Tails and Team Sonic find themselves put to the ultimate test in Sonic the Hedgehog 3. Colleen O’Shaughnessey returns to reprise her role as the lovable fox hero from both the prior movie and the SEGA games they’re based on. ScreenRant interviewed O’Shaughnessey to not only discuss her return for the threequel, but also to explore her thoughts on the future of the franchise, namely whether she sees herself reprising another major role from the games in a new Sonic movie.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3‘s story picks up sometime after the events of its predecessor, with the тιтular blue speedster and his friends coming face-to-face with Shadow, another powerful hedgehog who has been cryogenically frozen for 50 years and escapes with plans for revenge for a past trauma. Along the way, Ben Schwartz’s Sonic, Idris Elba’s Knuckles and O’Shaughnessey’s Tails will see their friendship on rocky ground as those closest to them are put in mortal danger.

Alongside O’Shaughnessey, Schwartz and Elba, the movie also features the return of Jim Carrey as both Ivo Robotnik and his grandfather Gerald, as well as the franchise introduction of Keanu Reeves as Shadow. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 has been a major hit, setting a record for the best-reviewed video game movie on Rotten Tomatoes and the highest-grossing installment in the series.

In anticipation of the movie’s digital release, ScreenRant interviewed Colleen O’Shaughnessey to discuss Sonic the Hedgehog 3. During the chat, the Tails star shared her thoughts on what her character has been up to between it and the previous movie and Knuckles spinoff show, the movie’s record-setting success, and the future of the franchise, including what she’d like to see next for Tails in the series.

Sonic The Hedgehog 3‘s Record-Setting Success Is More Than A Welcome Surprise

“…it is so fantastic.”

The video game adaptation genre has been enjoying something of a renaissance in recent years, which could be partially accredited to the first Sonic the Hedgehog movie, as it followed in Detective Pikachu‘s footsteps to become a box office hit and modest critical success. Though Sonic the Hedgehog 3 may not have reached the financial heights of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, it is still one of the most successful in the genre, and the most successful in the franchise to which O’Shaughnessey is very grateful for fans’ devotion:

Colleen O’Shaughnessey: Unbelievable, it is so fantastic. My jaw just literally drops, I go, “What?!” I mean, it’s so fantastic. But you’re right, it is the best one, they just keep getting better and better.

There Are A Few Reasons Why O’Shaughnessey Thinks Tails & Stone Get Along Right Away

“…you just want to squeeze him, he’s so cute.”

With a talented team of animators and a grand budget of $122 million, the Sonic the Hedgehog 3 CGI team have spared no expense at making their animated characters look as stunning as possible, with Tails in particular proving extra expressive, whether it be Knuckles making a Pokémon joke at his expense, or curiously watching Dr. Robotnik work, and O’Shaughnessey gives all the credit to the animators, while noting she doesn’t do any kind of mo-cap for her character:

Colleen O’Shaughnessey: You know, we don’t do mo-cap, so I would love to think that it’s due to me. [Laughs] I’m not there for that process of creating his face and all of that. They do record [when I’m doing sessions], they have video, but, yeah, they’re just brilliant, is what they are. And also the script, it calls for more of him, and you just want to hug him. They do such a wonderful job with him. He’s so fluffy, and you just want to squeeze him, he’s so cute.

In an interesting twist, as Sonic and his team find themselves reluctantly working with Robotnik and Agent Stone to investigate Shadow’s arrival, the group split up to search an old G.U.N. bunker, with Stone and Tails actually striking up a friendly rapport with one another. When asked why she thinks that is, O’Shaughnessey found there to be a very sweet connection between the two:

Colleen O’Shaughnessey: Maybe because they’re the closest ones to their counterpart, you know? They’re both the second in command, if you will. They’re the sidekick, so sidekicks unite.

O’Shaughnessey Has A Few Hopes For Tails’ Future In The Sonic Movies

She Also Has Her Own Headcanon For What He’s Been Up To Since Sonic The Hedgehog 3

Though a steady part of the franchise since his post-credits debut in the first movie, Tails is the only character thus far without a solo adventure, having made a cameo appearance alongside Sonic in the Knuckles spinoff show, which saw him go off on a road trip with Wade. When asked her thoughts on what Tails has been up to between the movies and show, O’Shaughnessey has a charming headcanon for her character:

Colleen O’Shaughnessey: I think he’s been playing with Ozzy in the backyard, and having some family time. He’s been alone, and I think becoming part of that family, it was a big deal for him, so perhaps that’s what he’s doing. And he’s probably happy to have Knuckles off on a road trip, to get a little space. He’s probably helping repair holes and things that knuckles made in the house.

As harrowing of a journey the group endures in the film, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 ultimately ends with the group of heroes and their family finally enjoying a camping trip together after having successfully saved the world. With a fourth movie already confirmed to be in the works for Spring 2027, O’Shaughnessey has a few major hopes for Tails’ future, though hasn’t heard any major updates yet on the next sequel’s development:

I want to see more and more gadgets. He has come up with some brilliant ones already. More gadgets, more integral part of the team. I think he is already an integral part of the team, but taking it even next steps. I feel like he’s finding so much more confidence, and he’s really coming into his own and having his own ideas, too. So, maybe having the confidence to step up and come up with solutions. I have not [heard any updates], that’s the first [I’ve heard]. I mean, I knew that it’s slated for Spring of ’27. And I’ve had family members ask me, “So when do you start?”

I’m always last, because they do all the live-action first. So I’m always like, “Wow, I don’t even know if they have a script,” because I’m the last one to know anything. So, that would be great. Thank gosh, if they were starting in February, goodness. But I know they’ve got stuff mapped out, I’m sure, they’re so smart about it. They know so much about the universe, I’m sure they have lots of plans that I’ll find out way later. But if they start filming in February, they probably won’t get me ’till, I don’t know, end of summer, mid summer, fall, maybe.

O’Shaughnessey Thinks Humans Will Always Be A Part Of Sonic Stories

She Does, However, Hope For One Character To Be In Future Movies

Where the first movie may have been a buddy comedy between James Marsden’s Tom and the тιтular hedgehog, both Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and 3 saw its main human characters’ screentime gradually decreasing, with the primary focus being on Sonic, Tails and Knuckles, while Jim Carrey’s Robotnik and Lee Majdoub’s Agent Stone have kept the story anchored in reality with a human presence. When asked about the possibility of a Sonic movie with no human characters, O’Shaughnessey thinks it’s possible, but argues in favor of keeping them around:

Colleen O’Shaughnessey: I mean, is it possible? Absolutely. You could do something with just the characters in this world. But I feel like this last movie, they did such a great job of balancing the two, so if they continue on their pattern, my guess is they’ll continue to do that. I think it does lend something to it. It definitely takes it out of a video game, and really helps ground it into a more real world situation, if that makes sense. So, like I said, I feel like they really did a great job of balancing, and could they keep adding more and more characters? For sure, there’s definitely enough characters to go around. But I think they’ll keep it with both. But what do I know? They don’t tell me anything. [Chuckles] And Wade cracks me up.

On the note of other game characters to introduce for the films, O’Shaughnessey is also the voice of Chaotix member Charmy Bee in the Sonic games, a team who the franchise has been seemingly steadily building to include. When asked her thoughts on the possibility of playing him in a future movie or TV show, the star proved rather enthusiastic in her hopes to reprise the role:

Colleen O’Shaughnessey: I mean, how cool would that be to get to have two characters? There’s been more Charmy in the games of late, so I feel like don’t count anything out. Who knows, that would be amazing. I would love it. I think that would be so very cool.

About Sonic The Hedgehog 3

Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails are back for their most epic adventure yet. The team reunites to face a new formidable foe, Shadow, a mysterious hedgehog with powers unlike anything they’ve ever seen. Team Sonic must secure an unexpected alliance if they hope to stop Shadow and save the planet. Keanu Reeves joins the all-star cast as Shadow the Hedgehog.

Check out our previous Sonic the Hedgehog 3 interviews with:

• Ben Schwartz
• Jim Carrey
• James Marsden & Tika Sumpter
• Colleen O’Shaughnessey & Krysten Ritter (Pre-Release)
• Lee Majdoub (Pre-Release)
• Jeff Fowler (Pre-Release)
• Cast & Crew Red Carpet Premiere
• Writers Pat Casey & Josh Miller
• Lee Majdoub (Post-Release)
• Jeff Fowler (Post-Release)

Source: ScreenRant Plus