Sonic the Hedgehog: Wonders of the World is an unmade treatment by Richard Jefferies and MGM Studios for a potential movie adaptation of Sonic the Hedgehog. Before Ken Penders' Sonic Armageddon but after the... loose adaptation that was 1994's Sonic: The Movie, this 1995 treatment has Sonic and Dr. Robotnik escaping from the realm of Sonic X-treme to wreak havoc on the real world.
The story proper starts with a human boy named Josh Pinski, who attempts to use the Sonic game and his father's prototype XRI computer to help finish his school paper revolving around a test pilot nicknamed Sonic that was killed in a freak accident (a reference to the original backstory
of Sonic during development of the first game). When the computer gets confused about which Sonic he means, Sonic the Hedgehog and Dr. Robotnik escape from the virtual world to the real one, upending Josh's life. With Sonic growing weaker the more time he spends in the real world, and Robotnik taking over an amusement park in a plan to digitize the wonders of the world and profit from them, it's up to Josh to help his hero save the day, collect the Chaos Emeralds to stop Robotnik, and make it home safely.
This treatment was well-received but ultimately rejected, which wasn’t helped by the cancellation of Sonic X-Treme itself; it would take another 25 years before Sonic would make it to the big screen.
What exists of the treatment can be read here, and this article sheds light on the complete story and climax of the draft, which is otherwise missing.
This script contains examples of:
- A.I. Is a Crapshoot: The whole reason the plot happens is because the XRI computer gets confused over the meaning of "Sonic" and transports Sonic the Hedgehog and his nemesis Dr. Robotnik to reality.
- Cassandra Truth: Neither of Josh's parents believe him about Sonic and Robotnik, with his mother Lisa calling a psychiatrist.
- Cyborg: Robotnik turns neighborhood bullies into cyborg Bullibots as his shock troops.
- Grail in the Garbage: The Chaos Emeralds are brought from Sonic's world to ours, but encased in ordinary rocks that you have to crack open. Robotnik sets the Bullibots to work mining for them.
- Hero with Bad Publicity: After destroying Josh's room and causing havoc around town, Sonic is wanted by the police.
- How Do I Shot Web?: Sonic isn't used to how his powers work in the real world and quickly causes mayhem, breaking chimneys when jumping over rooftops and discovering that iron lampposts hurt to collide with.
- Human-Focused Adaptation: Josh is the hero of the story while Sonic and Robotnik are game characters come to life that disrupt his everyday activities.
- Impossible Theft: Robotnik's ultimate plan is to digitize and steal the Wonders of the World, then recreate them in VR to charge people to see them.
- Killer Rabbit: For whatever reason, Robotnik leaves the video game world in the form of a cute fluffy bunny that transforms into his recognizable self.
- Obviously Evil: Honestly, the fact that a company named "Shady Corporation" has bought out an abandoned amusement park should be a clear red flag to begin with.
- Pleasure Island: Botnikland Amusement Park has free rides and ice cream, but replaces patrons with robot doppelgangers while the real kids are sent to the mines.
- Refugee from TV Land: Sonic and Robotnik leave the world of Sonic X-Treme and enter our world. Sonic plans to save it from Robotnik and get home, while Robotnik plans to stay in the real world and profit off of VR.
- Super-Empowering: Sonic uses a Chaos Emerald to give Josh powers similar to his own.
- Trapped in TV Land: The climax of the treatment has Josh entering the video game world alongside Sonic to defeat Robotnik.
- Unwitting Pawn: Josh's dad, Hal, is hired to rebuild Robotnik's theme park hideout with his VR tech and is oblivious to the danger.
- Xtreme Kool Letterz: The XRI machine stands for eXtremely Radical Intelligence.
