Jeff Fowler has directed all three “Sonic the Hedgehog” films, but his association with the video game franchise pre-dates the spikey haired speedster’s big screen debut. Like any self-respecting child of the 1990’s,

Academy-Award nominated director and animator Fowler is on a whirlwind tour with the third Sonic, which is released on Dec. 20. During a London stopover, he sat down with Deadline to talk about the new movie, its starry cast, what might come next in the world of Sonic… and his special relationship with Shadow.