Chip ‘N Dale: Rescue Rangers director explains ‘Ugly Sonic’ cameo

Meme fans and popcorn-eating drama watchers may have fond memories of a certain moment in 2019, when the first images were from Paramount Pictures. sonic the hedgehog It appeared on the Internet, and the Internet moved to bananas. Original CG character design He raised a wave of sonic disgust on his blue, bare, gloved hands; His cute little eyes. Its huge triangular mass of head fur; And worst of all, his fine, oddly detailed human teeth. Following the audience’s response, The character has been quickly and massively redesigned for the actual movie release.

Now “Ugly Sonic” has returned the original design. The character expressed by I think you should leave star Tim Robinson, playing a surprisingly important role in Disney Plus Chip and Dale: Rescue the Rangersa Who put Roger RabbitLive action movie in a style packed with iconic animated characters who live side by side with humans, and co-star with them in movies and TV. Ugly Sonic was first introduced at the fandom convention, where he carved autographs and battered his online notoriety, (describing himself that way, complete with a giant “Ugly Sonic” banner for his booth) as arrogant and a little bitter about his brief, brief cinematic career. The role only grows from there.

Director Akiva Schafer A secluded island User who was previously logged out hot rod And Popstar: Never stop stopping, tells Polygon that the presence of Ugly Sonic was a highlight of the movie for him, but he can’t discuss what happened with the character’s licensing. “It’s one of my favourites [cameos in the film]’ he says. ‘I can talk about it. It’s one of my favorite things about the movie. And I’m so excited for people to see it… I don’t know what to say, what I’m allowed to say [about it]. I think I’ll actually defend the fifth.”

Chip and Dale: Rescue the Rangers Filled with these cartoon motifs, from classic Disney characters to TV mystery to one of the most iconic creations of underground comedian Robert Crump. None of these stand out and challenge brands like Who put Roger Rabbit‘s An unforgettable piano duel between Daffy Duck and Donald Duckbut they are often amazing in their scope, which goes well beyond Disney.

“It was very important to me to get a set of third-party animation, because if this is kind of a celebration of animation, it can’t just be a celebration of Disney animation,” Schafer says. “You don’t want it to sound like an ad for Disney Plus.”

Just like with files Who put Roger Rabbit Or anaglyph video game character across the company from Wreck it RalphThe film presented a copyright challenge. “The [characters] You see in the movie — sometimes we had to try two or three other things before we found something that could be licensed,” Schafer says. “It was practical. […] Normally you don’t get out of a movie and want to thank the lawyers, but we really owe it to the Disney lawyers for being players on the team. [They] Super remained optimistic about it, and really saw the value of the third party stuff, and they had to work really hard. […] Easy for me to go, like, Oh, it would be cool if My Little Pony appeared in the movie, and they’re like running down the lanes […] but then [the lawyers] You should go call Mattel and show them the movie, and tell them he’s not making fun of them [the characters], And then I must continue, then such and such and such. So it was a process. But you know, it makes [the movie] Much better.”

Honestly, Chip and Dale: Rescue the Rangers he is at all Makes fun of Ugly Sonic’s design and audience response to it. But it is a fairly friendly humor. It definitely ended up being what the Internet clicker thought in 2019, though: Sonic’s human teeth are really scary.

Chip and Dale: Rescue the Rangers Now streaming on Disney Plus.