Sonic The Hedgehog 2 Set Photos Reveal Tails & Knuckles Stand-Ins

Full-size stand-in models of Tails and Knuckles have been photographed on the set of Sonic the Hedgehog 2. After a pop-culture shaming like no other over a particularly unsettling design for the main character, the first film went on to please critics, fans, and its producers. Sonic the Hedgehog broke Marvel's decade-long streak by becoming that year's highest-grossing superhero film. Pitting Ben Schwartz's Sonic against Jim Carrey's Dr. Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik, the film is part of a new generation of video game adaptations that are not offensively bad. Naturally, a sequel is a no-brainer, and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 officially began production last month.

If there is anything fans could agree was lacking in the first film, it's the rest of Sonic's roster of friends. Sonic the Hedgehog featured a very standard alien comes to Earth premise with Sonic in our world. Very little of the world of the games were featured, though Tails did show up looking for Sonic during the credits. Miles "Tails" Prower is a two-tailed fox, a brilliant inventor, and a frequent player 2 to the Blue Blur. Tails and Sonic will likely come up against a manic Dr. Eggman, just as they do multiple times in the games, comics, and various television series. Carrey's Eggman transitions from government scientist, Dr. Robotnik, to his recognizably bald-headed, bushy-mustached, totally unhinged self. Reporting long after the film's release confirmed that another ally of Sonic's, Knuckles the Echidna, would play a large role in the sequel as well. A protector of the all-powerful chaos emeralds who begins as an enemy but becomes a close friend of Sonic's, Knuckles rounds out the trio as the central protagonists of the franchise.

Set photographs shared by Twitter user Tailschannel show full-size models of the trio being used during filming in Fort Langley, BC. The statues are not the most detailed, but they have the right proportions and appear to be posable for the purpose of providing a reference for the actors during the scene and for animators after the fact. The set appears to be dressed for an action scene in a destroyed city, and the models are a bit scuffed up. Whatever they're up to, it must be exciting. Check out the photos below:

As of now, it's anyone's guess exactly what the trio will be getting up to in the film. Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles have faced domestic and intergalactic threats together, as well as participated in the Olympic games against characters from the Super Mario franchise. One thing the models let us know is that there'll be no repeat of the Sonic design fiasco with Knuckles. There were clearly no human teeth used in the making of that stand-in.

Greedy fans look at the trio and immediately think of Sonic. Detective Pikachu brought an impressive number of Pokémon to the big screen in realistic CGI. Sonic's humongous roster of allies makes up a great deal of the franchise's appeal. Though it's unlikely we'll be spoiled with any more of the gang, if Sonic the Hedgehog 2 defies expectations just like its predecessor, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 will likely be hot on its tail, and more of Sonic's animal friends could make it to the silver screen.