Wherever you might go on the Internet this week, you may encounter talks and discussions about either Spider-Man: No Way Home or The Matrix Resurrections, or maybe both. You can choose to shut your eyes and ears to the world, or better, you can join it. That’s what Sonic the Hedgehog 2’s production team do to show their respect to The Matrix’s return to the screens, and also to find a connection between the two franchises. In this new Sonic the Hedgehog movie, Sonic once again tries to prevent his foes from finding the Master Emerald.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2’s teaser begins with the green coding on a black screen, as usually seen in The Matrix. However, while The Matrix has numbers, in Sonic 2 we have the rings that the main character has to collect in the video games. These rings end up forming the shape of the title character.
The teaser then makes a parody of two of the symbolic factors of The Matrix franchise with the choice between the Red Quill, which is Knuckled (Idris Elba) and the Blue Quill, which is Sonic (Ben Schwartz). It is not hard to link this to the choice of the red or blue pill that Neo (Keanu Reeves) has to make in the beginning of The Matrix 1. This red-or-blue choice also comes back in The Matrix Resurrections, as suggested in the trailer.
The second factor is the ending of the teaser, which ends with a title card that imitates The Matrix Resurrection’s teaser poster. This is a reminder that Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is coming out soon. The Sonic the Hedgehog franchise is based on Sonic, one of the most renowned video game characters ever. The upcoming movie is the sequel to the 2020 installment, among the last movies to hit the screens before the breakout of the Covid-19 pandemic, earning over $300 million globally. This second installment will follow Sonic, a blue hedgehog, as he confronts one of his most popular enemies, Knuckles the red echidna.
Beside Schwartz and Elba, the cast also includes the voices of Jim Carrey, Colleen O’Shaughnessey (the voice behind a fan loved character in Tails), Tika Sumpter, James Marsden, Shemar Moore, Adam Pally and Natasha Rothwell.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is slated to hit the office box on April 8. The Matrix Resurrections is now available for streaming on HBO Max. Check out the parody teaser below:
We can only show you the ring. You’re the one that has to run through it. pic.twitter.com/UeUXWUpUpt
— Sonic the Hedgehog (@SonicMovie) December 22, 2021
