Most people recoiled at the sight of a disturbing, lanky CGI version of Sonic the Hedgehog when Paramount released its first trailer for the upcoming live-action film — and the studio has listened. Director Jeff Fowler tweeted today about the backlash, assuring distressed fans everywhere that the criticism was heard loud and clear. Fowler confirmed that changes were coming to the design of Sonic’s character. “You aren’t happy with the design & you want changes,” Fowler tweeted. “It’s going to happen. Everyone at Paramount & Sega are fully committed to making this character the BEST he can be.” Thank you for the support. And the criticism. The message is loud and clear... you aren't happy with the design & you want changes. It's going to happen. Everyone at Paramount & Sega are fully committed to making this character the BEST he can be... #sonicmovie #gottafixfast ✌️ — Jeff Fowler (@fowltown) May 2, 2019 Since the trailer reveal, numerous fan edits have made the rounds on Twitter, Tumblr, and Reddit, with the drawings honing in on various horrifying aspects of Sonic’s newfound body. The lengthy, human-looking legs? Nope. The mouth full of human teeth? Double nope. Even the original Sonic the Hedgehog character designer added his thoughts to the conversation on Twitter. “So far, various Sonics have appeared,” Naoto Ohsima tweeted. “I loved all Sonics. I saw a trailer of Sonic’s movie. I was expecting adults to have fun too. I am worried.” Even Ohsima knows that the intense reaction to Sonic’s redesign comes from a place of adoration for the character. 今まで色々なソニックが現れたが全てを好きでいたい。私はソニック映画のトレーラーを観た。大人も楽しめるものを期待していたが心配です。 So far, various Sonics have appeared. I loved all Sonics. I saw a trailer of Sonic's movie. I was expecting adults to have fun too. I am worried. pic.twitter.com/QgBfrTJ700 — Naoto Ohshima (@NaotoOhshima) May 2, 2019 It doesn’t help that Sonic’s new design arrives just as Warner Bros. is receiving praise for the adorable iteration of The Pokémon Company’s beloved character, Pikachu, in Detective Pikachu. Hopefully, a new design for Sonic is just around the corner — and will involve less teeth. Fowler didn’t say whether the decision to change the entire look of the character, which isn’t likely an easy task, will delay the film’s release. Sonic the Hedgehog is currently scheduled to hit theaters on November 8th.<doc-sep>The internet, you might have heard, did not love Sonic’s recently revealed design for the upcoming Sonic The Hedgehog movie. Now, thank the furry, blue heavens, it’s going to change. Advertisement Today, director Jeff Fowler responded to all the criticism on Twitter. “The message is loud and clear,” he said. “You aren’t happy with the design & you want changes. It’s going to happen. Everyone at Paramount & Sega are fully committed to making this character the BEST he can be.” As for what that’ll entail, it’s impossible to say. Fans have come up with their own redesigns. Perhaps those will be used as inspiration. Or maybe the filmmakers will just rocket off in their own direction again. Regardless of how they choose to approach it, they’ll likely have a lot of CG to redo before the movie’s release in November. Here’s hoping the studio finds a way to parcel out that labor reasonably instead of working a bunch of people to the bone. For now, a ll I can offer is the following piece of advice: less human mouths, not more. Please, for the love of god, not more.<doc-sep>“Sonic the Hedgehog” director Jeff Fowler has responded to fan criticism over the appearance and design of the titular blue hedgehog, writing on Twitter that design changes are “going to happen.” “The message is loud and clear,” Fowler wrote on Twitter Thursday. “You aren’t happy with the design & you want changes. It’s going tp happen. Everyone at Paramount & Sega are fully committed to making this character the BEST he can be…#sonicmovie #gottafixfast.” Thank you for the support. And the criticism. The message is loud and clear… you aren't happy with the design & you want changes. It's going to happen. Everyone at Paramount & Sega are fully committed to making this character the BEST he can be… #sonicmovie #gottafixfast 🔧✌️ — Jeff Fowler (@fowltown) May 2, 2019 Most of the fan outcry on the Internet, which broke out after the trailer dropped Tuesday, seemed to center around the use of human teeth on Sonic, who is, in fact, a hedgehog and would have much smaller, pointy teeth. Vulture even interviewed an exotic animals veterinarian who works with hedgehogs to get the lowdown on what Sonic’s teeth should look like. Some fans, however, debated whether realistic teeth would really improve things. I get why everyone is freaking out about how Sonic looks in the trailer. It's because his teeth are not accurate to real hedgehogs. I fixed it. You're welcome. pic.twitter.com/nUfTE4n5Bt — Jon Risinger (@JonRisinger) April 30, 2019 Other dissatisfaction centered on Sonic’s, well, shapely and somewhat disproportionate legs. According to the YouTube video’s description, the movie “follows the (mis)adventures of Sonic as he navigates the complexities of life on Earth with his newfound – human – best friend Tom Wachowski. Sonic and Tom join forces to try and stop the villainous Dr. Robotnik from capturing Sonic and using his immense powers for world domination.” Ben Schwartz voices Sonic, and the film also stars Jim Carrey as Dr. Robotnik, James Marsden as Tom Wachowski, and Tika Sumpter. “Sonic the Hedgehog” is scheduled to hit theaters November 2019. Ben Schwartz on Finding Sonic the Hedgehog’s Voice:<doc-sep>
The first full trailer for the live-action Sonic the Hedgehog gave us a clear look at the hedgehog in motion, but now it seems that what we’ve seen won’t be what’s in the final cut. In a tweet on Thursday afternoon, director Jeff Fowler said that Sega and Paramount Pictures would rework the hedgehog after an outcry over his appearance, as well as numerous fan edits on social media. Thank you for the support. And the criticism. The message is loud and clear... you aren't happy with the design & you want changes. It's going to happen. Everyone at Paramount & Sega are fully committed to making this character the BEST he can be... #sonicmovie #gottafixfast ✌️ — Jeff Fowler (@fowltown) May 2, 2019 “You aren’t happy with the design & you want changes,” Fowler wrote. “It’s going to happen. Everyone at Paramount & Sega are fully committed to making this character the BEST he can be.” Fowler also used the hashtag #gottafixfast, as well as a wrench emoji, to further confirm that Sonic will indeed be undergoing edits before the movie is finally released in November. It’s a move that’s unprecedented in just how extensive the work will have to be, particularly given that Sonic has already been publicly unveiled. Sonic the Hedgehog is currently scheduled to be released in theaters on Nov. 8. We’ve reached out to Paramount for comment, and we’ll update this article with any information we receive. For now, we’ll just have to wait to see if the Sonic redesign hews closer to the original video game designs — as some fans have imagined (see the tweets below) — or if, as we’ve suggested, they’ll make him even more photorealistic. Left is original screenshot. Right is my rework to make #Sonic more stylized. pic.twitter.com/IhXeAZYlQI — Edward Pun (@EdwardPun1) April 30, 2019