1. The movie is good, pleases reviewers as well as the average superhero movie fan and get's Sonic some identity stability as well as some mainstream notoriety that he has needed since Sonic 06.

        2. The movie isn't really liked by many but is allowed to blowover and be forgotten like the Astroboy movie that no one remembers and sustain minimal damage.

        But as far as what they have in store for the movie, I doubt it will overload on ball jokes, fart jokes, and inuendo…that would insult Van Robichaux's talent as a writer and so far he hasn't given me any reason to doubt him. But if it turns out it does have it…I won't like it but if it winds up being a hit the kids and the average "hero movie" buff I won't complain since they will know overall that Sonic is an action based series and not a comedy thus if they get interested in the games SEGA will have to fulfill that expectation. It's refreshing to see Sonic not trying to behaving another go at being an action hero rather than a tryhard, self-aware, insecure comedian. Sony has my attention.

        1. Credit where credit’s due, that was actually a pretty decent post. A little snippy maybe, but, well, pot, kettle.

          If only more of your posts were like that, then people wouldn’t be so quick to ride your arse about your attitude.

        2. Actually I agree with you but you should have started with that post instead of just calling everyone else pathetic.

        3. “But take a step back and observe the real picture…has that been profitable? Has SEGA’s bottom line improved from this new mommy approved Sonic direction?”

          Thank you sir for stating a fact that many seem to be missing. I don’t know the exact numbers, but there is NO WAY Sonic has gained fans over the past few years. If anything, he has lost them. And what happened to Sonic since 2010? He started going in a childish direction. If Sonic 06 was one extreme, than the recent games have been the other extreme.

          Now don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed Sonic Colors, and I would have been totally fine with the tone of the game if it was just a one time thing. But it wasn’t. Sega kept trying to push that direction on Sonic despite sales numbers showing a gradual decline (don’t expect Sonic Boom to change that). So, Sonic going back in the direction that made him popular to begin with (edgy and action-oriented) is absolutely the right way to go.

          When Sonic was being created to compete with Mario, being a comedy character was NOT even a consideration, aside from Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog of course. And guess what? SatAM was far more popular.

        4. Sonic was never an action hero. He’s always been a cartoon character based off of Mickey Mouse, Felix the Cat, and Road Runner, with some small bits of inspiration from DBZ thrown in, because it was all the rage at the time.

          Sonic is not comparable to TMNT, because TMNT was originally a very dark and gritty comic book that got turned into a kids’ cartoon for profit. It’s been trying to make its way back to its roots ever since.

          The PG-13 rating isn’t making me scared too much just yet. But, it’s indicative that the movie’s tone will be skewed from what is typically expected out of Sonic (and I’m not just talking the new games. I’m talking the old ones too. Also, the Archie Comic.)

          Like I said before, Sonic is not a PG-13 series that’s aimed at teenagers by default. Someone has to be purposely pushing it in that direction.

        5. @Chaos Controller

          “Sonic was never an action hero.”

          Sorry but Sonic has always been the action hero since the first Sonic game, just look at the plot, an evil scientist is capturing inocent animals to turn them into robots and is Sonic mission to destroy his minions and defeat him, I know there weren’t too many cutscenes in the first games but you can give a look at this and tell me if Sonic looks like a Mickey Mouse rip off in here:

    6. I would have found your post more enlightening if you didn’t feel the need to always call everybody a name or more in your posts every time I see you here.

      Sure I violently disagree on my initial posts here and I’ll be the one to say I apologize for how I’ve behaved but…

      For fuck sake man you need to stop acting so petty.

  22. I’m gonna keep beating the dead horse and throw my hat in with the crowd who doesn’t think that this movie being PG-13 is a good thing.

    I’m not shooting the movie down, nor do I automatically think that it’s going to be bad, but that rating doesn’t fill me with a lot of confidence.

    Veering toward darker tones doesn’t usually bode well for Sonic, outside of the Archie Comics (and even that was extremely questionable for the longest time). Something like Wreck-It Ralph or The Incredibles, right at a solid PG rating, would be much better suited to a Sonic movie, I think.

    1. But this movie isn’t an animation, it’s a live-action movie.

      Now, if you disagree with it being a live-action movie, you disagree with the movie’s very existence, and that is a perfectly valid argument in and of itself.

  23. Uh, I think my post wound up either lost, or in the spam folder. Strange thing is that I was taken to a page saying this page didn’t exist… Donnie, can you fix that please? I wasn’t able to copy and repaste what I typed.

    1. The comment system is broke, for better (meaning 100Rings finally and forcibly will shut up) or for worse (meaning level-headed people like you now cannot share their valuable insight).

    2. For some reason reason I don’t see it anywhere. I don’t think it went through. Might have been due to the up and down nature the site’s had the past few days.

  24. You guys do realize that Shadow and 06 aren’t the only Sonic games with the E10+ rating, right? Unleashed, Black Knight, and Lost World were rated E10+ as well, and they were hardly dark and edgy. SA2 HD also, and it wasn’t anywhere nearly as dark and edgy as Shadow and 06.

    Just chill the fuck out and wait for more info first.

    1. No, please. Let the comment system quaff his trollolicious offal so us civil gents and lasses do not have to submit ourselves to its repulsive fetor.

    2. No need. Obviously it’s just yet more verbal diarrhoea from someone who feels an incessant need to shit on anyone and everyone who doesn’t agree with your extremely narrow view on what is acceptable from a franchise starring a bright blue talking hedgehog.

      And don’t bother trying to deny it, we all know I’m bang on the money.

      1. Good god, you sicken me. Like I know the Sonic fanbase is the butt of joke, producing wonderful people, like furries, mentally ill deviantart accounts, Chris Chan, and overly sensitive people, but when will you people learn? Did you learn ANYTHING from Shadow the Hedgehog and Sonic 06? Good god, it’s a game about a blue hedgehog, and you have the nerve to get upset when people can see what a bad sign it is for a Sonic movie to have a Pg-13 rating? I think they have the right to be extremely skeptical. After all, with Sonic Boom and this movie come out, I can see Sonic fans trying their best to defend it or distance themselves from it. I never comment here, but I decided to read the comments, but big mistake.

      1. Of course, he does, so long as he understands what sort of response he is asking for when he intentionally slams the rest of commenters here as if they were blind, deaf, dumb and stupid and he were seemingly possessing an IQ of 300 and a twisted sense of humor, both worth zip, zilch, zero.

      2. Though his comment might have been too offensive to other user(s) and if you read the rules none has the right to do that in here, that could explain why it was deleted.

  26. If the tables were turned and the movie was rated G, you naysayers would crying, telling us to wait for the movie come out first. Well you know what? I’m happy anout this. It’s time for Sonic to start being cool and edgy again. I’m sick of this light-hearted crap we’ve been getting

    1. Agreed. Fuck, I hate Colors, Lost World, and Boom’s stories so much. The “edgier” games are by no means the pinnacle of writing either, but at least I wasn’t bored and cringing at every cutscene. People say those games were trying too hard to be edgy, and that may be true, but the recent games are also trying way too hard to be funny to the point where they might as well have no stories at all. It’s literally one extreme to the other. I just want the series to find some consistency and stick with it instead of constantly throwing an established gameplay style and story tone out the window in favor of crappy experimental ones with bare bones plots revolving around jokes.

      1. Colors’ story wasn’t so bad. I’d say Generations’ was worse since it was just about non-existent. Colors was genuinely funny a lot of the time and it never got in the way of the plot (what little there was).

        1. I don’t think a minimalist plot is necessarily a bad thing. After all, the plot of Sonic 1 could be written on a postage stamp. And Sonic 2’s wasn’t exactly a Dickensian novel either 😀
          It’s actually one of the things I like most about           Colors: it’s basically just you, as Sonic, fighting the robotic hoard of an angry fat bloke.

          Lost World‘s story sucked ass though. The Deadly Six were about as interesting as beige stripes on a beige background, highlighted in beige, with beige detailing. Hell, the Deadly Six themselves may as well have been beige! The story would have been reasonable if it had just been six renegade robots instead.

        3. No minimalism in and of itself isn’t bad, but the way they did Generations’ story, that is with no story, is such a missed opportunity that I chalk it up as one of the worst in the series history. For one thing, it’s an anniversary game spanning multiple generations, why didn’t the story have more to do with Sonic’s universe than simply “visit this place, ok now this place” and “ha ha, remember this?”. Another is that they missed their golden, maybe their only opportunity to rewrite things that are troublesome (Sol Dimension, Knux & the ME) or things they changed (Silver, Nega) and to answer questions in general (dropped characters).

          Lost World was such a shame though. I actually liked about half the Deadly Six, pretty much only on their one sided personalities (Zazz, Zavok, Zor, in that order). They weren’t GOOD, but I liked them for whatever reason. I wish they had done way more with all of them. I wonder if I would have liked them more as robots? If had been, maybe you could have built up to a(nother) secret coup by Metal Sonic, either in the same game or somewhere down the line.

      2. The point of Generations wasn’t the story. Good job missing the point. This is everything wrong with this fanbase, this is the Sonic cycle all over again. Just watch, in a year’s time, you’ll either be defending or distancing yourself from this movie as everybody makes fun for it being an edgy hedgy movie.

        And you wonder why Nintendo franchises are more successful?

    2. Don’t fucking speak for me, Joe Musashi. I would have been perfectly fine with a G rating. Something can be G rated and enjoyable and I don’t have a problem with it even if it ended up being PG. But PG-13? For a universally loved character like Sonic?

      It doesn’t bode well since those themes have hardly ever benefit him the most when it comes to writing quality.

  27. Another thing that should be noted is that movies, like games, change ratings to hit broader audiences all the time. They might be shooting for a PG-13, but nothing stops them from making that movie and cutting a scene or redubbing audio to par down to a PG.

  28. Still wary (not because of the rating, but because it’s Sony, they’re my least favourite animation studio, I don’t care for any of their films that much) , but I’ll wait for promotional art to be leaked before I decide to be worried or not. 🙂

    1. They did Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, which seems to have been pretty well received. The sequel less so, but far from a disaster. Arthur Christmas seems to have been well-received too.

      But then again, they did do the Smurfs movies…

    2. Agree, the only movie I really liked from them was Hotel Transylvania and it was probably just because Genndy Tartakovsky, but then again the movie could turn great as long as they involve the right people.

  29. Found 5 comments in the spam folder, the majority of them comments for this article. I keep seeing this pattern. The more popular an article gets, the more the spam filter freaks out. XD

    Either way some of you should see your comments up now.

  30. I could honestly care less about the rating, most kids these days watch PG-13 movies anyway, besides, most movies with action are rated PG-13 so it’s nothing different.

    I think Sony is going to do an OK job on this movie, Amazing Spider-Man 1 got them a crap-ton of money when it debuted only reason why the second movie sucked is because there was too much going on at a certain point and the plot was mushy, but other than that, great movie.

    Only thing I’m not so certain of is what way are they going to lead the movie in, Van said that he’s played/playing the Sonic games ( classic and I think modern AFAIK) so he’d have a general idea on how the plot should unfold, but what if it ends up like that piece of crap Eddie Lebron made? that movie was terrible because of the G.U.N agents, the plot, and overall the presentation.

    I really want Van to take a look at some of the successes and failures of most of the recent and old Sonic games and form a just opinion on what HE should do to make the movie as good as it can get, the plot should be easy to understand and follow, while at the same time, have a lot of sustenance attached to it.

    If Van can do that, this Sonic movie might get it big in box office.

  31. @Chaos Controller
    “Sonic was never an action hero. He’s always been a cartoon character based off of Mickey Mouse, Felix the Cat, and Road Runner, with some small bits of inspiration from DBZ thrown in, because it was all the rage at the time.”

    Sorry but I call bullshit. Sonic was inspired by superheros, Micheal Jackson’s boots, and Bill Clinton’s “get it done” attitude.

    http://m.youtube.com/?#/watch?v=6D9h-4vQUHM

    1. Sonic’s attitude was inspired by Bill Clinton, his music was inspired by Michael Jackson, and his design was inspired by Mickey Mouse and Felix the Cat. These are all facts.

      Still, none of that screams action hero…. because he’s not.

      1. Sorry to burst your bubble but I think you are talking about how you would like Sonic to be instead of taking him for what he is, Sonic has always been about action and adventure, you can clearly see that in almost all of his games opening scenes, not to mention all of his games are about action, if you don’t like him for what he is then perhaps you should focus on Sonic Boom which is a more comedic approach.

        1. Nah, he won’t like that either: there’s still plenty of action. At least, there is based on the chassis count I racked up today. A chassis count that has Metal Sonic in the tally no less.

        2. I actually like the Sonic Boom cartoon a lot.

          Also, does this mean that Mario is considered an “action hero” as well? Because, I feel like you really can’t consider Sonic to be one without counting Mario as one as well…

        4. @Chaos Controller

          Mario is a plumber that his main ability is to jump, he must jump a lot and defeat turtles to rescue a princess, sure his games are all about action but almost no plot.

          In the other hand we have a Sonic game that starts like this:

          Stop denying the truth and embrace reality.

        5. So, you’re only an action hero based off of the density of your plot, and not your actual *actions*….?

          You guy have some really whacked reasoning.

        6. I’d also like to direct you to the opening of Super Mario Galaxy.

          You really can’t count Sonic as an action hero, unless you count Mario as well. If you’re denying that Mario is one, then you’re just negating your argument that Sonic is one as well…

        7. @Raw:
          I wouldn’t expect a logical argument from Chaos Controller; he thinks ‘sensible’ and ‘expected’ are synonyms.

        8. @RaceProUK

          Hahaha, I know right? According to his logic you can’t say Master Chief or Solid Snake are action heroes if you don’t count Mario as well, then again I have seen worse but none that didn’t liked Sonic being an action hero.

        9. I wouldn’t expect a logical argument from RaceProUK. He trips over the weak points he tries to make, and then tries to sloppily backpedal over them…

          See? I can be petty and passive-aggressive as well… >_>

        10. Raw, are you seriously comparing two super-soldiers in the military to a talking, blue, cartoon hedgehog that foils the crazy schemes of a wacky, egg-shaped mad scientist? Seriously….?

        11. It’s a good start. Your next goal is to actually present a logical and well-thought out argument.

        13. @Chaos Controller

          Oh, so you are that kind of “fan”, that explains a lot, yes I’m pretty much comparing Sonic to Master Chief or Solid Snake, even when the 3 of them are vastly different, with different tone and rating in their games the three are action heroes, the fact that Sonic games are about a talking blue hedgehog doesn’t mean that he has to be Winnie the Pooh you know? Look, these are some anthropomorphic action heroes on par with Sonic:

          -Fox (Star Fox).
          -Ratchet (Ratchet & Clank).
          -Sly Cooper.
          -Ninja Turtles.
          -Rocket Racoon.

          Though I think Sonic is cooler than them.

        14. Of course, Chaos Controller’s right; Sonic’s not an action hero. I mean, after all, he only smashes robots, has a best friend who flies a biplane armed with machine guns, has another friend who uses his immense strength to smash robots, a self-appointed girlfriend who uses her massive hammer to smash robots, and most recently a crazy young badger who uses her boomerang to smash robots. And of course, we can’t forget to mention the hedgehog who uses magic powers in both close-combat and for ranged attacks, the jewel thief turned secret agent, the water elemental that flattened a city, the hunter-killer robot duplicate, the band of guerilla warriors (a.k.a. the Knothole Freedom Fighters) who routinely sabotage and destroy, and of course the maniacal genius who wants to enslave the entire population of the planet to his will. And then there’s those seven magic gemstones that bestow superpowers. And the time half the Moon was demolished. And the time the planet was shattered into seven pieces. And the huge space station that was designed to oppress an entire planet’s population. And the race of almost invincible robots that wanted to wipe out all organic life in the galaxy.

          Yeah, Sonic’s no action hero. In the same way that my avatar is Big Bird from Sesame Street.

        15. So, now I’m a “quote-unquote fan” because I see Sonic as a cartoon character and not an action hero??

          What kind of fan are you? The kind that puts others below themselves, because their opinions on the tone of the series are different than yours?

          Nice.

          Let me ask you this: Do you think Sonic is more about action or adventure (I’m not trying to trick you or anything. I just want your honest opinion)?

        16. Do you think Sonic is more about action or adventure

          That’s like asking if chilli dogs are delicious or tasty.

        17. @Chaos Controller

          Are you really playing victim just now? Oh my God.

          1- I think Sonic is about Action and Adventure, you think is about adventure and that’s fine, you also say action is more about being routed in “battle, fighting, and/or death” and that’s the very premise of Sonic and has all of that in big doses, yes even death, in videogames and especially in the comics.

          2- Sonic is a videogame action hero, still there are cartoon action heroes like Korra and Goku, comic action heroes like Spider-man or Wolverine and live action heroes like Rambo and John McClane, I don’t get why the medium is an impediment.

        18. No one’s playing the victim and, despite your snark, I can respect those views you detailed.

          RacePro, however…. *tsk tsk*

        20. So, Mario’s fought the King of the Koopas, an interdimesional gang of living weapons, and a Demon Queen (who possessed the woman he loves).

          Yet he’s *not* an action hero? Explain.

          And why you so mad, RacePro?

        21. @Chaos Controller

          The way you put it sounds a lot like a Fantasy hero but I don’t know man I’m not that big of a fan of Mario, and sorry but I’m about to get out of work, see you on Monday!

      2. Nope Sonic’s shoes were inspired by Michael Jackson’s boots from Bad, and made red. Even the Sonic OVA (Naka and Oshima and Sonic Team were involved) has plenty of action.

      3. The series takes a lot of inspiration from Marvel, DC, Dragon Ball Z, and Star Wars. All of those are action series. Action in the Sonic franchise is nothing new, nor alien to the series. Sonic Team back in the 90s basically just took a bunch of pop culture stuff they liked (a lot of which, is action-oriented) and created the Sonic series from it. The Sonic OVA and Sonic X were both supervised by Sonic Team, and they had a mix of action and comedy; unlike Sonic Boom, which focuses mostly on comedy. That’s because Sonic Team loves Shonen action anime/manga and western Sci-fi movies, along with western cartoons and comics.

        Personally, I dislike the Sonic Boom show, and I hate all the stories in the games post-Colors due to generally being rushed, bare bones, and unfunny with poor pacing. I don’t mind comedy in Sonic, so long as it’s actually FUNNY, but most of the recent stuff isn’t really funny, imo.

        1. Well, if you wanna get technical, Star Wars is a space opera, not an action series.

          My personal definition of action series is something firmly routed in the concepts of battle, fighting, and/or death. That may not be the textbook definition for the genre, but it’s what I like to go by.

          Personally, I think Sonic’s much more about Adventure than about Action (the two are not the same thing). But, that’s just me, I suppose.

  32. @Chaos Controller: Adventures can still have action; in fact, most of them do. Sonic battles Dr. Eggman and is army of robots; I’d say that’s action-oriented. The action and adventure go hand in hand with each other. The Sonic series isn’t ALL about action, sure, but saying that Sonic ISN’T an action-oriented series is ignorance and an outright lie. The best genre that describes the series is “Action Adventure”.

  34. I wonder if the directors are still playing the Sonic games. If they are then that would mean that their probably now playing the Adventure games and looking into it. I can’t wait to hear more info next year! I need to know when they’re going to release a teaser trailer or poster, hell an image or something! Yet all we got is just the ratings, which I’m cool with.

    1. As far as we now there still isn’t a director attached, but Van Robichaux, one of the writers of the movie likes the Adventure games and it looks like is playing Sonic Adventure right now, you can check that through his facebook page.

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