Sonic 3 Movie Director Reflects On “Full Circle” Shadow The Hedgehog Moment

Sniper


Shadow the Hedgehog
Image: SEGA, Paramount

In case you missed it, the Sonic the Hedgehog 3 movie trailer has been officially released, confirming the John Wick, Matrix and Cyberpunk 2077 star Keanu Reeves as the voice of Shadow.

While the third movie is already a massive milestone for everyone involved in the live-action series, this upcoming release also marks a very special moment for the director (and Sonic fan) Jeff Fowler.

In a brief post on social media, he mentioned how one of his first jobs in the “VFX industry” was actually animating Shadow. The official Sonic account on social media even described this achievement “twenty years later” as a “full circle moment”.

Jeff Fowler: “One of my first jobs in the VFX industry was animating this amazing character for his first #SEGA standalone video game. Twenty years later, I could not feel more HONORED to bring SHADOW to the big screen in #SonicMovie3”

If you’re wondering what exactly the standalone video game Jeff worked on is – he appears to be referencing the 2005 title Shadow The Hedgehog. This followed Shadow’s debut in the 2001 Dreamcast release Sonic Adventure 2.

The Sonic the Hedgehog 3 movie hits theatres on 20th December 2024. The official trailer has nearly hit six million views in just a day and is trending in the top spot on YouTube right now.