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Wildest cameo in 'Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers' finally gives 'Ugly Sonic' his time to shine
The new Disney+ movie features a guest spot from one heck of a recent deep cut.
Like Who Framed Roger Rabbit? before it, Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers blends live-action and cartoons alike, and there are a ton of cameos from famous animated characters. But, despite being a Disney movie that’s now airing on Disney+, not all the cameos are just of Disney characters.
Turns out the most shocking — and talked about — cameo is unexpected even by that measure.
It’s Sonic the Hedgehog — but not just any Sonic the Hedgehog. This is the “ugly” Sonic from the first trailer for the 2020 movie whose design was so widely hated that Paramount scrambled to remake Sonic’s look in time for the film’s release.
If you need a refresher, here's that early design of Sonic from the very first, nightmare-fuel trailer:
Set decades after the cancelation of the Disney Afternoon cartoon that made them famous, Chip ‘n Dale sees Dale as a former star who starts the movie in the depressing section of fan conventions along with other hard-up cartoon “actors.” One of the characters in a booth across from him is “Ugly Sonic,” here voiced by Tim Robinson. Dale — and later on in the movie, Chip — are both extremely unsettled by Ugly Sonic’s human-like teeth.
In an interview with /Film, director Akiva Schaffer implied that getting Paramount to agree to let Disney, a rival studio, use this infamous and embarrassing moment in Sonic history for the sake of a gag, was no small feat. Which, yeah, makes sense.
“The legal team at Disney really just embraced what this movie was going for. And they had to probably work harder on this movie than all their other movies put together, is my guess, in terms of billable hours or however they do it,” Schaffer told /Film. “The amount of hours this movie must have set them back compared to every other movie must have been — I can't even imagine. They really are the heroes of this movie, that department.”
Response to Ugly Sonic has been that of bewilderment and delight, with "Ugly Sonic" trending on Twitter as fans have cut and shared snippets from the scene on Twitter and social media. Much like Roger Rabbit before it, Rescue Rangers looks to be an easter egg thrill ride fans can dig into for a while. It doesn't hurt the movie is getting great reviews.
Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers is now streaming on Disney+.
Looking for more animated fun? Be sure to check out the Kids section on Peacock and don't miss The Bad Guys in theaters now. Then Minions: The Rise of Gru is headed to the big screen July 1.
