Sonic 3 writers admit that they did consider killing James Marsden's lovable Tom: "It came up... but would have been maybe a bridge too far"

James Marsden and Tika Sumpter in Sonic 3.

Warning: the following features spoilers for Sonic the Hedgehog 3...

Just because a movie is mostly aimed at kids, it doesn't mean that a major character will bite the dust. Look at Disney for example, who have famously killed off so many from Mufasa to Bambi's mom, leading to plenty of childhood trauma.