Last April, Paramount released the first trailer for the upcoming “Sonic the Hedgehog” live-action film, and people were not happy with Sonic’s appearance. However, Paramount just dropped a brand new trailer for the film, and the hedgehog has never looked better.
“Today is the DAY! Could not be more excited to share our new Sonic with you. THANK YOU for your patience and support. This wouldn’t have been possible without the fans. #SonicMovie,” Director Jeff Fowler tweeted on Tuesday.
The general consensus with the previous trailer was that Sonic looked downright ugly. The Sega Genesis character didn’t look anything like he did in the classic game, and it had people worried. Despite all of that, Paramount was able to fix the issue. The new Sonic is much more cartoonish with bigger eyes and a smaller mouth. The blue hedgehog is considerably cuter than the original.
Tyson Hesse led Sonic’s makeover, according to The Washington Post. He drew the Sonic character in the comic books and also drew the introduction sequence to 2017’s Sonic Mania release.
“Honored to have been brought in to lead the design on the new Movie Sonic. Working with Jeff and the modelers, riggers, texture/fur artists and animators in LA, London, and Vancouver was a thrill I’ll never forget. #SonicMovie,” Hesse tweeted.
Though Sonic’s appearance changed, the general plot of the upcoming film stayed the same. The speedy hedgehog, voiced by Ben Schwartz, is transported to earth where he must learn to embrace his new home. He teams up with his friend Tom (James Marsden) to take on the evil Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey). See the full trailer here.
The Reaction
People took to social media to share their excitement about Sonic’s “glow-up.” @pyrefly tweeted: “guys if the Sonic the Hedgehog movie could pull itself together by the end of 2019, YOU CAN TOO!!!!” with a side-by-side image of the two Sonics.
Some fans are creating some rather interesting theories about Sonic’s transformation. People are comparing it to the New Coke conspiracy in which people believe Coca-Cola created a bad product on purpose so that the original product would look better. Could this be one giant marketing scheme? It seems unlikely that Paramount would put so much effort into the original Sonic’s promotional material, but it is quite the theory.
Paramount announced in May that it would be delaying the film due to the harsh criticism. The release date was moved to February 14, 2020, which was three months after the original date, according to Vox. This seemed to be a good move on Paramount’s part judging by the fan’s reactions.
