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.

Keanu Reeves voices Shadow, the vengeful and moody doppelganger of the title speedster in "Sonic the Hedgehog 3," based on the video-game franchise.

Keanu Reeves voices Shadow in the latest Sonic the Hedgehog film but who is the character, what is his origin story and what does his name mean?