Paramount’sSonic the Hedgehogfilm franchise has always had a love for inserting Easter eggs that only longtime fans of Sonic the Hedgehog will understand. From having a crazy man draw a picture of the internet meme Sanic in the first film to Iblis the Flames of Destruction making a cameo appearance in the Knuckles TV show, these films have always had great Easter eggs for those who choose to search for them.
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Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is no exception to this rule, as the film features many references to titles like Sonic Adventure 2 and Shadow the Hedgehog, which longtime fans will squeal over. For those of you who were too focused on how cool Shadow is as a character to notice these moments, here is a list of the coolest Easter eggs in Sonic the Hedgehog 3.
10Chao Garden
The Closest You’ll Get to Seeing it in a Game
The Sonic Adventure games featured a side-mode known as the Chao Garden. Here the player could raise little creatures known as Chao, feed them, and enter them in little competitions like races. While Chao do not exist in the world of the Paramount Sonic movies, there is a huge reference to them in Sonic 3. As near the end of Act 1 of the film, team Sonic visits a Japanese restaurant called the Chao Garden!
In this restaurant, the team is served by costumed mascots that look almost identical to Chao from the Sonic Adventure games. They even do a live song and dance performance. This Chao Garden Easter egg is extremely cute, but it also ranks low on this list only because it is the most in-your-face Easter egg in the entire movie, with a full scene and dialogue being dedicated to it. So while it is a very cute wink to long-time Sonic fans, it’s hard to truly classify it as an Easter egg.
9Eggman’s Ringtone
Some Familiar Do Da Dos
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is filled with musical callbacks to Sonic Adventure 2’s main theme, Live and Learn, but it isn’t the only song from that game to make an appearance in the movie. As Dr. Eggman’s signature theme song from that game, E.G.G.M.A.N. by Paul Shortino, makes a very brief appearance in the film.
Right before the climax of the film begins, Jim Carrey’s Dr. Robotnik receives a phone call from his minion Agent Stone, who desperately tries to warn him about what is about to happen. The ringtone used on Robotnik’s phone during this pivotal scene plays a few seconds of his Sonic Adventure 2 theme. It’s a subtle Easter egg, but one that is sure to make any Sonic fans jump out of their seat.
8End-Stage Goal Sign
Proving this Movie is S-Rank
Early on in the movie, viewers get reintroduced to Sonic and his friends via a friendly race (which Sonic, of course, wins). The most interesting aspect of this, though, is what happens at the end of the race, where Sonic passes by a goal sign as a very familiar S-rank jingle from the games plays in the background.
While this moment may not seem too special in the context of the film itself, it becomes so much more so when one remembers what fans have been begging for since this film series began. Throughout the previous two film release schedules, fans have clamored for more active references to the games and their iconic background music to appear in these films. Having this goal post and jingle play so early in the film helps immediately set the stage that Sonic 3 is less ashamed of its video game origins than the other films and lets viewers know that the rest of the movie will truly feel like a Sonic adventure.
7This is Who I Am
Shadow is Still Cool, He’s Always Been Cool
When Shadow the Hedgehog was first released for the GameCube and PlayStation 2 back in 2005, it was lambasted for its edgy tone and strange cutscene presentation. However, as time has moved on, many have come to appreciate the multi-game character arc of Shadow and many elements of his 2005 solo game have begun to crop up and be referenced in new Sonic material.
While Paramount’s Sonic the Hedgehog 3 doesn’t have many references to Shadow (2005), it does have a few. One that may fly over the heads of casual moviegoers is whenShadowsays the line “This is who I am!” during his first confrontation with Sonic. This line is an echo of one that is repeated in all ten endings of Shadow the Hedgehog and is symbolic of Shadow choosing a path that may not necessarily be the correct one, just as he does in the beginning of Sonic 3. Moments like this truly demonstrate that the writers had a proper understanding of Shadow’s character.
6Gun & Motorcycle
2005 is Back in Style
On the subject of Shadow the Hedgehog (2005) references in Sonic 3, one has to talk about the significance of Shadow driving a motorcycle and wielding a gun during the film’s first action set-piece. When Shadow (2005) was first released, many people made fun of the idea of this cartoon hedgehog doing those things, and it hung over the character’s head for years. Nowadays, though, the public has woken up to the idea that Shadow driving a motorcycle and holding a gun is the coolest thing ever.
When Shadow gets that motorcycle and gun in the movie, it is treated as the grand return it deserves to be. Watching him ride the bike up the building and take shots at Sonic is a grand experience which will leave audiences wanting more. Somehow, with all of these references being packed into this scene, the fact that Shadow also performs the ever-homaged Akira slide up a building during this scene feels like the least notable Easter egg at this moment.
One can only hope we see more of these in future appearances.
5Team Sonic
No, The Other One
2003’s Sonic Heroes was a game that took the various main and supporting characters from the last few Sonic games and separated them into four different teams. The team of Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles was, of course, given the name of Team Sonic (not to be confused with Sonic Team, the division of Sega R&D2 which develops the Sonic games as well as Shin Sakura Wars.). Now that all three of these characters are on the same side in Sonic 3, the film calls the trio Team Sonic multiple times, much to Knuckles’ annoyance.
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The adoption and use of the Team Sonic name in this film not only helps serve the character arc which Sonic goes on throughout the film of considering his friend’s feelings, but also perfectly sets up a potential Sonic Heroes film in the future when one pairs it with the film’s post-credits sequence which introduces Metal Sonic, the main antagonist of that game. One just has to wonder if Shadow’s android storyline from that game will also be referenced in the next film.
4Adventure 2 Quotes
Always Iconic
Sonic Adventure 2 is one of the most quotable games of all time, with nearly every cutscene in the game having at least one line that has been repeated endlessly by people online. So it only makes sense that a movie that heavily lifts from Adventure 2’s plot would include several of these iconic lines, further proving it isn’t ashamed to be avideo game adaptation.
The most notable of these moments happens during the film’s first act, when Sonic and crew arrive in Tokyo via a G.U.N. helicopter. Before diving out of it to fight Shadow, Sonic turns to the pilot and quotes one of his first lines from the Hero Side story in Adventure 2: “Talk about low-budget flights! No food or movies? I’m outta here!” While this moment may seem cheesy to some fans, for others it is greatly appreciated as it further ties the movies to the games tonally.
3Eggman Land
A Stage Longer than the Movie
In Sonic Adventure 1, the great Dr. Eggman first talked about building up his empire and naming it Eggman Land. This recurring character trait was continued all the way until Sonic Unleashed in 2008, where the good doctor would build an evil amusement park known as Eggman Land. Here, Eggman unveiled one of his greatest mechs: theEgg DragoonShockingly, this obscure recurring plot from the games got a shout-out in Sonic the Hedgehog 3.
During a montage sequence where Dr. Robotnik and his grandfather spend time together to make up for their years apart, they visit an amusement park to ride a roller coaster. The amusement park they enter is clearly called Eggman Land and even includes the doctor’s iconic logo on its sign. This is a fun Easter egg that doesn’t even break the film’s continuity, as it’s soon revealed that this montage sequence took place in a VR simulation anyway.
2Familiar Credits Models
Please Insert 2 Credits
Just because the film is over, that doesn’t mean the time for Easter eggs has come to an end. As even the credits sequence of Sonic 3 features a big reference that only long-time Sonic fans will understand. During this credits sequence, low-poly 3D models of the three main characters appear and play through various events of the film. Any Sonic fan (or Like a Dragon minigame fan) will recognize these models as being from the classic fighting game Sonic the Fighters.
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To be clear though, the models used in the credits sequence of Sonic 3 aren’t the same models from Sonic the Fighters. They’re new models made to imitate the style. While any casual fan will get the reference, the most hardcore Sonic fans will be able to spot little details about these models which gives away the fact that they’re new.
1The Iconic Pose
Audiences Will Cheer
The expanded port of Sonic Adventure 2: Sonic Adventure 2 Battle, featured a new intro sequence when booting up the game where Sonic and Shadow jump into the sky and pass each other, striking a pose as they do. This pose quickly became an iconic part of their rivalry and has been recreated multiple times over the years in video games such as Sonic xShadow Generations.
While various marketing for Paramount’s Sonic 3, such as posters, featured this pose, it was unknown if the iconic moment would be recreated in the film itself. Against all odds though, it appears in the climax of the movie as Sonic and Shadow work together to stop hundreds of Gerald Robotnik’s robots. As their enemies explode, Sonic and Shadow pass by each other and strike the pose as any movie-going audience goes crazy with excitement. The fact that Live and Learn plays in the background during this moment only adds to why this is one of the coolest Easter eggs in Sonic the Hedgehog 3.
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