Shadow the Hedgehog | |
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Film information | |
Directed by |
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Produced by |
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Written by |
Tim McCanlies |
Starring |
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Music by |
Japan: |
Cinematography |
Hisao Shirai |
Studio |
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Distributed by |
Japan: |
Release Date(s) |
November 11, 2005 |
Language |
English |
Budget |
$40 million |
Box office |
$374.7 million |
Shadow the Hedgehog (シャドウ・ザ・ヘッジホッグ Shadō za Hejjihoggu?) is a 2005 American-Japanese computer animated dark fantasy action film directed by Richard Rich in the English version with the Japanese version directed by Kunihiko Yuyama, the chief director of the Pokémon television series.
The plot centers on the attempt of Shadow the Hedgehog, a creation of Doctor Eggman's grandfather, Professor Gerald Robotnik, to learn about his past while suffering from amnesia.
It was released in North America on November 11, 2005, produced by 4Kids Entertainment and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. The film was rated PG-13 from MPAA rating because of it's darker, sexual and more violent tone.
Shadow the Hedgehog was a commercial success with a worldwide gross of US$374.7 million, but received mixed reviews.
Plot
The French Narrator introduces a new Sonic the Hedgehog movie, hosted from Montreal, Quebec, Canada as it was in 1918. From his army shelter-house, Perky the Cat, in a Cold War uniform costume, is introducing the late period of World War I and talking about how historical it was. However, Patty, in a futuristic robotic soldier costume, appears and says that World War I times were "lame" and the futuristic Worldwide Cyber War is "where it's at". They begin arguing over whether Sonic himself likes the World War I or the future war better, and while working at his home, Sonic feels a disturbance, and tells Tails and Knuckles that "I've got the strangest feeling that somewhere a cat and puffin are arguing about me. And, for some reason, the cat is winning." As Perky and Patty continue to argue, Perky begins the Shadow movie.
Over the commercial break, Perky and Patty continue to fight, now keeping score between the future and the past. Perky brings in a real live World War I soldier, but Patty brings in a futuristic robot super-soldier who begins repeatedly shooting the CW soldier with lasers.
After the cartoon, Perky is shown sitting outside his cave, apparently having lost to Patty. However, Patty comes outside and invites him back in, where Soldy the WWI soldier and the Robot Android Cyborg DX-294888 do a rap called "When Worlds Collide". The song montage features scenes from the first two Sonic films. The film ends with Patty giving Perky a "gift": a WWI tank, which begins chasing him as Perky says bye to the audience.
Cast
Production
Development
Writing
Music
The film's score was composed by Jun Senoue, Yutaka Minobe, Mariko Nanba, Tomoya Ohtani, and Kenichi Tokoi; it was arranged by Jun Senoue, Yutaka Minobe, Keiichi Sugiyama, Mariko Nanba, Tomoya Ohtani, Lee Brotherton, Masahiro Fukuhara, and Kenichi Tokoi.
Animation
Shadow the Hedgehog was the first in the Sonic the Hedgehog film series produced and shot in 35mm anamorphic format. The director felt that a widescreen image was crucial, as a nostalgic reference to old action-adventure films presented in the Cinemascope format (2.35:1), noting Raiders of the Lost Ark as an inspiration. At the peak of it's production, 270 animators, artists and technicians were working on Shadow.
Like Sonic the Hedgehog, American computer animators handed the computer animated Sonic characters.
Rating
Though filmed with the intention of receiving a PG-13 rating, Shadow the Hedgehog received an unofficial R rating by the MPAA on September 15, 2005. Rich, angered said "the MPAA changes their rules willy-nilly and it depends on who’s seeing your actual movie at the time." Director John Moore said the same thing during production of Max Payne.
On September 30, 2005, a trailer confirmed a PG-13 rating, "for violence, sexually suggestive content, and mild language".
Release
Reception
Accolades
Soundtrack
- Main article: Shadow the Hedgehog (soundtrack)
Shadow the Hedgehog is the soundtrack to the film in the United States of America, It was released on November 30, 2005 on Audio CD.
Notes
Trivia
- It is the first film in the Sonic the Hedgehog series to win three Academy Awards for Best Soundtrack, Best Sound Mixing and Best Supporting Actor.
- The World War I soldier that Perky found and thawed out is played by Bill Fagerbakke, who voices Patrick Star. Incidentally, Patty's robo cyber soldier is voiced by Tom Kenny, the actor of SpongeBob SquarePants and Patchy the Pirate.
- It is the first and only film in the Sonic the Hedgehog film series to be rated for an older audience.
- Perky the Cat's voice actor Jim Carrey was awarded the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
- Pete Dickson, Paul Walker and Christian Bale previously starred in Hot Wheels: The First Movie and would later starred in The Fast and The Furious film series. They would also starred in another film titled Atlantis Planet by Walt Disney Pictures.
- Paul Walker died in a car accident on November 30, 2013 along side his friend Roger Rodas. Before his death, Walker said voicing Derekson was his favoruite voice role.
- It is the only film in the series to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. It is also one of the few animated films nominated for the award; the others being Beauty and the Beast, Up, and Toy Story 3.
- 4Kids Entertainment lend their voice actors to reprise their English roles, respectively. 4Kids did not dub the film because of their policy.
- First rated PG-13 anime film to be released in theaters at the same time in the UK, the US and Japan. It's goal was to become a sleeper hit on video and DVD in the UK and the US. It didn't, but it became a box office hit and later became a cult classic.
- A reference to the 1995 anime film Ghost in the Shell was featured: During the chase of the Sneaky Hermit, Patrick and SpongeBob renact the stunts and moves Batou and Motoko perform during the chase after the ghost hacked human.