Sonic and The Wintersoul Tradition

If you asked me 10 years ago how I would be spending my Valentine’s Day in 2020, I don’t think I would’ve said, “Going to the movies with 3 guys!” But reality is stranger than fiction, and that’s exactly what ended up happening.

It was either that or stay home and do literally nothing that evening. I just  went to the clinic that same day, had a clean bill of health, and decided to head out. Of course I saw the trailers, the curiosity of how Sonic would look. The promise of that classic frenetic Jim Carrey energy. I let myself get hyped up and walked in the theaters with the lowest of expectations.

And I was hooked – line and sinker. The first Sonic movie was funny, not taking itself too seriously, and not overdoing the premise. The joke wrote themselves. Here we had a tragic origin story, the closest onscreen depiction of Mike and Desiree of Potions and Pixels fame with James Marsden and Tika Sumpter, a bar fight, and the aforementioned Jim Carrey hijinks, balanced by the everyman energy of Agent Stone.

I also had three companions to share that with – Darius, Harold, and Yoel.

I can’t remember who invited whom, I just know I was invited. I had started doing more in the gaming scene in Charlotte at this time and Yoel had taken me under his wing. Darius was always a welcoming host, and Harold was cool with me being there, but not with me misnaming Tails (my bad!)

We were excited at the end of that showing at the AMC, chattering about what a sequel could look like, if it would even get one of those, and taking photos with the poster outside the showing. Of course I was in a Sonic blue jumpsuit with matching pumps, so I took photos with Yoel’s Sonic ears because duh.

2 years later and it was practically unspoken, of course we were going to meet up to watch this sequel opening day. And we did, we went to the Regal Starlight this time, and again, a winning formula began to emerge. New character, tragic story, tight wrap up, a great time for everyone involved. We walked out of that showing, nodding and agreeing that the quality between the first and second movies was pretty much the same, and excited by what was to come with the promise of Shadow, but the tenuous possibility that we would be losing Jim Carrey.

Thankfully, that didn’t happen, but this time around, Darius was not able to come and the absence was felt. Harold and I rode up to Greensboro this time to go to Yoel’s birthday and to fulfill our part in this every 2-year tradition to go see Sonic together. Unfortunately, it had been that long since I had seen everyone together IRL and I was so happy to see that this tradition had grown with the additions of Kenny and Yoel’s family, Alex and Dan, Anna and John, and Jessica, David, and Zag.

We had a cozy brunch at Dame’s, picked up cute items at Lost Ark, pushed buttons and downed drinks at Boxcar, and finally, we reached the Regal Grande that seemed the largest in scope to date for such day. It was Yoel’s birthday, and we were all gathered to do the thing that he wanted to do, and that was to see his friends after so much time spent working, grinding, and trying to survive.

—Spoilers if you haven’t seen Sonic 3—

From the opening scene to the last possible moment, we were enraptured in this story. Shadow wakes from his slumber, bent on revenge. Tom and Maddie arranged a camping trip for Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, along with their lesser loved dog. Sonic rushes in and tries to stop Shadow by himself, instead of relying on his friends. We learned of this tale’s tragedy; Maria, and her bright smile, love for kaiju movies and rollerskating. We learned about Gerald Robotnik and the level of deception he was willing to do by using Ivo.

We learned how much Agent Stone really cared about the man he would follow into the depths of danger, even if the benefits weren’t great. And finally, we learned that Sonic shared Shadow’s pain of loss and even as he destroyed Athens and sat on the moon, we learned that it was far too much for a child to deal with and came to the conclusion that, just like us, Sonic was growing up.

The third act hits you in a way where you realize that Tom, Sonic’s stand-in father figure, is in the hospital, Tails and Knuckles are trying to support Sonic in his rage and grief, but can only do so much on their own, and Shadow is a mirror image of Sonic if he never moves past the hurt and pain caused by losing a loved one. Ivo sacrifices himself despite not having what he would consider a loving support system for humanity (and Agent Stone) to survive. As the series continues, it adds more characters of the Sonic canon to the story, like the deliciously vengeful Gerald, and it also adds more adult themes as our group of friends grows, and grows up.

Similarly in experience, this is how this tradition of sorts has grown over time.

It only made sense that Amy would be Sonic’s savior in the end from an army of Sonic clones. Shadow, of course, survived being lit on fire as he passed through the atmosphere. This trilogy doesn’t mark an end but shows a resiliency in friendship and in carrying on that all audiences can relate to.