The Sonic the Hedgehog LEGO set is one of the latest ways for fans to show their love for the long-running platforming series. As if building the set wasn't time-consuming enough, one fan has created a stop-motion video of LEGO Sonic the Hedgehog building the set himself.
Many years ago, LEGO introduced its "Ideas" initiative, a service that allowed builders to create mock sets, share them online, and support others if they desire. Sets that receive 10,000 votes on LEGO Ideas are then eligible for potentially being made into a real set, as the LEGO designer team considers logistically if it is something worth pursuing. The LEGO Sonic set was originally pitched with Sonic Mania, featuring the gang of Hard-Boiled Heavy robots as well as Dr. Robotnik's mech amongst other nods. Ultimately, LEGO opted for a more traditional set, allowing builders to create Green Hill Zone and collect the Chaos Emeralds.
LEGO builder and animator TheJumiFilm has constructed a brilliant stop-motion video of Sonic both building and running through his LEGO set. The level of creativity on display here is astounding as TheJumiFilm depicts the LEGO Sonic minifigure coming to life, dashing around the kitchen table, and assembling Green Hill Zone. There are instances where Sonic builds like he did in LEGO Dimensions, the pieces appearing on the set as he moves his hands, but there are also times when Sonic runs around the set in a blur, with the pieces being applied in every pass. A highlight of the video is when Sonic builds the bridge, dumping LEGO water into the expanse.
Just when one thinks the video is about to end as Sonic finishes the build, TheJumiFilm has one final trick in store. It only makes sense that after building Green Hill Zone, Sonic would go on a stroll through his stomping grounds, and TheJumiFilm delivers just that.
Sonic starts above his live-counter and works his way to the right, destroying the Crabmeat robot, running through the loop, and bouncing off a spring to collect some rings. There is some nice attention to detail as well, the Crabmeat not just disappearing from the set, but vanishing into a cloud of LEGO smoke, and the blue checkpoint flipping to red once Sonic passes it.
Building a LEGO set with such tiny parts as this one can be a labor-intensive experience, so for TheJumiFilm to do it all while creating a stop-motion video is incredible. In some cases it's not as simple as starting and stopping the camera and changing one aspect but multiple, likely extending the build time of the set considerably.
TheJumiFilm's work got the attention of the official Sonic YouTube account, commenting on the video, "Like looking in a mirror! So smooth, great job on this!" Being acknowledged by Sonic the Hedgehog itself is probably a nice bonus then, on top of the satisfaction of creating such a project.