In case you missed it, the first trailer for the live-action ‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ movie was released last week, and it was a disaster. The backlash from fans was so loud that the film’s director, Jeff Fowler almost immediately took to Twitter to announced that the title character was going to be redesigned before the film’s release. Among the complaints were Sonic’s more human-looking eyes and teeth, and his tall, lanky frame with muscular human-esque legs.
RELATED: Director Vows To Redesign ‘Sonic The Hedgehog’ Before The Film’s Release
Now, Yuji Naka, the lead programmer that oversaw the creation of Sonic in his original video game form, has also taken to Twitter to thank the fans for speaking out and demanding the changes.
The power of sonic fans is amazing. It is good to go in a good direction. Thank you so much for loving Sonic. https://t.co/uKiY2GLXjf
— Yuji Naka / 中 裕司 (@nakayuji) May 3, 2019
In the film, Sonic is an extraterrestrial, which is already a deviation from the source material, but how else do you explain a blue furry creature with super speed, that can speak English? But the overall look was just one alteration over the line, for fans.
This weekend, Naka took his kids to see *gasp* rival video game film, ‘Detective Pikachu’ and stated that his kids enjoyed it and that he was also impressed.
子供達と映画名探偵ピカチューを見て来ました。子供達も楽しめたようですし、思っていたより良い映画でソニックの映画を観た時もこんな感じの気持ちになれるといいなと思いました。 pic.twitter.com/dvY0BB9UMF
— Yuji Naka / 中 裕司 (@nakayuji) May 5, 2019
Translated, Naka’s caption reads:
“I went to see Detective Pikachu with the kids. It seemed like they also enjoyed it and it was better than I was expecting. It got me thinking that I hope we feel the same way after seeing the Sonic movie.”
Don’t we all?!
Luckily, the filmmakers have quite a while to make the changes, as ‘Sonic’ doesn’t arrive until November. Keep in mind, Fowler didn’t say what changes would be made. Also, keep in mind that it’s not just the movie itself that needs to be changed, but promotional materials and licensing, some of which may have already been produced. But here’s hoping that whatever happens is enough to appease fans of this franchise, which has been speeding along since 1991.
If it’s any consolation, fans seemed quite pleased with Jim Carrey’s depiction as Doctor Robotnik.
The new and improved (we hope) ‘Sonic the Hedgehog’, directed by Jeff Fowler, stars Jim Carrey, James Marsden, Neal McDonough, Adam Pally, Tika Sumpter, and Ben Schwartz as the voice of Sonic. It opens in theaters on November 8, 2019.
