Does Sonic the Hedgehog 2’s trailer tell us anything about LEGO Sonic Mania?

Paramount has finally debuted a trailer and release date for Sonic the Hedgehog 2 – but does it give us any indication as to when the LEGO Sonic Mania set will arrive?

The first Sonic the Hedgehog movie launched in January 2020, following a three-month delay to redesign the main character. And by virtue of pretty much every other 2020 release getting pushed back by the COVID-19 pandemic, it went on to become the sixth-highest-grossing film of the year.

It’s probably no surprise that a sequel is on the way, then – particularly given the climactic events of the original movie, which teased (spoilers!) the introduction of Tails. The teaser trailer for Sonic the Hedgehog 2 has now raced online, confirming the presence of our fave fast sidekick and the movie’s release date of April 8, 2022.

What does that mean for the release of the upcoming LEGO Ideas Sonic Mania set? Well, potentially not a whole lot, because Viv Grannell’s project is based on a video game rather than the movie adaptations. But it would make sense for the LEGO Group to hook the launch of its own Sonic set to the debut of the movie anyway, capitalising on all the marketing we’re bound to see for Paramount’s sequel.

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It’s also worth bearing in mind that 2021 marks 30 years since the first Sonic the Hedgehog game, and we all know how much the LEGO Group loves an anniversary. But launching its Sonic Mania set this year would require a very speedy turnaround from announcement to release, and likely ahead of other confirmed Ideas sets that have been waiting in the wings even longer (Steve Guinness’s Typewriter, for instance, or Brent Waller’s Seinfeld).

Then again, Sonic Mania Green Hill Zone was originally part of the first 2020 review, the results of which were announced in September. Guillaume Roussel’s The Earth Globe was the only one that made the cut at the first time of asking, while the LEGO Group needed a little while longer to consider Grannell’s Sonic project. That extra time could well have been spent developing the set for a possible release, so it might be further into production than expected – particularly given the minifigure mould already exists through LEGO Dimensions.

At this stage, it’s tricky to tell whether the LEGO Group will aim to launch its Sonic Mania set in time for the 30th anniversary celebrations, or hold off to cash in on real-life Sonic mania in April next year. Either way, it’s hard to see how the announcement of Sonic the Hedgehog 2’s release date won’t have given the marketing team at least some pause for thought.

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Author Profile

Chris Wharfe
I like to think of myself as a journalist first, LEGO fan second, but we all know that’s not really the case. Journalism does run through my veins, though, like some kind of weird literary blood – the sort that will no doubt one day lead to a stress-induced heart malfunction. It’s like smoking, only worse. Thankfully, I get to write about LEGO until then.

Chris Wharfe

I like to think of myself as a journalist first, LEGO fan second, but we all know that’s not really the case. Journalism does run through my veins, though, like some kind of weird literary blood – the sort that will no doubt one day lead to a stress-induced heart malfunction. It’s like smoking, only worse. Thankfully, I get to write about LEGO until then.

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