Small Details You Missed In The Sonic The Hedgehog 3 Trailer

The "Sonic the Hedgehog" film franchise has come a long way since its first trailer. What should've been a triumphant moment for fans of the video game character was overshadowed by some terrifying choices with the iconic character's CGI design, nicknamed "Ugly Sonic" in its appearance in "Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers." Luckily, Paramount Pictures delayed the film and reworked Sonic's look to be more directly inspired by his video game origins, and the end product was one of the best live-action video game movies ever.

After the success of "Sonic the Hedgehog 2," which introduced iconic franchise characters like Tails and Knuckles, the blue blur is back for his third live-action outing with "Sonic the Hedgehog 3." This time around, the film seems to be taking cues from the plot of "Sonic Adventure 2," like introducing Sonic's recurring arch-nemesis Shadow the Hedgehog, as well as exploring the backstory of the Robotnik family.

The first trailer for "Sonic the Hedgehog 3" just launched online, and fans are already scouring each frame for Easter eggs and clues about how the filmmakers plan to adapt one of the most beloved titles in the video game series. To notice these small details in the trailer, one will have to do the opposite of what Sonic does and take it slow. 

Early on in the trailer, we see the trio of Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles in some quick action shots, and one of them will certainly stand out to longtime franchise fans. In it, Knuckles appears to leap off Big Ben and glide through the air with flaming fists. It may look a bit unnatural to see an echidna capable of flying, but "Sonic" fans know this to be one of Knuckles' iconic powers.

Knuckles' gliding move dates back to 1994's "Sonic & Knuckles," the first game in which he was a playable character. It's a way for him to traverse stages while attacking enemies in mid-air. His levels in "Sonic Adventure" and "Sonic Adventure 2" were based around this mechanic, as Knuckles navigated larger, more puzzle-centric courses in search of Master Emerald shards.

While this moment will catch the eyes of Knuckles fans, it also promises something new, as there's no variant of the move in the games where Knuckles' fists are set ablaze. Yes, Knuckles' punching moves have been known to summon explosive fire in some games, and the character even uses fiery moves like this in the previous film, but these flying fire fists are a new development.

Those who have seen the previous two "Sonic the Hedgehog" films won't be surprised to see Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles working together. In the ending of "Sonic the Hedgehog 2," the trio joined forces against Dr. Robotnik after the mad scientist used Knuckles to steal the Master Emerald and power his doppelgänger robot. Judging by the trailer for "Sonic the Hedgehog 3," they have continued their heroic missions, and have even been given a name that will be familiar to "Sonic" fans.

At one point in the trailer, the three are summoned to deal with the crisis of Shadow the Hedgehog and are called "Team Sonic." While the name seems simple enough, its origins come from the 2003 game "Sonic Heroes." In that game, players explore a total of four main campaigns, each with various teams: Team Sonic, Team Dark, Team Rose, and Team Chaotix. Like the movie, Team Sonic consists of Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles, each with their own moves and playstyle.

The team even seems to take up a V-formation led by Sonic at one point in the trailer, perhaps suggesting that "Sonic Heroes" will serve as a reference point for the trio's simultaneous fight scenes. This raises an interesting question: We know that Shadow the Hedgehog is going to be involved in the film, so will his fellow Team Dark members — Rouge the Bat and E-123 Omega — make cameos in the movie?

So far, the "Sonic the Hedgehog" films have nailed the casting choices for the iconic video game characters. Ben Schwartz is an energetic and charismatic Sonic, Jim Carrey is back to his best as Robotnik, and Idris Elba's stern Knuckles is brilliant. However, all of them pale in comparison to the foresight of casting none other than Keanu Reeves as Shadow the Hedgehog, an inspired choice given how Reeves-esque the anti-hero has been in the video game franchise.

Although Reeves' casting had been confirmed back in April 2024, the trailer gives fans the first snippet of him voicing the ultimate lifeform. It's a fitting portrayal, given that Shadow's storyline has historically been reminiscent of the "John Wick" saga: He's an unstoppable killing machine whose one goal is revenge against the people who took away what he loved. Some fans were quick to draw those comparisons online, which led to some funny and undeniably cool mock-up images.

What's interesting about this casting choice is that Reeves already exists in the universe of the "Sonic the Hedgehog" movies. In the first "Sonic the Hedgehog," an early scene features Sonic spying on Tom and Maddie watching "Speed," notably saying, "Keanu, you are a national treasure!" Perhaps Reeves has been eyeing this role ever since he was name-dropped by Schwartz's character, or maybe it's just a coincidence, but either way, it's a cool link.

Many fans correctly predicted that the introduction of Shadow the Hedgehog would bring with it one of the most tragic backstories in the "Sonic" franchise. As revealed in "Sonic Adventure 2," Shadow is a creation of the military organization G.U.N.'s "Project Shadow," an experiment by Gerald Robotnik to create the ultimate lifeform. Shadow became close with Gerald's granddaughter Maria, the cousin of Dr. Ivo Robotnik, but she was unfortunately shot dead while trying to help Shadow escape from the Space Colony ARK. 

Despite this storyline being quite dark, fans were nonetheless excited to see Maria briefly appear in the trailer for "Sonic the Hedgehog 3." She's portrayed by Alyla Browne, who you might recognize from having played a young Anya Taylor-Joy in "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga." Given the presence of G.U.N. in the previous film, as well as "Project Shadow" being referenced in its mid-credits scene, it seems that "Sonic the Hedgehog 3" is setting up to keep Shadow's backstory the same in the new film.

One thing that is almost certain about Maria's appearance in "Sonic the Hedgehog 3" is that it will lead to all those memes about the character's canonical death resurfacing. Part of the reason it's so famous is because of how often the memory is shown in flashback in "Sonic Adventure 2," so if the filmmakers of "Sonic the Hedgehog 3" really wanted to appeal to hardcore "Sonic" fans, they'd replay her death scene numerous times throughout the film.

There was a lot of speculation regarding who would be cast to play Gerald Robotnik, the grandfather of Jim Carrey's Dr. Ivo Robotnik, in "Sonic the Hedgehog 3." Some names thrown out there included Christopher Lloyd, Willem Dafoe, and J.K. Simmons, but the end result is probably the best choice that could've been made. In the trailer, Carrey's Robotnik wanders through an abandoned lab before reuniting with his grandfather, who's played by... yup, Jim Carrey. 

Design-wise, this isn't a huge departure from the look of Gerald Robotnik in the games. The character has often been depicted as an older, grayer version of Dr. Eggman, which Carrey seems to have adopted for this double role. What's more surprising is that it's a big diversion from the character's in-game fate, in which Gerald went insane after the death of Maria and vowed revenge on humanity before he was ultimately imprisoned and executed. 

It's pretty surprising to see Carrey in the film at all, considering the actor said that he'd be retiring from acting during press for "Sonic the Hedgehog 2." It wasn't too long ago that Hollywood wouldn't cast Jim Carrey anymore, but his performance as Robotnik in the first two "Sonic" movies was a welcome return to form for the comedy icon. It seems that not even the promise of a peaceful retirement can keep the actor away from a fun role — or, should we say, fun roles. 

Getting a first look at Shadow the Hedgehog in action has a lot of fans of the video game franchise excited to see the character's iconic moves in live-action, from his trademark Chaos Control to moves like the spinning Black Tornado. However, only eagle-eyed "Sonic" fans will have noticed one brief moment in the "Sonic the Hedgehog 3" trailer where the character does his signature skate technique as he runs across water, which is very reminiscent of the character's movements in the games. 

While Sonic has been seen running over water for brief periods of time in the past, Shadow's method of traversing a body of water appears much more graceful, as seen in this clip. However, neither Shadow nor Sonic have been known to walk on water for extended periods of time, with large bodies of water even being hazards for Sonic and his friends. If this trailer is to be believed, Shadow's ability to skate across water with no trouble signifies that this iteration of the character is much stronger in ways fans of "Sonic" have yet to see. 

This isn't the only detail from the trailer where Shadow's shoes are in focus. During one confrontation with Sonic, Shadow lifts the hedgehog into the air using his Air Shoes, which the character has frequently used to hover in mid-air and fly throughout the game series.

Another blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment from the "Sonic the Hedgehog 3" trailer doesn't reference the "Sonic" franchise at all, but instead pays homage to one of the most iconic moments in anime history. During the chase sequence where Shadow is riding a motorcycle, he slides while turning his vehicle in a move that seems directly taken from the 1988 animated Japanese film "Akira," in which the camera is framed so that the film's protagonist, Kaneda, smoothly rides in from below frame and stops at the top of it as sparks emanate from his motorcycle. 

Referencing the move isn't exactly a unique Easter egg in film history, as countless other films and animated shows have imitated it. What makes this one particularly special is that Keanu Reeves almost played Kaneda in a live-action Hollywood remake of "Akira." This Easter egg is also not exactly unique in terms of the "Sonic the Hedgehog" film franchise, given that the previous films have referenced pop culture quite a lot, including "Apocalypse Now" and "Spider-Man." 

Having Shadow re-enact this small detail from "Akira" also helps pay tribute to the "Sonic" franchise's Japanese origins, given that the film franchise has thus far been very catered to Western audiences. Hopefully, Shadow's "Akira" slide looks just as good on the big screen as it does in this trailer, as many fans will be excited to see it for themselves when the film releases later this year. 

Much of "Sonic the Hedgehog 3" is clearly going to revolve around fully introducing Shadow the Hedgehog to the Sonic movie universe, even though the ending of "Sonic the Hedgehog 2" first teases his debut. So it stands to reason that the film is going to draw heavily from the video game where Shadow originated. That game is "Sonic Adventure 2," originally released for the Sega Dreamcast console in 2001 and subsequently ported to various other platforms over the years. 

Near the end of the trailer, when Sonic and Shadow clash, they spin together into the graphic that sits behind the movie's title — looking like an iconic Sonic spindash, only the bottom half is black and orange to represent Shadow. It bares more than a slight resemblance to the image that is formed around the "Sonic Adventure 2" title image, something that was obviously not an accident. Lest there be any doubt that "Sonic the Hedgehog 3" is directly inspired by "Sonic Adventure 2," the connection between the two is going to be made obvious right from the former's title screen. 

It's clear that "Sonic the Hedgehog 3" is going pretty hard on not just "Sonic Adventure 2," but its predecessor as well. The first core Sonic game to take the hedgehog into polygonal, fully 3D worlds, "Sonic Adventure" represented a new era for the franchise — not just in terms of major gameplay changes but also in the various characters that were introduced. Among the new allies that joined Sonic in the first game were the Chao, cute little creatures that mostly just served as the basis for a minigame but would soon become an ever-present feature in not only future games, but almost every other form of Sonic media.

Every media, that is, except for movies — which is something that "Sonic the Hedgehog 3" is going to rectify. At one point in the trailer, Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles are attacked by missiles while enjoying a stage show of some kind. That show features what look to be life-size animatronic Chao singing and dancing on a stage — one of which is wearing a sombrero and holding maracas as an apparent nod to Sega rhythm game "Samba de Amigo." It's unclear whether we'll see actual Chao in the movie or if their appearance will consist entirely of this single scene in a Chuck E. Cheese-like place, but the creatures are still primed for their big screen debut either way. 

Sonic games went through a rough patch in the 2000s after the release of "Sonic Adventure 2," struggling with not only the third dimension but also just having a general identity crisis. The mid-2000s saw games as a whole get especially edgy and "adult" — spurred on in no small part by the huge success of the "Grand Theft Auto" series — and numerous franchises tried to fit into that trend with mixed results. For the Sonic franchise, that manifested as Shadow's first and thus far only true solo game outing, released in 2005 and simply titled "Shadow the Hedgehog." 

Featuring the titular character delivering mild expletives and using guns, "Shadow the Hedgehog" earned a rare T for Teen rating for a Sonic franchise game. Critical reception was mixed, and fans weren't entirely sold on the focus on third-person shooting, but the game did sell well. There's no denying that the game is an important one for Shadow and his story, and there are various indications that "Sonic the Hedgehog 3" is also going to draw from various elements of "Shadow the Hedgehog" — the prominence of Shadow riding a motorcycle in the trailer, something that was introduced in "Shadow the Hedgehog," seems to confirm that. 

For the most part, the "Sonic the Hedgehog" movies have had almost entirely original scores. Rather than go the route of "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" — which was worth seeing for the score alone, with its barrage of musical cues taken directly from the soundtracks of the various Mario games — the first two "Sonic the Hedgehog" movies largely opted against that. One of the only exceptions was a fun rendition of the iconic "Green Hill Zone" theme near the end of the first movie.

If the trailer for "Sonic the Hedgehog 3" is any indication, the score is going to draw much more heavily from the games than the first two movies. The "Green Hill Zone" theme makes another appearance — this time, via an epic orchestral version that suits the massive set pieces being depicted in the trailer. But there is also a more subtle musical nod in the trailer, with a piece of the song "Live and Learn" being thrown into the mix. This makes perfect sense, because "Live and Learn" is the main theme of "Sonic Adventure 2." Is this movie basically going to be a straight adaptation of that game? It sure seems like it's going to get pretty close.

Elements from the "Sonic Adventure" games were already present in the "Sonic the Hedgehog" movies prior to the upcoming third installment. A notable example of this is the Guardian Units of Nations — or G.U.N. for short — a task force that was put together for the purpose of battling Dr. Robotnik and Knuckles-level threats, the kind of threats that traditional law enforcement and military organizations proved unequipped to handle. G.U.N. made its live-action film debut in "Sonic the Hedgehog 2," but it has been a part of Sonic media since — you guessed it — "Sonic Adventure 2." 

There is a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment in the trailer for "Sonic the Hedgehog 3" that sees Tom Wachowski (James Marsden) lying on the floor and screaming Sonic's name while wearing a G.U.N. uniform. Has he joined the organization, or was he posing as a G.U.N. agent in some sort of undercover infiltration to see what is going on with this whole Shadow the Hedgehog thing? Both seem equally plausible, but making a point to show Tom in a G.U.N. uniform was no doubt meant to get the gears of fan speculation turning.

Given that it was built by Gerald Robotnik and was where Shadow was created, it was perhaps a forgone conclusion that we'd see the Space Colony ARK show up in "Sonic the Hedgehog 3." Since its debut in "Sonic Adventure 2," the ARK has not only played a story role in numerous Sonic games, it has also served as a popular locale in which to set levels — typically filling the "space station stage" niche that is a popular one in platform games. So it's cool to see that it's going to figure heavily in the third live-action "Sonic the Hedgehog" film.

There wasn't enough context in the scenes in the trailer that show Shadow escaping from the machinery that birthed him to definitively place the action within the ARK, but the ARK being present in the movie is cemented after that when it is shown rising from a river. The ARK is shown in several more quick shots in the trailer, including a moment that sees a clearly scared Tails seeming to be flying away from it as quickly as he can. There's little doubt that "Sonic the Hedgehog 3" is going to have at least two epic action climaxes — one being a physical battle with Shadow himself, and the other consisting of the ARK needing to be stopped. 

Thus far, the "Sonic the Hedgehog" movies have introduced Sonic's main villains in the same order they debuted in the games — first Robotnik, then Knuckles, and now, Shadow. But one major Sonic villain has been skipped over, one who not only predates Shadow but even showed up before Knuckles did. That character is Metal Sonic, who debuted in 1993's "Sonic CD," which was released for Sega's ill-fated Sega CD platform. 

Created by Robotnik, Metal Sonic has proven to be a formidable adversary to Sonic. He has matched and even surpassed Sonic's speed on occasion, made possible through a power gem that Robotnik installed in him. While this is a bit more speculative than most of the other entries in this list, it is possible that Robotnik could create a Metal Sonic in the film universe via one of Sonic's quills. This is backed up by a small moment in the "Sonic the Hedgehog 3" trailer.

As part of the deal for Robotnik to help Sonic and friends take on Shadow, Robotnik demands one of Sonic's quills, potentially hinting at Metal Sonic's future creation. Metal Sonic would make an ideal big bad for a fourth Sonic movie, and the time travel themes of "Sonic CD" would in turn be a fun gimmick to build the sequel around.

The iconic "Akira slide" might be the most obvious anime homage seen in the "Sonic the Hedgehog 3" trailer, but it's arguably not the only one. X user SLO (@SLOplays) picked up on what seems to be a nod to one of the biggest moments in "Dragon Ball Z," occurring just after Knuckles foolishly thinks he's going to take down Shadow as easily as he was able to manhandle Sonic when those two met.

After catching Knuckles' powerful punch like it was nothing and flipping the echidna into the air, Shadow flies underneath him and delivers a powerful kick from below. When you freeze that moment and compare it to the iconic "Dragon Ball Z" moment when Vegeta does the same move to Cell, the similarities don't seem to be a coincidence. Given the many ways that the Sonic franchise has liberally borrowed elements from "Dragon Ball" (the design of Super Sonic is clearly meant to make the character look like he's in Ultra Instinct form, and there are parallels between the Chaos Emeralds and the Dragon Balls), it certainly seems as though this is a "Dragon Ball Z" shoutout.