Mutated Children, Underage Drinking & Knuckles - The 1994 Sonic Movie Treatment Is Now Available to Read

A copy of an original 1994 Sonic the Hedgehog movie treatment is now available for fans to digest, after its initial live reading earlier this month. And it's absolutely worthy of an afternoon read, as it's an absolute doozy of a story.

Originally conceived by Pen Densham and Richard B. Lewis for production company Trilogy Entertainment on 11 November 1994, the treatment - titled simply, 'Sonic: The Movie' - contains a rather gritty story that sees a young boy called... Jimmy... Hedgeman... journey around the world to uncover the mysteries surrounding the work of his estranged father (a scientist, naturally) and the motives of a deranged Doctor Paul Elleson who has captured him. It's something to do with blood, obviously.

In the summary page, the core premise is laid out: it’s an origin story where a teenage boy “transforms” into the “Sonic character.” This was apparently discussed by the writers over multiple story sessions. The transformation would utilize live action, animatronics/puppetry, and state of the art” CGI.

The film’s tone is described as “darker and edgier than the game,” with a strong sense of real jeopardy. Batman and Jurassic Park are used as comparisons here. This edginess is something that becomes quite apparent in the script itself. And, delightfully, there are a number of 'redline' comments scribbled in the margins of the document (possibly from studio execs who were pitched this treatment and had more questions than answers).

"Not funny."

While you can read the whole thing here, we've gone ahead and included some highlights from it below:

• The opening scene features a man being chased down and killed by a bunch of hideous, snake-like mutants.
• The main character is a 17-year-old kid called Jimmy Hedgeman. Oh man.
• Jimmy, as you'd expect, has a major attitude with authority figures and 'likes to do everything fast'. It was the 90s, baby.
• Jimmy wears a bomber jacket that says, "SONIC or bust" that used to belong to his grandpa. That'll be useful knowledge later.
• There's underage drinking.
• The dynamic between Jimmy and his dad is your cliche'd "two strong-headed family characters unwilling to meet in the middle"
• There is a goon called 'FACE', and he has a severe skin condition. Guess where that skin condition is.
• Jimmy gets subjected to a serum that eventually transforms him into the 'Sonic character'. After his father gets captured in a lab, he runs to the police and starts speaking gibberish at "about 150mph", leaving the cop to reply, to a 17-year-old, "what are ya, drunk?"
• After hassling a Spanish tutor he hasn't seen in months, Jimmy learns - somehow - that the answers he seeks regarding the men who captured his dad can be found in an island within South America. So naturally, he gets on a plane.
• "Elleson was born with no fingers." They used to call him 'Claws'.
• The journey to South America all goes a bit 'Home Alone meets Indiana Jones'. Then he starts eating worms, before it goes a bit 'Teenage Werewolf'.
• Elleson/Robotnik subjects Jimmy's dad to some hologram-fuelled monologue about the "seven deadly sins to show imperfect a world we live in".
• It's all about manipulating DNA, baby. This is probably the 'Jurassic Park' influence mentioned in the summary.
• One of the redline margin notes does not seem convinced about the description of the 'Knuckles' character, as it reads; "Why can't he be like Knuckles?"
• There is a place in Elleson's secret volcano lab titled, "The Zoo of New Creatures".
• Jimmy falls in with a tribe of 'early stage' mutant kids, one of which (Amanda) begs for his life to be spared if he can pass 'The Test'. The Test being, that he has to fight Knuckles and win(?).
• Elleson takes an interest in Jimmy ('Sonic') after Knuckles is captured and sells him out to spare his own life. Apparently, "he lets it slip that Sonic can go between being human and mutant. Elleson is excited by this information".
• Jimmy and Amanda lead a rescue team to fight back against Elleson's creatures on the island and to save Knuckles and his father from capture. Some stuff happens and Elleson betrays Knuckles (surprise, surprise).
• Jimmy is captured, Elleson does some DNA tests on him, and plans to send the DNA into the world's water supply using the volcanic energy of his secret base(?). But after turning into a massive mutant himself and having a showdown with Jimmy, Elleson is foiled and the whole volcano erupts on top of him.
• "You thought it was tough raising an ordinary teenager, you ain't seen nothing yet!" ~ FIN.

You can read the whole delightful thing on Sonic Retro right here. Let us know your thoughts on what this movie could have been in the comments below!