Sonic the Hedgehog producer hopes fans will dig the character’s new design

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

In recent times, hateful individuals have taken umbrage with the idea of actress Halle Bailey being cast as Disney's Ariel for the live-action re-imagning of THE LITTLE MERMAID. Then, a Christian action group that pledges to fight ‘indecency’ by the name of One Million Moms organized a petition against Pixar's TOY STORY 4 for including an LGBTQ couple in their latest animated adventure. With both of these embarrassing acts of humanity firmly in mind, it almost makes you long for the days when a questionable character design for Sonic the Hedgehog was our biggest concern. Almost.

Back in May, Paramount unveiled a trailer for director Jeff Fowler's SONIC THE HEDGEHOG, an action comedy film based on the popular video game character starring Jim Carrey, James Marsden, Neal McDonough, Tika Sumpter and Ben Schwartz as the voice of Sega's iconic Blue Bomber. As it happens, the footage did not go over well with Sonic fans … like, at all. So enraged were they that Paramount opted to pull the project off their schedule, pushing the film into 2020 for a Valentine's Day release. The studio chose this move because upon laying eyes on the golden ring-collecting critter, a section of fans were mortified by Sonic's human-looking teeth and absurdly jacked calf muscles. It was a whole thing, trust me.

Recently, the film's producer, Tim Miller, spoke with Variety about changes they've made to the character since the trailer came under fan-related fire.

“This is a franchise, and it has to be great,” said Miller while talking San Diego Comic-Con plans with the entertainment outlet. “Look, I was with fans and so was Jeff.  When the s–t hit the fan, I went over there and said, “The most important thing to do, man, is say, ‘I f–ked up,’” Miller confessed. “He’d already sent a tweet out an hour before I got there. He’s a good man. It was exactly the right way to handle that. The fans have a voice in this too. There’s a right way to listen.”

Ah, there's nothing quite like an attack on a studio's wallet to make you take up arms alongside angry fans, amiright? After all, with Sonic looking to be a franchise endeavor, what choice does anybody on this project really have but to change the character's look to something less bizarre? I mean, let's be honest. There were some bold choices being made with the character during the film's conception, and unfortunately, it blew up in everybody's faces. Personally, I commend the studio for owning up to the character's supposed design flaws, and for granting their team more time to make the necessary augmentations. I also feel encouraged by Miller's fessing up to the situation, as it sounds like he's hopeful that fans will come to dig the new look.

Of course, the question now is: Will the redesign be enough? Will Sonic fans ever be satisfied with the changes once they've been made public or is this whole situation nothing more than a CGI snake eating its own tail? Only time will tell, and honestly, I wish Team Sonic nothing but the best. It's an obnoxious task to have to go back to the drawing board so late in a film's production, and I feel as if they've been very gracious about the whole thing. Here's hoping that Sonic's new look will please everyone across the board … an impossible task to be certain.

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG will race into theaters on February 14, 2019.