Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is NOT a Sonic 3 Adaptation
From the post-credits scene of 2022’s Sonic the Hedgehog 2, those well-versed enough in the Sonic franchise were quick to notice what it teased was not a storyline from the third game in the classic Sonic series, but the second game in Sonic’s transition to 3D. Soon enough, rumors began circulating about the third movie in regards to how this storyline would be played cinematically. Talks of Hayden Christiansen or Keanu Reeves voicing Sonic’s new adversary, speculation on if the iconic “Live and Learn” track from Sonic Adventure 2 would appear, and the first trailer’s appearance at CinemaCon only helped fuel the fire. Releasing in the final stretch of 2024, fans waited and WAITED for any clips, screencaps, or even leaks of the movie’s materials, but Paramount seemed to be as careful and vigilant as ever to make sure everything was under wraps until this Tuesday. After months of radio silence, mysterious visuals from the Sonic series appeared around the world on Sunday on various large screens.
After the internet ran rampant with rumors and speculation, Paramount would confirm the following day that the trailer would be releasing on 9AM EST on Tuesday. In under an hour, the first trailer for Sonic the Hedgehog 3 would garner over a million views across platforms. After his brief appearance at the end of the second film, fans of the films and games alike finally got to see Sonic’s new (or familiar) foe, Shadow the Hedgehog, in action. Immediately, eagle-eyed fans noticed many parallels between the film’s contents and some of the games released during the sixth generation.
The trailer revealed two key members of the Robotnik family, Gerald and Maria, would appear in the film as portrayed by Jim Carrey and Alyla Browne respectively. Those familiar with the Sonic Adventure series know well that these two characters are crucial to the key narrative of the second game, and will no doubt play a major role in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 given how much it takes from the game. As many hoped, “Live and Learn” from Sonic Adventure 2 did play in the latter half of this trailer, albeit in a more cinematic and score-y form arranged by Tom Holkenborg, the composer of all three Sonic films. However, this was not the only sixth-generation Sonic entry the film seems to take a lot of cues from.
Twitter user @UltimaShadowX was quick to point out—and edit together—the parallels between Shadow and the G.U.N. fighting in the trailer and a similar scene from 2005’s Shadow the Hedgehog. While the game released after the discontinuation of the Sega Dreamcast, it released within the same timeframe as other pivotal Sonic titles the film takes from, and may be even more important than it lets on in this trailer. One of the constant rumors circulating is that the film will be rated PG-13, but is this for the sake of more fleshed out fight scenes and dialogue or so that Shadow can swear a few times as he does in his titular 2005 release? While we’re still on the topic of Ultima, however…
He was also quick to notice the incorporation of Sonic Adventure 2‘s Chao Garden minigame in the film, though not in the traditional sense it appears in the game. Instead, the Chaos appear to be represented by a live house venue act, or possibly a Chuck E. Cheese’s influenced restaurant. I’m leaning towards the former since they seem to move a bit more fluidly than animatronics, as if humans in costumes. However, if this takes place on Earth rather than some other dimension through Sonic’s rings, some fans fear it may deconfirm Cream the Rabbit’s inclusion in the franchise moving forward, as the “lead” of the Chao Garden band looks identical to Cheese, her Chao partner in-game. Anyway the wind blows, I find this as a great and funny way of including even Sonic Adventure 2‘s minigames in the film. This begs the question, though—does this mean Big’s Big Fishing Adventure is on the table?
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 releases in theaters December 20th, 2024.