Sonic the Hedgehog 2 star Ben Schwartz came to the rescue after encountering a theater standee for the film that was missing Sonic himself.
Schwartz, who voices the blue hedgehog in both Sonic the Hedgehog and its upcoming sequel, posted a photo of him subbing in for the stolen Sonic cut-out on Instagram. Although the comedian doesn't quite recapture Sonic's original body language or position, his presence nevertheless makes the standee whole again.
The Sonic the Hedgehog 2 theater standees are part of the film's gradual marketing ramp-up in recent months, including an ongoing stream of posters and promotional artwork. The latest poster turned heads by emulating the original Sonic the Hedgehog 2 video game box art. It contains several elements from the original Genesis cartridge case cover, including Sonic and Tails standing in front of a gigantic three-dimensional "2", behind which looms an equally oversized Doctor Robotnik.
Like the previous Sonic the Hedgehog 2 posters, this artwork also contains at least one major Easter egg. Visual clues point to Labyrinth Zone as one of the locales Sonic and Tails will visit in the sequel. The fourth level of the first Sonic game released in 1991, Labyrinth Zone is noted for its fiendish difficulty. This is thanks to the level's partially-submerged setting (which requires Sonic to hold his breath) and swarms of robotic fish enemies.
Not all Sonic the Hedgehog 2 posters are designed to tease the sequel's plot, though. Some, like the one released to coincide with the release of The Matrix Resurrections in December 2021, are decidedly more playful. That poster parodied the Matrix franchise's red pill/blue pill iconography by presenting fans with a choice between one of Sonic's blue quills or one of Knuckles' red ones. The accompanying caption on Twitter -- "We can only show you the ring. You're the one that has to run through it" -- paraphrased a classic quote from the first Matrix movie and further reinforced the joke.
While fans have responded well to Sonic the Hedgehog 2's marketing efforts so far, the campaign hasn't been entirely controversy-free. Recent fan outcry led Paramount Pictures to reissue the movie's official poster with cast members Colleen O'Shaughnessey and Tika Sumpter's names added. This was in response to complaints that O'Shaughnessey (who voices Tails) and Sumpter (who plays Maddie Wachowski) were omitted from the original poster, despite Schwartz, James Marsden, Idris Elba and Jim Carrey's names all appearing.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 races into cinemas on April 8.
Source: Instagram