There’s a lot of classic characters that just didn’t need voice actors at first. Mario is one of the most famous examples; Nowadays, nobody can pictureaSuper Mariogamewithout Charles Martinet voicing the charismatic plumber. Martinet’s performance brings Mario to life in a way that’s impossible to imitate. Another character whose voice precedes him is Sonic. The star ofSonic the Hedgehogis one of the most recognizable video game characters that fans can imagine. However, his voice might be changing soon, because Roger Craig Smith has announced that he’ll be retiring from the role after playing Sega’s super-speed star for more than a decade.
That begs an obvious question: who will take up Smith’s mantle? There’s no way the nextSonic the Hedgehoggame will lack a voice for Sonic, but it’s not easy to replace Smith either. Although it might seem like Sega has some interviews to do, it might already have the perfect candidate. If Sega so chooses, it could enlist Ben Schwartz to play Sonic from here on out. Schwartz was the one who voiced Sonic in 2020’sSonic the Hedgehogmovie, not Smith. Considering all the praise he got for his work in the film, he’s the perfect candidate to voice Sonic from here on out.
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Solidifying Schwartz’s Role
Not every critic was delighted bySonic the Hedgehog,but Schwartz’s performance got plenty of praise. He came into the role without any experience playing the character before, and was lauded for representing the character faithfully, and with plenty of heart.Sonic the Hedgehogwas only the latest of Schwartz' forays into voice acting. He’s represented beloved characters before – for instance, he plays Leonardo in Nickelodeon’s recentTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesreboot. His acting credits include appearances on other acclaimed programs likeParks and RecreationandDuckTalesas well.
Schwartz is going to come back fortheSonic the Hedgehogmovie sequelscheduled for next year. That means his voice is going to become a little more synonymous with Sonic overall. Sega would be wise to consider keeping Sonic’s voice consistent and letting Schwartz voice him across the board. There’s no need for Sonic to sound two different ways in different media when Schwartz can be locked into the character. He’s proven that he has the acting chops necessary to play Sega’s star. If he can voice Sonic in a movie, he can voice him in a video game too.
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The Future of Sonic
FurtherSonicmedia released from here on out will probably give players clues as to who will be voicing Sonic from here on out.Netflix’s animated seriesSonic Primewas just announced and details are scarce, but Schwartz could show up to reprise his role from the movie. It sounds like it could easily take place in the same setting as theSonicmovie, so it would be logical for Schwartz to get tapped to play the titular character in the show as well. If Sega states in the near future that Schwartz is in the show, it’ll be a plausible sign that he simply is the voice of Sonic now.
Roger Craig Smith wasn’t just Sonic’s voicein video games. He also played Sonic for a few years inSonic Boom,the TV show spin-off of theSonicgame of the same name. If Smith can expand his performance of the role into other media, then so can Schwartz. His background in comedy gives him the sense of humor he needs to play the character, and he’s done plenty of voice work on huge projects likeStar Wars: The Force Awakens.There’s no reason that Schwartz shouldn’t take up the Sonic mantle; on the contrary, he’s the perfect heir to Smith’s throne.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2is scheduled to release on Jun 19, 2025.
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