The MPA Classification and Rating Administration has given the Sonic the Hedgehog movie a PG rating for action, some violence, rude humor and brief mild language.
Fans have speculated that the film might pick up a PG-13 rating based on the earlier trailers — especially the one with Sonic’s original monstrous design — but Paramount seems to have dodged that bullet by making the movie as family-friendly as the source material.
To be fair, the PG rating from the MPA is the equivalent of the E10+ rating from the ESRB, which Sonic has gotten a few times starting with his edgelord rival Shadow the Hedgehog’s eponymous game.
However, just because the Sonic movie bears the PG rating doesn’t mean that it’s only for little kids. If you read MPA’s rating guidelines, PG is an acronym for Parental Guidance, which means parents who have grown up playing the Sonic the Hedgehog series will likely tell their kids about the game references that will show up in the movie.
While all the aforementioned elements within the PG rating are things that are normally found in a Sonic game, the “brief mild language” part implies that Sonic might either pull a Shadow the Hedgehog and drop a curse word or two during the course of the movie — he did say “damn” only once in his storied game career — or it might come from one of the other characters.
In any case, the PG rating shouldn’t pose any barriers to anyone of any age who wants to introduce their Valentine’s Day date to the fastest thing alive on the big screen — and pop in a Sonic game on the Genesis or some other console of their choice and see Sonic in his original form (Classic or Modern) when they get home.
Sonic the Hedgehog speeds into theaters Feb. 14, 2020.
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