The Sonic 3 logo looks like a big shoutout to one of the hedgehog's most beloved games

sonic the hedgehog 3
(Image credit: Paramount)

Yesterday, we got our first look at Sonic the Hedgehog 3, and while Shadow's shoes took the initial spotlight, there's another Easter egg buried in that initial teaser image which has set the hearts of old-school Sonic fans ablaze.

If you zoom in real close on the clapperboard and turn up the brightness a bit on that Sonic 3 logo, you'll see a spin design very similar to that of the logo for the 2001 Dreamcast and Gamecube classic, Sonic Adventure 2. It's only appropriate that SA2 gets a major reference here, since it marked the first appearance of Shadow the Hedgehog, who looks set to be a major part of the upcoming film.

The LOGO 😭😭 from r/SonicTheHedgehog

Fans have been very excited by the reference. "If you had told my kid-self that one day they were going to make a movie about Sonic and Shadow with the same logo as SA2, in 2023? I never would have believed it," as one Reddit user puts it. "In a way, it's kind of emotional." Everyone else is just posting the lyrics to Sonic Adventure 2's iconic rock song Live and Learn.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is due to hit theaters on December 20, 2024. We don't know who will be playing Shadow in the film, but the rest of the cast includes Ben Schwartz as Sonic, Colleen O'Shaughnessey as Tails, and Idris Elba as Knuckles, plus actors who will appear in human form like James Marsden, Tika Sumpter, Natasha Rothwell, and Shemar Moore.

If you're looking for more upcoming video game movies, you know where to click.

Lauren Milici
Senior Writer, Tv & Film

Lauren Milici is a Senior Entertainment Writer for 12DOVE currently based in the Midwest. She previously reported on breaking news for The Independent's Indy100 and created TV and film listicles for Ranker. Her work has been published in Fandom, Nerdist, Paste Magazine, Vulture, PopSugar, Fangoria, and more.

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