Sonic 3 Animator Discusses Making Classic Shadow an Official Reality

The animator who created the credits for Sonic the Hedgehog 3 details the creation of low-poly character models, including the first-ever classic shadow.

Each of the Sonic films feature retro-themed credits, gradually transitioning from 2D pixels to low-poly 3D models in this film, based on the arcade game Sonic the Fighters.

However, with the inclusion of Shadow the Hedgehog in the film, it became possible to create a Classic Shadow model for the first time.

Back in 2023, Sonic Team head Takashi Iizuka told GameInformer (thanks to Sonic Stadium) during a Sonic Superstars preview that Shadow wouldn’t be lumped in with the classic characters.

“Shadow is from the Modern series of characters and gameplay that we introduced,” he said. “The Classic series existed before the Modern series, so at that time they had not yet met. They don’t have any relationship, so we won’t be bringing Shadow into the Classic series.”

Then, when Sonic x Shadow Generations came out last year, Iizuka confirmed to Eurogamer ahead of its release that there wouldn’t be a Classic Shadow.

And yet, animator SuitNtie managed to do it, which he talks about in detail in a new video dedicated to creating titles.

“(Shadow’s design) is probably one of the most important things to me about the project,” he said.

“Sega seems to be completely allergic to this idea. So I was very skeptical if I could do it.”

The model itself was based on the same model as in Sonic, but with some changes: the color scheme, of course, but also the shoes and eyeliner.

“But then it came to the torso—what I think is the main thing about Classic Sonic is the torso, and also the proportions,” he continued, pointing out the model’s round body design. “Will they want a more normal Sonic Adventure style body instead of the classic one?

“If you watch the movie, it’s Classic Shadow! I have Classic Shadow in the official Sonic product!”

Elsewhere in the video, SuitNtie explains how he got the job. At the end of 2023, he was laid off from his job as a visual effects artist in the games industry, like many other employees. So it’s nice to see such a success story come out of this.

In addition to the video, the animator shared a thread on X that discussed some additional details, including how he tried to bring the Dreamcast console into the background.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 was a resounding success for both Sega and Paramount, as the franchise’s worldwide box office gross exceeded $1 billion.

“Sega and Paramount are aligning the worlds of gaming and film more closely to create an authentic Sonic experience with added Keanu cool,” says our review of Sonic the Hedgehog 3.

There are also several post-credits scenes: what could they be hinting at in Sonic 4?