Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Christmas Short Mimics Classic Rankin/Bass Style

In celebration of both the holiday season and the impending release of Sonic the Hedgehog 3, a special Christmas short has been released by Paramount. The short features Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails helping Santa deliver presents on Christmas Eve, while Shadow makes things a little more difficult. The short features an animated style based on the classic stop motion Christmas shorts by Rankin/Bass, such as Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town, Frosty the Snowman, and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Best of all, it also features voice work by Sonic the Hedgehog 3 cast members Ben Schwartz, Idris Elba, Colleen O’Shaughnessey, and Keanu Reeves.

In addition to those four cast members from Sonic the Hedgehog 3, A Very Sonic Christmas also features Adam Pally. Pally appeared in the first two Sonic films and in the Knuckles series as the bumbling deputy Wade Whipple. As of this writing, Wade has not been confirmed to appear for the new Sonic movie. However, the actor does play Santa in the short, so it seems his association with the Sonic franchise has not come to an end just yet! Readers can check out the short in the video below.

Outside of the cameo by Pally, Sonic fans should notice a handful of other Easter eggs. The ugly Christmas sweaters worn by Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles each feature something that their character is closely associated with. For Tails there’s the Tornado plane, which has been appearing with the character since his original video game appearance. For Knuckles, there’s a bunch of grapes, which he’s frequently seen eating in the Knuckles show. Lastly, Sonic’s sweater has an image of his favorite food, the chili dog; he even left one out for Santa this year! A Christmas Tree can be seen in the short, but the house also has a Menorah, possibly as a reference to Knuckles learning about the Jewish faith in the Knuckles series. When Sonic checks Santa’s list, he notices that both Gerald and Ivo Robotnik are on the naughty list.

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The release of A Very Sonic Christmas coincides with Paramount’s 12 Hours of Sonic promotion. That promotion has seen a giveaway featuring an Ugly Sonic Christmas sweater, and the release of multiple holiday themed posters for Sonic the Hedgehog 3. So far, Paramount has released a Sonic poster inspired by National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, with Ivo Robotnik being electrocuted in the place of Clark Griswold. There’s also been a Home Alone poster parody, with Sonic in the place of Kevin McAllister, and Ivo and Gerald in place of Harry and Marv.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 isn’t set to release in theaters until December 20th, but the hype cycle for the movie is officially in full force. In addition to everything today, Sonic x Shadow Generations players can expect DLC for the game tomorrow (December 12th), which will feature Keanu Reeves reprising his role as Shadow, as well as areas based on the new movie.

What did you think of A Very Sonic Christmas? Do you plan on checking out Sonic the Hedgehog 3 later this month? Share your thoughts with me directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp, on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!