The moment many video game fans have been waiting for — a first look at the new “Sonic The Hedgehog” movie, naturally — is finally here. Paramount Pictures released the official trailer for the animated film, fashioned after the iconic Sega video game character, months ahead of its slated release date of Nov. 8.
The film’s got a stacked cast, with Jim Carrey playing the villain, Dr. Robotnik, and James Marsden as good-guy Tom Wachowski. Sonic himself is voiced by Ben Schwartz.
As you can see in the nearly three-minute trailer, the movie will be jam-packed with the lightning-fast action Sonic is so known for as he tries to save the planet. Of course, Sonic’s attitude is what will make the movie worth a watch, as something as important as saving Earth from destruction seems like a walk in the park for the Blue Blur.
As the hero himself puts it in the new trailer, “Basically, it looks like I’m going to have to save your planet,” delivered with the most nonchalant, yet typical Sonic attitude.
See the full trailer from the Paramount Pictures YouTube channel to see why this is going to be a must-see for the whole family:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=166&v=FvvZaBf9QQI
How Did Fans React?
As can be expected when a beloved character gets reimagined, the trailer was met with some criticism from fans. They seemed to be concerned mainly with Sonic’s design, noting that the hedgehog isn’t nearly as stylized as his video game counterpart.
People seem to feel for the animation team, who they don’t necessarily blame for the outcome of Sonic. Twitter user @denniebright pointed out a hypothetical situation for how the design decisions were made:
All I can think of is all the Artists & Designers being super excited to work on a Sonic movie and then slowly having their souls crushed by the executives.
"Sonic should have two eyes."
"Sonic is a Hedgehog, why is he wearing gloves."
"Give him human teeth. I like human teeth."— Dennie Bright (@denniebright) April 30, 2019
Meanwhile, others, such as Twitter user @catsuka poked fun of how human-like Sonic appears:
Sonic The Hedgehog Movie Design To Be Changed Following Criticism.https://t.co/B73gwT0i5E pic.twitter.com/OnfCa96ycx
— Catsuka (@catsuka) May 3, 2019
Some talented artists even gave animating this character a go on their own. Twitter user @LadyGT_DA attempted to make Sonic more similar to the way he looks in the games, complete with what appears to be one single, very wide eye:
Sonic movie edit, I like the effects in this scene, tried to make him look more like in the games. #SonicMovie #SonicTheHedgehog pic.twitter.com/CpVJsMcDhJ
— Giorgia Lenzi (@LadyGT_DA) May 2, 2019
The Director Weighs In
There’s good news for disgruntled fans, however, considering the movie’s director, Jeff Fowler, is working to solve the problem. He tweeted a statement to fans:
“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,” he wrote.
He also included the hashtag “gottafixfast,” which, considering the movie is scheduled to hit theaters before Thanksgiving, the team really does have their work cut out for them:
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
It’s pretty cool to know that fans can have a say in how their favorite characters appear in a big-budget movie!