‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ Director Vows to Redesign Character After Fan Backlash
Zack Sharf
“Sonic the Hedgehog” director Jeff Fowler has given in to fan backlash over the title character’s physical appearance. The filmmaker took to social media May 2 to promise fans a redesign of the character will take place to correct the apparent issue before the movie’s November release date. The movie version of Sonic has been the center of fan backlash ever since Paramount debuted the film’s first poster December 10. The movie character appears more muscular and furrier than his original video game counterpart, plus Sonic’s eyes have been rendered differently.
“Thank you for the support. And the criticism,” Fowler wrote on Twitter. “The message is loud and clear. You aren’t happy with the design and you want changes. It’s going to happen. Everyone at Paramount and Sega are fully committed to making this character the BEST he can be.”
Fowler’s statement arrived just two days after Paramount premiered the film’s first trailer, which gave fans around the world their first look at Sonic’s movie design. Press who saw the trailer early at CinemaCon last month did not inspire much confidence, with many calling Sony’s new look “creepy” and “off-putting.” Paramount originally tried to play into the backlash, releasing a poster last year that read, “Can’t a guy workout?” Now it appears the studio is taking the backlash more seriously and agreeing to work with Fowler to ensure Sonic looks more pleasing to fans.
“Sonic” marks the feature directorial debut of Jeff Fowler. The director worked as an animation researcher and developer on Spike Jonze’s “Where the Wild Things Are.” The movie stars James Marsden as a newly appointed town sheriff who travels to San Francisco and gets mixed up in Sonic’s mission to defeat the evil Dr. Ivo Robotnik. Sonic is voiced by “Parks and Recreation” favorite Ben Schwartz, while Jim Carrey takes on the villain role.
Paramount is releasing Sonic in theaters nationwide November 8.
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
