Sonic 3's release is just months away, with the sequel incorporating even more exciting lore from the games. Sonic 2 brought Knuckles and Tails into the fold, leaving the third installment to develop Shadow the Hedgehog, who's excitedly being played by Keanu Reeves. Sonic Adventure 2, one of the franchise's most beloved classic titles, should be the main narrative inspiration for the film.
It's terrific to see how far along the Sonic movie series has come in just a few years, especially given the bad reputation video game movie adaptations have had over the past decades. It may not be a $1 billion franchise like the Mario movie, but Sonic 3 looks to be a smash hit in the making that could sur the previous two installments, with the added star power of Keanu Reeves, the appeal for Shadow, other additional Sonic 3 characters, and the general praise for the franchise.
Sonic 3’s Hype Is A Reminder Of How We Almost Didn’t Get This Sonic Design
Sonic's Original Movie Design Was... Not Great
The version of Sonic that movie audiences are used to is fantastic; he's the perfect live-action version of the classic video game hedgehog. But he's not the original design. When 2020's Sonic the Hedgehog was in development, the first released images of the character sent audiences into uproar, as the initial design for the character was rather atrocious. Sonic is generally a silly character, but the version they'd originally planned would have been nearly impossible to follow as a lead movie protagonist.
The 2022 film Chip n' Dale: Rescue Rangers jokingly featured this version, titling the character "Ugly Sonic."
Studios like to take creative liberties when adapting books, games, etc, but this was one of the rare moments where the filmmakers behind Sonic the Hedgehog handled the criticism well. They acknowledged that audiences were appalled by the original Sonic design, and changed him to fit a depiction more accurate to the video games and other Sonic media. This postponed the movie by several months and added a significant amount to the budget, but it's hard to imagine audiences would be preparing for Sonic the Hedgehog 3 in 2024 if they hadn't.
Sonic The Hedgehog 3 Easter Egg Brings A Major Video Game Character To The Movies In An Unexpected Way
Sonic the Hedgehog 3's trailer is packed with references to the games, including one character who's only on screen for a brief snippet.
Sonic The Hedgehog Changing Sonic’s Design Created The Franchise We Know Today
The Sonic Franchise Wouldn't Have Worked Without The Redesign
The film would've been far too bizarre, and that's saying something for a movie series that's already about a talking blue hedgehog that runs really fast.
In 2024, the Sonic the Hedgehog movie franchise is seeing a third movie installment and has already seen its first television spinoff with Paramount's Knuckles series. Had the first movie not gone back to correct the Sonic design, it would've been impossible for anyone to take the franchise seriously. The film would've been far too bizarre, and that's saying something for a movie series that's already about a talking blue hedgehog that runs really fast. It could've found viewership as a "so bad it's good" movie, but there's no way it would've worked as the foundation for a franchise.
So far, the Sonic franchise has been an absolute treat, and it's barely scratched the surface of the storytelling this universe has to offer. Between games, comics, animation, and more, there are so many fantastic Sonic stories and so many iconic characters still yet to be introduced. Where the Sonic franchise goes in the future is entirely open-ended, and that's all because the creative team was able to it their mistake and deliver the version of Sonic that fans wanted.
It Scares Me To Imagine What Tails, Knuckles, & Shadow Could’ve Looked Like
Can You Imagine Shadow As A Main Antagonist?
Seeing Sonic in the form of his original animation was bad enough, but it's even worse trying to imagine what the rest of the cast would've looked like. There's simply no way they could have made Knuckles intimidating in that form, and Tails would've been outright terrifying. Had that version of the Sonic movies made it this far, Shadow would be particularly hard to believe, as he's generally a more serious character for the franchise. Shadow's origin story is one of heartbreak and redemption, and it's hilarious to imagine them trying to pull that off with a ridiculous design.
Fortunately, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is on its way, and each character looks exactly how a feature film version of their video game counterpart should. Ugly Sonic may not have ever had his chance to shine on the big screen, but he'll always have a special place in the hearts of fans as the stepping stone that allowed the Sonic movie series to prosper. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is out in December, and it looks like it's going to be a blast.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 reunites Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails as they face a formidable new adversary, Shadow. With Shadow's unprecedented powers posing a significant threat, Team Sonic seeks an unexpected alliance to thwart his plans and safeguard the planet.
- Cast
- Adam Pally, Tom Butler, James Wolk, Jorma Taccone, Cristo Fernández, Sofia Pernas, Brett Tutor, Richard Sutton, Will Austin, Barry Calvert, Brendan Murphy, Toru Nakahara
- Director
- Jeff Fowler
- Franchise(s)
- Sonic the Hedgehog
