Adapting characters from one medium to another can be a tricky business, especially when it comes to the question of performance. Video game characters often have long-time performers that fans come to love and a filmmaker's decision to recast them can be controversial. One case study for this difficult phenomenon is the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog 2.
Last year's Sonic the Hedgehog was popularly considered one of the best video game movies of all time, praised highly for capturing the spirit of the iconic source material. Despite this, the film actually featured only 3 characters from the games, while the sequel seems to be introducing several more.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is set to be the first feature film appearance of Knuckles the Echidna. Sonic's rival and companion is highly anticipated and widely beloved by fans of the franchise. Recently, the big reveal that Idris Elba has been cast as the voice actor for Knuckles made huge waves on social media. Fans considered the choice to be both unique and inspired, most seemed very happy with the casting decision. The only concern is that, like many other characters in the franchise, Knuckles did already have a great voice actor.
Many actors have portrayed the character, but the most common English voice actor to take the role is Critical Role mainstay Travis Willingham. Willingham portrayed the character as recently as Super Smash Brothers: Ultimate and as far back as Sonic Colors, but his most iconic performance of the character came in the Sonic Boom TV series. When it came time to bring Knuckles to the big screen, why did the filmmakers feel the need to swap out the character's iconic voice actor for someone else?
Sonic the Hedgehog has been voiced by no less than seven different official voice actors. From Jaleel White in the 90s to his primary modern portrayer Roger Craig Smith, none of his seasoned performers made it to the film. Instead, improv comedy genius and Parks and Rec star Ben Schwartz played Sonic in his first full feature film. Sonic has had cameo appearances in films such as Wreck-It Ralph, meaning his first big-screen appearance actually did see him voiced by Roger Craig Smith, but the film with his name on it did see him recast. Schwartz did a great job, but his performance is clearly an impression of all of the other performers' takes on the character. It seems silly not to just use the genuine article when the final product will sound so similar, especially when the film does sometimes keep the standard voice actor.
Sonic's iconic sidekick, Miles "Tails" Prower, will star in the upcoming sequel, but did make a brief appearance in the mid-credits tease of the first film. Adding mystery to the proceedings, Tails was portrayed by Colleen O'Shaughnessey, the voice actor who currently portrays him in the games and TV series. No announcement has been made regarding any other actors cast for the role, so thus far in the live-action Sonic universe, Tails is the only character portrayed by a seasoned pro at the role.
So why do film productions so regularly recast beloved characters? It makes sense to recast a character like Dr. Robotnik, portrayed in the film iteration by Jim Carrey, but voiced consistently by Mike Pollock since the early 2000s. But characters that remain animated, though shifted radically in art style, could maintain their iconic voices. There are a few reasons a film might choose to recast a character in adaptation.
One justification for recasting roles across adaptations is to firmly establish the canon of the film universe as separate from the games. If marking the two as separate is important, then the characters speaking with different voices would be a substantial hint. The world of the Sonic the Hedgehog films is clearly separate from the games, as any fan would notice from the fun new lore. The problem with this approach is that, just like in the case of Sonic, the new performer often mimics the old. The original voice of the character is what fans hear in their head when they think of them, up to and including the new performers. It can come off like a knock-off, even when it's the genuine article.
The most obvious reason to set aside a character's usual talent is to net some star power. It is inarguable that Ben Schwartz and Idris Elba will draw more eyes than Roger Craig Smith and Travis Willingham. This approach values name recognition more than it does appealing to long-time fans. This is common in all mediums, who could forget when Konami recast David Hayter's iconic role of Solid Snake with Kiefer Sutherland? Some examples of this stunt casting are more egregious than others, but all of them inadvertently say some unkind things about voice actors.
The fact is, voice acting is a different art form than onscreen performance. Voice actors are talented and skilled performers who have mastered their technique, and onscreen actors can not always fill those parts. Film and video games have numerous examples of big names giving poor performances because they are trained for the screen or the stage, not for the recording booth. That will likely not be the case here, but Hollywood's insistence on valuing star power over proven talent makes a mockery of an important part of the entertainment world.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2's characters will likely sound great, even if they aren't the voices fans know and love. The film is just another poster child for the unfortunate truth; voice actors need to be honored for their contributions, even on the big screen.