Concept art for the Sonic the Hedgehog 3 movie has been released, revealing cut content and a look at secret characters from the post-credits scene.
Coincidentally, the images have been published one day before the film is available digitally, just a month after its theatrical release.
“This time we are mainly responsible for drawing some keyframes and character modeling,” reads the post from Tian He Yan Studio. “The keyframe concept map helps establish the tonal style of the film and can also help guide the visual effects work.”
Most of the images depict key events from the film. There's Shadow and Maria meeting, Eggman watching a soap opera, Super Sonic and Super Shadow fighting in space, and that adorable Chao Garden restaurant scene.
But there is more. Knuckles and Tails are seen riding a motorcycle through the streets of London pursued by a giant ball of debris, like something out of the Katamari games, in what I presume was a cut action sequence. Another image shows the three Sonic heroes in flight as they escape some sort of sand explosion, with Knuckles covered in scorpions.
However, two images are the most interesting of all and they show Amy Rose and Metal Sonic. Both characters are teased in the film's post-credit scene; It is not clear from this artwork whether they were originally intended for this film or if this artwork was created solely for its reveals.
Either way, this could be an indication of what to expect in the confirmed Sonic 4 cinematic sequel. Amy, for example, is seen standing next to Sonic just as she does in his reveal, although there is a large destroyed robot that isn't the Metal Sonic we see. see in Sonic 3. What's going on in the background?
The other image shows Metal Sonic alongside Eggman wearing some sort of elaborate emperor outfit, with a cyberpunk-style metropolis in the background. This certainly wasn't part of Sonic 3, and fans suggested it could be some kind of bad future. If true, it would align with theories that the upcoming movie will be inspired by the time-traveling Sonic CD.
If you haven't seen the film yet or want to watch it again, it will be available digitally tomorrow (January 21).
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Last week, the animator behind the film's low-poly credits sequence detailed his creation, including the design of the first Classic Shadow.
“Sega and Paramount more closely align the worlds of gaming and film for an authentic Sonic game with Keanu's cool touch,” reads our Sonic the Hedgehog 3 film review.