The fan reaction toSonic the Hedgehog’s redesign from the upcoming live-action movie has been heard loud and clear by film’s director. Jeff Fowler has now confirmed that, in response to criticism ofSonic the Hedgehog’s first trailer, changes are going to be made to Sonic’s current design. #gottafixfast was the message that Fowler offeredSonicfans, acknowledging that their disapproval was heard “loud and clear.”
The issue that Fowler is addressing is, of course, not just how wildly different Sonic looks compared to both his video game and cartoon design, but how unnatural theSonic designlooks by itself. Over the past several days, fans have posted comparisons to examples of eerie taxidermy, real-life hedgehogs photoshopped to have human teeth, and worse.
In contrast, fans also provided a stunning amount of fan art altering thefilm’s version of Sonicto look more authentic. These changes included increasing the size of his eyes, giving him white gloves, straightening his arms and legs to look less humanoid, and removing his teeth to just be a shadow or smirk. It’s exactly what someone like Fowler would need if they wanted to adjust Sonic’s design to be something fans would be more appreciative of.
All the criticism did help show that certain aspects of the Sonic design were well-received. The more realistic design in and of itself wasn’t a problem so much as specific elements of it. Sonic’s fur and its texture, the spiky fur on his head, and his ears were all very positively received. And while the size of his sneakers is a matter of discussion, the shoes themselves are popular enough.
Whether the changes that the team makes end up large or small matters less than the fact that changes are being made, which should be enough to satisfy disgruntledSonic the Hedgehogfans. And it doesn’t seem likely that any changes will ultimately affect the quality of the film in the end, anyway. The script isn’t being changed, after all. Sonic’s future, no matter what he looks like, is already scripted.
