Sonic stars in his own surprise Christmas special, and even Keanu Reeves' Shadow can't ruin the festive fun

If you aren't feeling festive already, this new Robot Chicken-style Sonic short might put you in the mood – as long as a certain Ultimate Lifeform doesn't run the fun, that is.

Featuring the voice talents of movie actors Ben Schwartz, Idris Elba, Colleen O'Shaughnessey, and Keanu Reeves, the short released during a recent '12 Hours of Sonic' event (which you can see below) sees the Blue Blur guide Knuckles through his first Christmas.

Unfortunately for those expecting yuletide and merriment, Santa (voiced by Adam Pally, who plays Wade Whipple across the first two Sonic movies and the Knuckles series) has hurt his ankle and it's up to Team Sonic to save the day.

After their lightning-speed delivery of presents, the trio of Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails return home to get their own syrupy-sweet gift – a framed photo of them with Tom (James Marsden) and Maddie (Tika Sumpter).

It's not all smooth sailing, though, as Shadow ends up stealing Santa's sleigh. "I feel like this guy is going to be a problem," Sonic quips in a perfect setup for Sonic 3.

Alongside the Christmas short, there's also a series of Sonic 3 posters parodying several other festive classics including Scrooged and Die Hard (which probably settles the debate on whether or not it's a Christmas movie).

Sonic 3 stars Ben Schwartz, Keanu Reeves, Jim Carrey, Idris Elba, James Marsden, Krysten Ritter, Tika Sumpter, and Colleen O'Shaughnessey. It's set to hit cinemas on December 20 in the US and December 21 in the UK. For more, check out the upcoming video game movies heading your way very soon and then race into our ranking of the best Sonic games.