{"id":4940,"date":"2026-07-05T06:17:44","date_gmt":"2026-07-04T22:17:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/sonic-memories-and-beyond-35th-anniversary-short-anime-expo-2026\/"},"modified":"2026-07-05T06:17:44","modified_gmt":"2026-07-04T22:17:44","slug":"sonic-memories-and-beyond-35th-anniversary-short-anime-expo-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/sonic-memories-and-beyond-35th-anniversary-short-anime-expo-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Sonic&#8217;s 35th Anniversary Short Film Revealed at Anime Expo 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Sonic the Hedgehog turns 35 this year, and SEGA is celebrating in style. On the final day of <strong>Anime Expo 2026<\/strong>, the company unveiled <em>Sonic the Hedgehog: Memories and Beyond<\/em> \u2014 a brand-new 10-minute animated short film slated for a <strong>Fall 2026<\/strong> release \u2014 alongside a sneak-peek trailer that sent the audience into a frenzy. It is the latest in a long line of beloved Sonic shorts, and it looks like it could be the best one yet.<\/p>\n<h2>The Story: Metal Sonic Goes Full Chaos<\/h2>\n<p>Dr. Eggman is at it again, this time with an especially dangerous plan: harness the power of the Chaos Emeralds to steal Sonic&#8217;s life-data and evolve <strong>Metal Sonic<\/strong> into an unstoppable weapon. To beat a threat this powerful, Sonic cannot go it alone \u2014 the short leans hard into the bonds forged across years of adventures, bringing together <strong>Sonic, Amy, Knuckles, Shadow, Rouge, and Tails<\/strong> for a full team-up showdown.<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/sonic-memories-beyond-action.jpg?w=474&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Sonic the Hedgehog: Memories and Beyond animated short action sequence\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\"><figcaption>Image courtesy of SEGA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The title \u2014 <em>Memories and Beyond<\/em> \u2014 hints at a story that looks backward at the franchise&#8217;s history while pointing forward to what comes next for Sonic and crew. Given the short bridges directly to <em>Sonic the Hedgehog 4<\/em>, arriving in theatres in <strong>March 2027<\/strong>, it looks like this will be essential viewing for fans before the film lands.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"gt-video\">\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;\"><iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ZOdpBJdeOhI\" title=\"Sonic the Hedgehog: Memories And Beyond | 35th Anniversary AX Sneak Peek\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0;\" allow=\"accelerometer;clipboard-write;encrypted-media;gyroscope;picture-in-picture;web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div><figcaption>Sonic the Hedgehog: Memories And Beyond | 35th Anniversary AX Sneak Peek \u2014 via Sonic the Hedgehog on YouTube<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>The Creative Team Behind the Short<\/h2>\n<p>The short was announced during a panel titled <em>&#8220;Sonic the Hedgehog Animated Shorts: A Frame-by-Frame Retrospective&#8221;<\/em>, and the talent assembled for it reads like a who&#8217;s-who of Sonic animation history. SEGA&#8217;s own <strong>Takashi Iizuka<\/strong> was on stage, joined by series veterans <strong>Tyson Hesse<\/strong> (director of the beloved <em>Ova<\/em>-style short <em>Sonic Mania Adventures<\/em>), <strong>Evan Stanley<\/strong>, and <strong>Alan Wan<\/strong>, as well as Austin Keys and Jasmin Hernandez. With Hesse and Stanley involved, expectations are sky-high \u2014 their previous Sonic shorts are some of the most-viewed pieces of Sonic content on YouTube.<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/sonic-memories-beyond-amy-rose.jpg?w=474&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Amy Rose in Sonic the Hedgehog: Memories and Beyond animated short\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\"><figcaption>Image courtesy of SEGA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>A 35-Year Legacy Singapore Fans Grew Up With<\/h2>\n<p>Sonic has always had a passionate following in Singapore \u2014 from the arcade era to Sonic Riders in the early 2000s, through the Boost games on handhelds, and right up to the recent live-action film trilogy. The franchise&#8217;s animated shorts are a big part of why the fandom stays so attached between major game releases; <em>Sonic Mania Adventures<\/em> and the <em>Team Sonic Racing Overdrive<\/em> shorts racked up millions of views and introduced a whole new generation to the classic character dynamics.<\/p>\n<p><em>Memories and Beyond<\/em> arriving in Fall 2026 gives Singapore fans something to look forward to while waiting for <em>Sonic the Hedgehog 4<\/em> in March 2027. No streaming platform has been announced yet \u2014 watch the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@sonic\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">official Sonic the Hedgehog YouTube channel<\/a> for updates. In the meantime, catch up on all our <a href=\"\/blog\/category\/manga-anime\/\">anime news and previews<\/a> here on GameTrader.<\/p>\n<p><!--GT-SCOUT source=\"Web (English)\" theme=\"Anime\" flags=\"none\"--><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>SEGA revealed Sonic the Hedgehog: Memories and Beyond at Anime Expo 2026 \u2014 a 10-minute anniversary short film coming Fall 2026, bridging towards the Sonic the Hedgehog 4 movie in March 2027.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":4936,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":[]},"categories":[11,25],"tags":[68,336,482,277,409],"class_list":["post-4940","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-game-news","category-manga-anime","tag-anime","tag-anime-announcement","tag-anime-expo-2026","tag-sega","tag-sonic-the-hedgehog"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/sonic-memories-and-beyond-key-art.jpg?fit=2000%2C1125&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p13AlF-1hG","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4059,"url":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/sonic-frontiers-definitive-edition-switch-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":4940,"position":0},"title":"Sonic Frontiers: Definitive Edition Is Out Now on Switch 2 \u2014 Every Bit of DLC Included","date":"June 24, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Sonic Frontiers: Definitive Edition shadow-dropped on Nintendo Switch 2 today for US$49.99, bundling the full game, all DLC, and Switch 2 performance upgrades to mark Sonic's 35th anniversary.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Game News&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/sonic-frontiers-de-switch2.webp?fit=1130%2C640&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4028,"url":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/sonic-35th-anniversary-2026-singapore-gamers\/","url_meta":{"origin":4940,"position":1},"title":"Happy 35th, Sonic! Here&#8217;s What Singapore Gamers Need to Know","date":"June 23, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Sonic the Hedgehog turns 35 today. New DLC with Evangelion, Godzilla and TMNT, plus Sonic Pico Park and two anniversary livestreams \u2014 here is the complete SG guide.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Game News&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/sonic-35th-anniversary-key-art.jpg?fit=1200%2C780&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":248,"url":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/sonic-4-eva\/","url_meta":{"origin":4940,"position":2},"title":"Sonic 4-Eva?","date":"October 17, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Sonic the Hedgehog is back with a game of his own! After the success of Street Fighter 4, Sega is hopeful about releasing a new Sonic game base on the old 2D platformer concept. Being a fan of the Sonic series, I am quite excited about this new game. I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Game Review&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/tails1.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4069,"url":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/anime-expo-2026-singapore-guide-july-2026\/","url_meta":{"origin":4940,"position":3},"title":"Anime Expo 2026 Is One Week Away \u2014 What Singapore Fans Need to Know","date":"June 24, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Anime Expo 2026 runs 2\u20135 July in LA. Singapore fans: here's what to track \u2014 Cyberpunk Edgerunners 2's first look, Crunchyroll's packed summer slate, and a potential ufotable reveal.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Event&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/anime-expo-2026-banner.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4835,"url":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/steel-ball-run-2nd-stage-netflix-september-2026\/","url_meta":{"origin":4940,"position":4},"title":"Steel Ball Run 2nd Stage Hits Netflix on 25 September","date":"July 4, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Steel Ball Run 2nd Stage hits Netflix 25 September 2026 \u2014 11 episodes, weekly Fridays, new characters revealed at Anime Expo 2026.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Manga Anime&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/jojo-steel-ball-run-2nd-stage-key-visual.png?fit=847%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4296,"url":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/black-clover-second-season-october-2026-anime-expo\/","url_meta":{"origin":4940,"position":5},"title":"Black Clover Second Season Confirmed for October 2026 \u2014 World Premiere at Anime Expo on 4 July","date":"June 27, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Asta returns. 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Crunchyroll confirmed internationally \u2014 Singapore streaming TBC.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Manga Anime&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/black-clover-second-season-asta-action.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4940"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4940"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4940\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4936"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4940"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4940"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gametrader.sg\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4940"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}