“In every adult there lurks a child — an eternal child, something that is eternally becoming.”
― C.G. Jung in the Symbols of Transformation
When a fictional character like Sonic finds itself in the Hollywood limelight and practically carries cinema on its back, it’s clear that character has struck a nerve in our shared imagination. More specifically, it awakens something in the boys we once were. The inner boy in each of us, when allowed to flourish, brings playfulness, joy, and energy to our lives. He fosters an open mind, ready for adventure and excitement about the future. Yet culture, while it gives us much, also takes.
Society imposes expectations, roles, responsibilities, and norms, which, although beneficial in some ways, often encourage conformity and stifle this vital spirit. As adults, we often find our lives commodified — our every action tied to some kind of productivity or external expectation. In this context, inspiration is scarce, and the inner boy can be easily lost.
The essence of this young archetype can be found in figures like Peter Pan, the boy who chooses not to grow up, and Jack Frost in The Guardians, a boy who died too young. Both characters embody the spirit of unfulfilled potential — the “eternal becoming” before society molds us, before the identities that are manufactured for us take hold, and before our original, childlike adventures are pushed aside.
“Verily I say unto you, until you become as a child, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven”.
Matthew 18:2–4
The cost of trying to be something you’re not is simple: it’s your soul and your time. Yet paradoxically, to truly find your soul, you must first lose it (Matthew 10:39). Sonic energized me not because of groundbreaking storytelling or cutting-edge visual effects but because it unexpectedly tapped into something wholesome — something that reminds us of the unbridled joy and potential we once had as children.
Sonic is more than a pop culture icon; he’s a symbol of the boy inside all of us. He stands as a reminder of the vitality that lies dormant within, waiting to be unleashed. In a world that commodifies our passions and dulls our spirits, it’s these moments of connection with our inner child that can lead us back to ourselves. After all, sometimes it’s the simplest things — like a blue hedgehog running at the speed of sound — that can remind us what we’ve forgotten: that there is still a part of us that’s excited about the adventure ahead.
