The early critiques of Sonic 3 centered around how the movie was nothing more than a kid's flick, but the attention it garnered says otherwise. For one, the franchise has surpassed the John Wick franchise at the box office. The third Sonic movie made more than all the John Wick films domestically, crossing the billion-dollar mark. Being able to accomplish said feat shows that Sonic The Hedgehog is more than a franchise "just for kids."
Secondly, popular scenes from the movie are being shared all over social media. One in particular was even the focus of an op-ed by Polygon. The site spoke to Director Jeff Fowler about how the intricate dance scene starring Jim Carrey came about. And as it turns out, the sequence was Carrey's idea.
According to Fowler, Carrey proposed the dance routine starring Ivo and Gerald Robotnik. It started with the Cable Guy actor and evolved as Fowler sorted out the logistics. Extensive work went into making the scene possible due to its complexity. Having a body double shoot opposite Carrey was simple enough, but the lasers and combined choreography were another story. Thankfully, the Robotniks' dance came together beautifully in the end.
In addition to being the subject of several related headlines, the now-infamous Robotnik dance has been viewed two million times on YouTube alone, not counting shares and looped replays. Mind you, YouTube is only one platform. The Sonic 3 scene is probably being reshared on more popular social media, such as TikTok, making the view count even higher.
For anyone curious, the song that the Robotniks dance to is "Galvanize" by the Chemical Brothers. Unsurprisingly, Carrey chose the track, too. One can only guess the alternatives he would've proposed had the Chemical Brothers song been a no-go. In all likelihood, the song would've been something with a techno or house vibe.
The scene itself may appear familiar, for good reason. It's not parodying or spoofing the movie, but the laser sequence undoubtedly took a cue from Entrapment (1999). In that movie, the starring actress Catherine Zeta-Jones is a thief with the task of shimmying her way through a room full of lasers to reach the prize on the other side. Her approach is much more serious than Robotnik's due to the stakes. Nevertheless, that's where the backdrop originated from. An argument can be made that the Robotnik dance also borrowed themes from the Ocean's 11 laser scene, too.
With so many facets surrounding something as simple as a dance routine, audiences can see that a "kids' movie" isn't always what it seems. Sometimes, the producers, directors, and actors inject their passions into the project, creating something memorable in the process; that's what happened with Sonic The Hedgehog 3, and presumably contributed to the movie's box office success.
Sonic The Hedgehog 3 is currently available on most streaming platforms.