Sonic the Hedgehog is a blue mammal in red tennis shoes that has an appetite for chili dogs and running at supersonic speed. George Bailey is a humble man who runs the Bailey Brothers Building and Loan in Bedford Falls. One character is in a video game movie that became a hit at the box office. The other character, played by James Stewart, starred in a move that flopped on its initial premiere, and gained popularity when it aired on broadcast television over the holidays.
Completely different movies, right? Well, not entirely. Obviously Sonic the Hedgehog is not a masterwork of film, but while both it, and It’s A Wonderful Life are two completely different genres, they are more similar in characters and themes than one might imagine.
5 Both Feature Protagonists With Wanderlust
George Bailey’s dream since he was a youth is to travel through Europe and see the world. Yet, the passing of his father required him to stay in Bedford Falls as the Executive Secretary of Bailey Building and Loan, and in spite of his efforts to leave town, life would get in the way.
Sonic the Hedgehog’s Tom “Donut Lord” Wachowski (James Marsden) has a wanderlust of his own. He grows tired of small town life in Green Hills, finding his role as local sheriff unfulfilling. So, he and his wife Maggie (Tika Sumpter) set their sites on San Francisco, where he believes there would be greater opportunity for himself.
4 Both Films Are Centered Around A Small Town
At the heart of each film are small, quiet towns. Tom lives in the Midwestern community of Green Hills, filled with its own peculiar characters, such as “Crazy Carl,” who claims to have a sketch of the “Blue Devil” who resides in the woods. Everybody knows everybody, and the town’s residents are always happy to see Tom when he shows up at the local watering hole.
At the heart of “It’s A Wonderful Life” is its own community of Bedford Falls, where the residents don’t have much, but they have each other. They always look out for one another, and the Bailey Building and Loan is there to help people build lives for themselves.
3 Both Have Villains Obsessed With Power
If It’s A Wonderful Life has a “big bad,” it is Henry Potter, the local robber baron who owns virtually the entire town, except for the Building and Loan. The film follows George Bailey’s war with the “warped, frustrated old man,” as he calls him, as he tries to bring the Building and Loan under. Such attempts include attempting to have the Board dissolve the business, buying its customers, and tempting George into working for him. This way, the residents would be stuck in the cheap slums owned by Potter.
Sonic the Hedgehog’s Mr. Potter is Doctor Ivan Robotnik (Jim Carrey). He uses his technology and his intellect to bully and coerce. The moment he enters the camera, he declares himself in charge of an entire military operation and proudly declares that he made a school bully “drink through a straw for a year.” Seeing Sonic as the source of ultimate power, he pursues him as the Wile E. Coyote to Sonic’s Road Runner.
2 The Lead Of Each Film Has A Guardian Angel.
At a pivotal point in It’s A Wonderful Life, the Bailey Brothers Building and Loan is in danger of going under on Christmas Eve. Having stolen the money needed to keep it afloat, Mr. Potter orders a warrant for his arrest, accusing him of fraud. In his mental state, George alienates his family, and contemplates suicide, when a guardian angel, Clarence, shows up to prevent it, and ends up showing him a world in which he was never born.
To also call Sonic a guardian angel sounds like a stretch. He is hyper and not exactly the best listener. However, he has watched over Tom and Maddie practically since his arrival in Green Hills. Through Tom and Sonic’s road trip to retrieve Sonic’s teleportation rings, the hedgehog reminds him how valued he is, saying that the residents of Green Hills don’t call just anyone to help them with their problems; they call him.
1 The Protagonists Realize How Wonderful Of A Life They Had
After George Bailey’s journey through a world where he was never born, he becomes a changed man. He realizes how much of a difference he has made in the lives of Bedford Falls’ community, and cherishes all he has, even if it means potentially going to jail.
James undergoes a similar transformation in Sonic the Hedgehog. The blue blur reminds him that there is nothing more important than looking out for the people he cares about. He also found that he was able to protect people in a life-or-death situation without the need to leave town. This is, in a sense, the most important lesson of It’s A Wonderful Life: “No [person] is a failure who has friends.”