It’s Finally Here! – Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Movie Trailer Officially Released
The wait is over! This morning, we were treated to the official release of the first trailer for Sonic the Hedgehog 3, which satisfied the craving of many Sonic fans. People have been begging for the trailer to be released for months, with some even speculating that the movie would be delayed. But I never lost hope. I pointed out to a good friend that Spider-Man: No Way Home’s trailer didn’t release until 119 days before it came out, and that movie was phenomenal. So here we are, 115 days before release, and I’ve no doubt that I’m going to truly enjoy this movie.
If you haven’t already seen it, I’ve linked the trailer at the top of this post. There’s a lot to unpack, but don’t take this post as a breakdown. I’m just going to give my thoughts, point out what popped out at me, and what I’m hoping we’ll see because this first trailer is just the tip of the iceberg.
This Isn’t Sonic Adventure 2: The Movie
First things first, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 will not be a shot-for-shot remake of Sonic Adventure 2. Watching Sonic the Hedgehog 1 and 2 should be enough to grasp this concept, as neither of those films were direct adaptations of the source material. Sonic 1 was an origin story that borrows a minimal amount of things from the games. Sonic 2 improves on this and is closer to the games than the first movie, but still, that one took creative liberties and added things from Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles.
Some fans want Sonic 3 to be an exact remake of Sonic Adventure 2 in live-action, and I’m sorry to say, but if you were expecting that, you let yourself down. Paramount has been playing it safe for years with these movies, and I don’t see them stopping just because it’s the third movie, and they’ve been successful with the past two movies. Sonic 3 will definitely be darker, and Movie Sonic will be more serious, but it’s still a Paramount Sonic movie at the end of the day.
Going in a Different Direction Isn’t the End of the World
With this being an adaptation of Sonic Adventure 2, there are a lot of things that will be different. Until we’ve seen the movie, we won’t know these things for sure, but it looks as if Robotnik isn’t the reason Shadow is released. Robotnik will work with Team Sonic to stop Shadow as he goes on a worldwide rampage.
But that’s not the most significant change. From what’s shown in the trailer, Gerald and Maria Robotnik, Ivo Robotnik’s grandfather and cousin, are still alive in the movie. However, I’m a little skeptical. I’m wondering if Maria is only shown alive in flashbacks, or perhaps time travel will be thrown into the mix. Maria will die in the movie, but she won’t be getting shot as she does in the game – much to the dismay of Sonic Twitter. Instead, it seems like she’ll be caught in an explosion that will be her ultimate demise.
Gerald Robotnik is shown approaching Ivo Robotnik, whom we’ve come to know in the past two movies. Again, I’m skeptical about this as well. In the Knuckles show, Chief Pachacamac, one of Knuckles’s ancestors, shows up as a hallucination to help “guide” the characters. They could go that route as well, but who knows? If it works for the story, then I’ve no real issue with either character being alive during the events of Sonic 3.
Some Characters Seem to Be Missing
Again, this isn’t a direct adaptation of Sonic Adventure 2, but even so, some important characters should be introduced in this movie. Amy Rose and Rouge the Bat played significant roles in the video game. After missing the chance to introduce Rouge in the Knuckles show, Paramount can do so in Sonic 3. With Team Sonic working with G.U.N. in this movie, this leaves the door wide open to Rouge showing up in some capacity.
But more than anything, Amy Rose must make her way to the Sonic the Hedgehog Cinematic Universe. SEGA has tried its hardest to show that Amy is just as much a member of Team Sonic as Tails and Knuckles over the years, arguably since Sonic Boom in 2014 – 10 years ago. Like many other fans, I’d like to see Paramount’s take on Amy. I genuinely hope Paramount is holding onto her and that we’ll be surprised by her appearance in Sonic 3.
Is This the End for Donut Lord?
A scene in the trailer shows Tom, Sonic’s adopted father, on his face, yelling Sonic’s name in distress. Many fans speculate that someone close to Sonic will die in this film, either Tom or Maddie. I feel like Tom is the one to go. I’m not saying I want him to, but he’s had the most considerable influence on Sonic in the movies, and this is supposed to be a movie about loss and grief and dealing with it.
Unlike the other two movies, I don’t see this ending where Shadow is adopted into Tom and Maddie’s family. Something serious will go down, and if they continue with the franchise, I feel like this film will be a turning point for the StHCU. Also, Tom dying would get a bigger reaction from Sonic than Maddie, as Sonic is closer to Tom in both movies.
Keanu Reeves Joins the Sonic the Hedgehog Cinematic Universe
Long ago, a rumor was spread that Keanu Reeves would be voicing Shadow the Hedgehog in Sonic 3. However, it was never officially confirmed until about 2 or 3 days ago. With this first trailer, we get to hear Keanu’s Shadow, and I have to say, it did nothing for me. I need to hear more to form a valid opinion. He doesn’t sound bad right now, but it’s not blowing me away. Idris destroyed when he voiced Knuckles and it was revealed, but that wasn’t the case this time around with Keanu.
I might have some bias contributing to my feeling this way as well. My favorite voice actor for Shadow is Jason Griffith. He’s the absolute GOAT, and he always will be. Since 2010, we’ve had Kirk Thornton as the voice of Shadow. He’s a phenomenal voice actor, but he’s a horrible Shadow the Hedgehog, and in 14 years, I’ve tolerated one performance. So I’m hoping Keanu grows on me and I get some relief on the movie side.
Shadow the Hedgehog May Not Be the Actual Villain
As stated before, the trailer shows Team Sonic teaming up with Robotnik to take down Shadow. And that’s slightly akin to Sonic Adventure 2, where Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Eggman, Rouge, and Shadow teamed up to stop the Biolizard from crashing the Space Colony ARK into Earth and destroying the planet. However, this is the movie adaptation, and I believe Robotnik will betray Team Sonic because that’s what he does.
In exchange for Robotnik’s assistance, Sonic gives him one of his quills. Metal Sonic has long been rumored for this movie, and I believe he’ll be the final villain they all have to fight against to stop. I think Robotnik will build Metal Sonic using the power from Sonic’s quill, and he’ll be too much for Sonic and Shadow to handle. I may be reaching, and Metal Sonic may show up in a post-credits scene, but here’s hoping I’m right about him showing up in the actual movie. Just look at the trailer for Sonic 2; they all made Knuckles out to be the movie’s villain when Robotnik and the Death Egg Robot were.
Can We Be Realistic for One Second?
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 releases on December 20, 2024. That’s the same day that Mufasa: The Lion King releases. Sonic Twitter believes that Sonic the Hedgehog 3 will demolish Mufasa at the box office. I’m here to let you all know that that’s not the case, and there’s not even a 10% chance of that happening. Mufasa: The Lion King is, first and foremost, a Disney movie. Second, it’s a sequel/prequel to the second-highest-grossing animated film of all time. The Lion King (2019) may have been hot garbage, and its sequel will likely be just as bad, but Disney always dominates at the box office, and this will be no different. I’ll see Sonic 3 before I see Mufasa, but I’ll still see Mufasa in theaters. I’ve got to know if it’ll get a worse score than its predecessor.
Sonic the Hedgehog movies are used to going up against abysmal comic book movies like Birds of Prey or Morbius. Sonic swept those movies quite easily as DC and Sony both were on a downward spiral. Sony still is, honestly. If Paramount were wise, they’d release the film on December 13, a week earlier. Kraven the Hunter releases on that day, and regardless of how more people know about Kraven due to Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 video game, I’m sure Sonic would still destroy Kraven at the box office. I’m not the only one who thinks that, either.
Sonic X Shadow Generations Might Help the Sonic 3 Box Office
SEGA has dubbed this the Year of Shadow due to Sonic Movie 3. To assist with garnering interest for Sonic 3, SEGA is remastering Sonic Generations, one of the best Sonic the Hedgehog games ever. But this time, Shadow is getting his own campaign that goes through his history. Sonic X Shadow Generations releases on October 25, just under two months before Sonic 3 comes out.
SEGA is doing great marketing this game, and if more casuals get interested in it, this could drive ticket sales. They’ll be getting my money, as I plan on getting the collector’s edition of the game. As soon as the movie tickets are on sale, I’ll be buying mine for the opening night. And I can almost guarantee I’ll see the film more than once.
Ultimately, this has brought the hype back for Sonic 3 for me and a slew of Sonic fans, both on Twitter and in the real world. I’m incredibly excited to learn more about the movie. We’ve got 115 days to go, and it’ll fly by. My review for Sonic 3 will be up within a day of me watching the movie, and you better believe a review for Sonic Movie 1 and 2 will be up before Movie 3’s release. But enough about my thoughts. Let me know in the comments what you think of the trailer. Are you excited for Sonic 3? Is there anything you want to see in the third movie? Let’s get ready for the biggest video game movie of the year. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 releases officially on December 20, 2024.
Great review! 115 days to go!