Sonic the Hedgehog was a 2020 action comedy based on the popular Sega video game franchise. A massive devoted fandom was the first step to getting the motion picture (after the infamous original design fiasco, of course), but its massive success garnered a sequel, especially after becoming the sixth highest grossing film of 2020. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 was released in April 2022 and it, once again, is already the sixth highest-grossing movie of the year, as well as the highest grossing video game film ever in the United States. Following the speedy blue hedgehog, the installments of Sonic see him teaming up with Tom Wachowski to defeat his nemesis and save his new home on planet Earth.

While the Sonic movies are comprised of cherished video game critters and villains, they’ve also brought along new human characters, as the film is a mix between live-action and cartoons. The sound of the titular hedgehog may ring a bell as to who is the voice behind it, but the faces of Dr. Robotnik and the Wachowskis will have you pointing at the screen as you recall where you’ve seen them before. Here are other roles you might’ve seen the cast of Sonic play.

Jim Carrey

     Paramount Pictures

Dr. Robotnik, better known as Dr. Eggman, is Sonic’s main antagonist, a mad scientist with a large mustache who wants to take over the world. In the films, he is played by the comedy expert, actor Jim Carrey. He rose to fame in 1990 when he took part in the sketch comedy In Living Color. In 1994, he had lead roles in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Mask, and Dumb and Dumber, the latter of which he reprised in a 2014 sequel. He gained more recognition when he played the nominal green grouch in Dr. Seuss’s How The Grinch Stole Christmas and Count Olaf in Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events. Carrey has also had various guest spots on Saturday Night Live. Recently, the actor has expressed a desire to retire from acting.

Idris Elba

English actor Idris Elba took on the role of Knuckles, a red echidna and Sonic’s frenemy. In addition to the Sonic movies, Elba has voiced more animated characters such as Fluke in Finding Dory, Chief Bogo in Zootopia, and Shere Khan in the live-action Jungle Book movie. Elba has had his hand in a lot of action films including the comedy film The Losers, Fast & Furious: Hobbs and Shaw, and the 2021 The Suicide Squad film. Though he played a significant role in the DC movie, he is also part of the Marvel universe, having characterized Heimdall in Avengers and Thor movies. He’s also been seen on The Office and Saturday Night Live. Most recently, Elba has been in the Western films, Concrete Cowboy and The Harder They Fall, and will be in the upcoming thriller titled Beast. His character Knuckles is planned to have his own spinoff film in 2023.

James Marsden

The role of Tom Wachowski is played by actor, singer, and model James Marsden. Tom, aka the Donut Lord, is Sonic’s adoptive father and a sheriff of Green Hills, Montana. Marsden began his career in the 90s, having appeared on Saved by the Bell: the New Class, The Nanny, and Blossom. His career began growing when he starred as Cyclops in the X-men movies. From there, Marsden had large roles in the 2006 movie Superman Returns, the Nicholas Sparks romance The Notebook, and the 2007 musical comedy Hairspray, where he’d recorded discography for the film. In 2007, he also played the ditzy, heroic Prince Edward in the Disney film, Enchanted, which is set to have a sequel, Disenchanted, premiere this year.

Colleen O’Shaughnessey

Colleen O’Shaughnessey, the voice of Tails, is the only original voice actor to reprise her role in the Sonic films. Miles “Tails” Prower is a two-tailed fox whose name is a pun on the term “miles per hour.” Throughout the movies and games, he serves as Sonic’s best friend and sidekick. O’Shaughnessey has found a career predominantly in voice work, voicing Tails among a long list of other animated characters. She has provided English dubbing for a collection of anime, perhaps the most notable being Sora Takenouchi in Digimon. Some of her main roles include Jazz Fenton on the Nickelodeon cartoon Danny Phantom and the Wasp in The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, a cartoon on Disney XD. She also supplied additional voices in Toy Story 3, Monsters University and Horton Hears a Who!

Ben Schwartz

Tika Sumpter

Maddie Wachowsk aka Pretzel Lady is Tom’s wife, a veterinarian and Sonic’s adoptive mother. The role is played by actress, host and model Euphemia “Tika” Sumpter. She began her career as the host of a teen reality show, Best Friend’s Date. After that, she earned a spot on the daytime soap opera, One Life to Live, where her character Layla appeared in over 200 episodes. Her first lead role in a film was in the musical drama Stomp the Yard: Homecoming. Sumpter acted in Sparkle, A Madea Christmas and the biographical romance film Southside with You, where she played Michelle Robinson who would later become Michelle Obama. Most recently, she played the mother on the short-lived blackish spinoff mixed-ish.