The Sonic movies keep getting better thanks to each new Little Guy

The Sonic franchise is the rare movie series that’s gotten better and better with each subsequent sequel. In this case, the reason why is actually very simple: Each new one adds at least one new Little Guy. And the filmmakers have absolutely perfected making these Little Guys, translating them from their cartoony designs to “realistic” ones.

It’s a bit of a miracle, considering the initial Sonic design was so ill received the crew went back and redid all the animation. If director Jeff Fowler hadn’t taken the movie back to the drawing board, it’s unlikely that we would’ve seen Sonic 2, let alone Sonic 3 (or Sonic 4, which is officially in the works for 2027). The first iteration of Sonic was frankly terrifying. It skewed too realistic, with small, beady eyes, oddly humanlike legs, and, most infamously, a set of individually rendered chompers. The backlash was so strong that Team Sonic (Movie) delayed the film five months to work on getting the Little Guy just right.

And boy, what a makeover. Sonic is the perfect blend of cartoony and realistic. His fur is textured enough that I have a pretty good idea of how it would feel if I touched it, but his eyes and facial features are big, exaggerated, and just plain cute. (Also, his teeth aren’t so high-def that I could floss them.)

With Tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessey) and Knuckles (Idris Elba) introduced in Sonic 2 and Shadow (Keanu Reeves) introduced in Sonic 3, that cast of adorable and perfectly calibrated Little Guys has only grown — and each with their own unique personality. Tails’ bubbly and buoyant personality is the one you’d most expect out of a cute talking animal sidekick, but he never gets grating. Meanwhile, Knuckles is incredibly serious and thinks with his fists instead of his brain. Shadow is angsty and full of vengeance. It’s just damn funny for a character to plot murder when that character is a 3-and-a-half-foot-tall black hedgehog with red hair streaks.

But what makes these movies absolutely wonderful is the fact that these adorable Little Guys are interacting with the human world. The sheer comedy of a seasoned general of a powerful military organization sitting down next to three brightly colored anthropomorphic creatures and very seriously offering them the launch card to a deadly secret weapon is unrivaled.

As more Little Guys are introduced, there’s always the chance that the movies tip too much into CG creature territory and lose the crackling juxtaposition of the real and cartoony. Yes, there’s charm in having an entire animated movie of the Sonic characters. But personally, I think so much of the humor comes from seeing the grounded human characters interact with the brightly colored cartoons. Humor works best when there’s contrast, and the goofier elements of the Little Guys and Jim Carrey’s outlandish Dr. Robotnik pop even more when the regular folks of Green Hills, Montana, have to adjust to having a bizarre group of alien creatures just walking around town. The regular human characters might be boring, but that’s the point. It’s like how the Muppets work best when they get to play off a few straitlaced humans. It’s all about the balance of the zany and the mundane.

And so far, Fowler has deftly kept that balance, and against all odds, each new movie has only been stronger and stronger. And with the post-credits scene teasing Amy Rose, as well as an army of Metal Sonics, there are even more Little Guys (gender neutral!) to look forward to, with new personalities joining the mix. Bring on Sonic 4. At this rate, it’s probably going to be a masterpiece.