Knuckles has 300 more VFX shots than the first Sonic movie: "It shouldn’t be looked at like it’s this extra thing we did on the side"

Knuckles showrunner Toby Ascher has revealed the scale of the upcoming Sonic spin-off – saying it has hundreds more VFX shots than 2020’s Sonic the Hedgehog.

"We shot it back-to-back with Sonic 3. It’s the exact same animation quality," Ascher, who is also a producer on Sonic the Hedgehog 3, tells GamesRadar+.

"It’s actually bigger than Sonic 1 from a VFX standpoint. We have 300 more shots in Knuckles than Sonic 1. It’s a TV show but feels and plays out like a big extra movie."

Ascher, who says the six-episode Paramount Plus series operates "basically" as "Sonic 2.5" is also at pains to point out that Knuckles isn’t being treated as a stopgap or quick cash grab before the box office main event of Sonic 3 this December. 

"If you love what we’re doing with this franchise, this shouldn’t be looked at as something that’s an extra thing that they did on the side and the animation is not that good," Ascher notes. "We really strove hard to make sure the animation quality on the show is as good as the movie."

Sonic, infamously, had to quite literally go back to the drawing board in 2019 for a redesign of its main character after a major outcry from fans. Now, it seems, lessons have been learned and the animation has stepped up in a major way – which is something Knuckles aims to continue.

Knuckles is premiering on Paramount Plus on April 26 in the US and April 27 in the UK.

For more, check out the new TV shows coming your way later this year.