A glimpse of shoes and a logo design for Sonic 3 has sent fans into a frenzy

Sometimes a simple movie teaser can cause more excitement than the most epic trailer. Just take the latest plug for Sonic The Hedgehog 3, a film that's still a year away. A recent social media post shows nothing more than a pair of shoes, but that's all we needed.

"Off and RUNNING," reads the caption on the official Sonic The Hedgehog X account. The image below shows a pair of shoes that can only belong to one particular anthropomorphic hedgehog: a character who fans have long been hoping to see on screen in the movie series (Haven't met Sonic yet? Check out the best Nintendo Switch deals!)

We already knew that Shadow would appear in Sonic 3 thanks to the dramatic post-credits scene in last year's Sonic 2, but we had yet to see a glimpse of the brooding antihero as he will appear in the film, which, like its predecessors, will blend live action and animation. The post shared on social media this week shows just the signature hover shoes of what is presumably the character's stand-in model for shooting. But that was enough to excite fans for the 20 December 2024 release.

The post has generated a frenzy of excited comments on X, with one person predicting that the "voice actor drop gonna break the internet". Over on YouTube, the massive Sonic fan SpeedSuperSonic described being "blown away" when he saw the post. He also praised how faithful and detailed the design is, right down to the rings around Shadow's ankles and wrists.

Fans have also commented on the logo design that appears on the clapper board in the post. Showing Sonic and Shadow’s outlines, it appears to be reference the logo from Sonic Adventure 2, the game in which Shadow made his debut on Sega's Dreamcast in 2001. That's almost as exciting as when we discovered the optical illusion in the Sonic X logo.

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We have to contain are excitement for now. Paramount has set a December 20 release date for the film and has yet to reveal who will be voicing Shadow (Sonic will again be voiced by Ben Schwartz and Knuckles by Idris Elba). The movie is currently being shot at Pinewood. For more gaming fun, see our pick of the best Nintendo Switch games (and see the deals below if you haven't yet got a console).