It’s not unusual when this archivist receives packages of various Sonic the Hedgehog promotions, but a recently released file for the upcoming Sonic movie sequel became the most interesting out of them all.
Known by the username “AstroSeedP,” the archivist gave Tails’ Channel an exclusive look into how he got his hands on a rare Sonic movie promotional package.
Hello, I’m an American digital artist mostly known for my Vocaloid and Sonic the Hedgehog works.
I have spent many years in the Sonic community both as just a fan and also as an artist, however, my love for this franchise in time led me to the occupation of an avid archivist.
Being the head of the Sonic Video Archive, a project dedicated to archiving and hosting high-quality Sonic media, I’ve been led to many places and made connections that have helped me in finding promotional materials. Sometimes, it even helped me in tracking down physical things, like helping in finding the exact location of the now well-known Sonic statue in the Mie prefecture of Japan.
The poster
Of course, even in my many years of doing this, it does not mean that even I can’t be shocked in finding something I was not prepared for.
In early December 2021, I received a package containing materials for Paramount’s upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog film, Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Though I cannot say where I got it or who gave it to me, it contained a Photoshop file for the film’s poster.
This file included all the layers that was used to make the final image. This includes the renders, the text, the effects: all of that.
There are dozens upon dozens of layers making up every aspect of this poster, from the backgrounds to the individual objects, characters, and text with many of those even having their own files nested within. All in all, the file is nearly three gigabytes in size.
Doctor Robotnik
Getting the promotional package was a real surprise to me. Though I’ve come to the possession of similar files for other Sonic media, they were usually just a single layer or simplified flattened layers from the actual original file. This one, on the other hand, was the complete workflow of the poster.
After isolating the layers, I was able to get some clean photos of Jim Carrey that were composited to make the final Robotnik render. It gave us a good look at his new suit that will be featured quite prominently in the film.
Three images were included within the file. One was used as a layer and it was manipulated to be used in the final version of the poster.
Knuckles the Echidna
However, the most surprising discovery… was this.
Nested within multiple folders and hidden within the layers for the Egg-mobile was a completely unused and unfinished render of Knuckles the Echidna.
In the final poster, I found that Knuckles was masked out of the render. Though, it seems they used the same image for the Egg-mobile as Knuckles’ reflection and shadow could still be seen in the poster released, albeit extremely hard to notice.
A mock-up poster
I presume that with the decision to space out the reveal of the poster and the first trailer, Paramount decided to reserve the reveal of Knuckles and instead make his first appearance be at The Game Awards to create a larger marketing push.
Using the layers included in the package, I created a mock-up to show what the poster would’ve been had he not been cut out.
Unfortunately, no official full, clean render of Knuckles was paired with the first trailer which made this a complicated finding. With the real possibility of litigation, sharing the content was an uneasy thought. In the end, waiting for more pieces of promotion to be released was the decision I took.
In regards to the file though, I will continue to wait it out a bit more. I hope everyone can understand, thank you.
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not represent the views of Tails’ Channel. Tails’ Channel has verified the authenticity of the subject matter prior to publication.
