Sonic 2 Movie: Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022)

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 follows Sonic and his new friend Tails as they race to find the Master Emerald before Dr. Robotnik and Knuckles the Echidna can reach it. The story picks up eight months after the end of the first film, when Sonic sent Robotnik away to the Mushroom Planet.

Sonic is now settled on Earth. That changes when Robotnik escapes and finds a new ally in Knuckles, who is hunting for the Master Emerald, a powerful artifact. Tails comes along to help Sonic face the new danger, and the two heroes set out to find the Emerald first.

If you are choosing tonight's film for a family, the setup is simple enough to follow even if you have not seen the first one, although the story does build on it. The film is rated PG in the US, UK and Australia, and it runs 123 minutes, so it is a longer sit than the 99 minute Sonic the Hedgehog (2020). For the full sequence of releases, see sonic movies in order.

In full, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 follows Sonic and Tails as they chase the Master Emerald, then ends with a giant robot fight in Green Hills where the Emerald itself shatters into seven Chaos Emeralds.

Robotnik gets free from the Mushroom Planet after eight months and joins forces with Knuckles, who wants the Master Emerald. Sonic and Tails head out to find the Emerald first. Their trip is disrupted by an ambush at a wedding involving G.U.N. and by an avalanche, so the search is never a straight run from one clue to the next.

The turn comes when Robotnik betrays Knuckles and takes the Emerald for himself. He then leaves both Sonic and Knuckles to drown, which turns two enemies into two people stuck in the same trouble. Tails arrives in a biplane and rescues them, and that rescue is what puts the three characters on the same side.

The action moves to Green Hills, where Robotnik builds a giant robot. During the fight the Master Emerald breaks into seven Chaos Emeralds. Sonic uses them to become Super Sonic and destroys the robot, and Robotnik goes down with it. Knuckles repairs the Master Emerald afterward, and he, Sonic and Tails promise to protect it together.

The Sonic 2 release date in the US was April 8, 2022, confirmed by Box Office Mojo, after a Los Angeles premiere on Tuesday, April 5, 2022, at the Regency Village Theatre.

The film opened earlier in some other markets. The UK date is reported as April 1, 2022, and the Australian date is reported as March 31, 2022, both according to TMDB release listings. In other words, audiences in Australia saw the film more than a week before US moviegoers did.

The next main film, sonic the hedgehog 3, arrived in US theaters on December 20, 2024, and sonic 4 is set for March 19, 2027.

The ending of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 resolves the Master Emerald fight by turning Knuckles from an enemy into a teammate, and it quietly sets up Shadow for the next film.

What actually happens? In Green Hills, Robotnik builds a giant robot, and during the fight the Master Emerald breaks into seven Chaos Emeralds. Sonic uses them to become Super Sonic, wrecks the machine, and Robotnik is lost along with it. Knuckles then repairs the Master Emerald, and he, Sonic and Tails agree to guard it as a team. A scene in the credits points to a secret G.U.N. facility tied to Project Shadow.

Why does Knuckles switch sides? In my opinion, the film sets this up earlier than it first appears. Robotnik betrays Knuckles, takes the Emerald and leaves both him and Sonic to drown, so Knuckles loses his ally at the same moment he shares a problem with his rival. Tails then arrives in a biplane and rescues them, and that rescue is the first time the three act together. By the finale, the promise to protect the Emerald is a continuation of something already in motion.

How does it compare with the first film? Sonic the Hedgehog (2020) ended with Sonic sending Robotnik to the Mushroom Planet and settling in with Tom and Maddie, after a story about a hedgehog living in hiding and lonely enough to knock out power across a region. The sequel answers that loneliness from the other direction. It could be argued that the Super Sonic transformation is the crowd pleaser, but the repaired Emerald and the three way promise are what close the story, because Sonic now has friends of his own kind as well as a human family.

That being said, Robotnik going down with his machine is not a clean exit. The credits scene is the real hint: Agent Stone overhears G.U.N. talk about Project Shadow, and sonic the hedgehog 3 picks it up by showing Shadow captured by G.U.N. in 1974 and studied by Professor Gerald Robotnik. Paradoxically, the villain who seems finished here is the one who returns, with Jim Carrey credited as both Ivo Robotnik and Gerald Robotnik in the third film.

Yes, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 has one mid credits scene, and it teases Shadow.

In the scene, Agent Stone overhears G.U.N. discuss a secret facility linked to Project Shadow. Shadow also appears briefly in live action in a non speaking cameo. The scene sets up the arrival of Shadow in sonic the hedgehog 3, where Keanu Reeves voices the character. If you want to see how the films connect, the sonic timeline lays out where each scene fits.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 was filmed mainly in Vancouver, Canada, with a later shoot in Hawaii, USA.

Principal photography began in Vancouver on March 15, 2021, and wrapped there on May 12, 2021. The Hawaii shoot followed, and filming wrapped on June 25, 2021. The production used the working title Emerald Hill while it was in progress.

The first film also leaned on Vancouver Island, where much of its filming happened in 2018.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 has several production details that are easy to miss on a first watch.

• The working title during production was Emerald Hill.
• Principal photography began in Vancouver on March 15, 2021, and the Hawaii shoot wrapped on June 25, 2021.
• Idris Elba was announced as the voice of Knuckles in August 2021, according to TheWrap.
• Tom Holkenborg, who scored the first film, returned as composer.
• The only original song recorded for the film is Stars in the Sky by Kid Cudi.
• Tails is introduced in this film, voiced by Colleen O'Shaughnessey.
• The film made more than $405 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo, which is more than the first film earned worldwide. See the full sonic box office breakdown.