Sonic 3 film credits animator discusses making Classic Shadow an official reality
"I was really sceptical if I was going to be able to."
The animator behind the Sonic the Hedgehog 3 film credits has detailed the creation of its low poly character models, including the first ever Classic Shadow.
Each of the Sonic films has had a retro-themed credits sequence, gradually moving from 2D pixels to the low poly 3D models in this film, which were based on arcade game Sonic the Fighters.
However, with the inclusion of Shadow the Hedgehog in the film, this provided an opportunity to create a Classic Shadow model for the first time.
Back in 2023, Sonic Team head Takashi Iizuka told GameInformer (thanks Sonic Stadium) during a Sonic Superstars preview that Shadow would not be mixing with classic characters.
"Shadow is from the Modern series of characters and gameplay that we have introduced," he said. "The Classic series exists before the Modern series, so they haven't met at that time. There's no relationship, so we won't be bringing Shadow into the Classic series."
Then, with last year's Sonic x Shadow Generations, Iizuka confirmed to Eurogamer before its release there would be no Classic Shadow.
Yet animator suitNtie managed to do it, which he's detailed in a new video discussing the creation of the credits.
"[Shadow's design] is something that is probably one of the most important things to me on the project," he said.
"It feels almost like [Sega is] allergic to this idea completely. So I was really sceptical if I was going to be able to."
The model itself was based on the same used for Sonic, but with a few tweaks: the colour scheme, of course, as well as the shoes and eyeliner.
"But then it came down to the torso - what I would consider Classic Sonic's main thing is the torso and also the proportions," he continued, pointing to the model's round body design. "Will they want the more normal Sonic Adventure-style body, instead of this Classic one?
"If you watch the movie you see that it's Classic Shadow! I got Classic Shadow in an official Sonic product!"
Elsewhere in the video, suitNtie discusses how he got the job. At the end of 2023 he was laid off from his job as a VFX artist in the games industry, similarly to so many employees. It's great, therefore, to see such a success story emerging from its aftermath.
In addition to the video, the animator has shared a thread on X discussing some extra titbits, including how he tried to sneak a Dreamcast console into the background.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 has been a resounding success for both Sega and Paramount, as the film franchise has surpassed $1bn at the global box office.
"Sega and Paramount more closely align game and film worlds for an authentic Sonic romp with added Keanu cool," reads our film review of Sonic the Hedgehog 3.
There are also multiple post-credit sequences: what could they be hinting at for Sonic 4?