Yuji Uekawa defined the look of the modern Sonic we know for the Sonic Adventure series, launched in 1998. The illustrator left behind the more childlike appearance of previous outings in favour of a taller, meaner and cooler hedgehog fit for a new era. Satoshi Okano's contributions to the modern Sonic should also be acknowledged.

A release date has been set for the fourth Sonic the Hedgehog film which will introduce some more iconic characters from the video game franchise.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is now available to watch at home after becoming the highest-grossing movie of the series. The threequel has grossed more than $420 million worldwide following its release just before Christmas. It sees Sonic form an uneasy alliance with Dr Robotnik when a dangerous new enemy arrives in the form of Shadow.