It’s that time: Christmas time is here! And supposedly everybody knows that there’s no better time of year; at least that’s what the opening song to National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation would tell us. While the 2024 movie schedule isn’t the home of that Chevy Chase classic, the latest poster for the upcoming sequel Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is an A+ parody of that very film — and now it’s left me wanting a holiday special focused on Jim Carrey’s Robotnik family. Are you listening, Paramount?
Thanks to the folks at Paramount Pictures, we now have our hands on this beautiful comedy masterpiece you could hang on your wall…if it was being sold to the public, that is. No, this image is heading to the internet, as part of the “12 Hours of Sonic” promotion that’s highlighting the Ben Schwartz/Keanu Reeves starring three-quel. CinemaBlend got the Exclusive on this one. Ho-ho-holy moly, are we lucky!
If I wasn’t already sold on this movie by personal fandom, as well as that first Sonic 3 trailer, this would probably be the icing on the cake for me. And if I’m being honest, this is in light of the fact that I’m not exactly a fan of Christmas Vacation.
Which doesn’t really color my view on this promo art any differently, as I can still get a laugh out of the well tuned homage to the poster from that 1988 comedy. Shown below, you can see how the look, feel, and even the tagline of that beloved Chevy Chase staple were all ripe for a Robotnik flavored revamp:
However, I will admit to being both a fan of the best Jim Carrey movies, as well as the man’s career in general. And while the folks at Paramount might think I’m asking for a lot here, I’m going to pitch my holiday special anyway. Perhaps Sonic franchise director Jeff Fowler, and writers Pat Casey and Josh Miller, will back what I’m about to say as a viable option.
Why We Need A Robotnik Holiday Special In The Sonic Universe
We’ve already got a taste of what a Robotnik family holiday would look like, thanks to a more recent look at Sonic the Hedgehog 3 showing grandpa Gerald surprising his grandson Ivo as Santa. But if you look at the pedigree of several of the parties involved in these movies, they’re all holiday entertainment veterans.
Obviously Jim Carrey was The Grinch in Ron Howard’s live-action adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas. As someone who still defends that film, and vehemently disagrees the case that Illumination’s The Grinch is somehow better, that’s the first win notched in the column.
The second win comes from the fact that Sonic movie writers Pat Casey and Josh Miller are the credited team behind 2022’s action-comedy Violent Night. But a third unexpected win happened to arrive while I was putting together my case for A Very Robotnik Christmas to exist. And you can watch it for yourself, as Paramount’s gift to us all:
So if I’m presented with the option to watch a Sonic the Hedgehog holiday special, starring one of my favorite Grinches and written by the people who cemented David Harbour as one of the best modern Santas, then you can bet that I’m going to push for it! Especially because as we saw with this year’s Knuckles spin-off series, this universe is one that’s easily expandable.
And when there’s already a mini-Christmas special in existence, it’s harder to deny this project’s potential. Not to mention, it would kind of make up for A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All somehow not being streamable on Paramount+. Putting that point aside, I welcome the fact that some will say that the idea of A Robotnik Family Christmas, complete with Jim Carrey playing the entire family, is absurd.
That’s ok, as we’re supposed to come together despite our differences at this time of year. However you can’t disagree with the fact that Sonic the Hedgehog 3 will be in theaters on December 20th. Nor can you speak against how both previous Sonic movies are available to watch through a Paramount+ subscription. I do love a good debate, but those are all stone cold facts.