It’s not exactly a secret the initial movie design for the upcoming Sonic The Hedgehog movie failed to impress.
Fans of the classic video game were left confused – and genuinely quite repulsed – at the way the spiky Sega icon had been reimagined for the big screen.
Movie Sonic looked near unrecognisable from the cheeky, determined little critter we all loved to make loop the loop. His eyes were a fraction of their usual size, while his fur appeared to be kind of itchy and synthetic. And don’t get me started on those uncannily human teeth.
You can remind yourself of the trailer which sparked a thousand shudders below:
In the court of Twitter, Paramount’s Sonic was the dark reflection of the sweet, expressive incarnation of Pikachu dreamt up in Pokémon Detective Pikachu.
The adorable yellow Pokémon blended seamlessly with the human world, with care and detail apparent in his every little frown or smile. Meanwhile, Sonic looked like he had been constructed by chucking a couple of marbles at a duster.
Wisely, the decision was made to listen to fan feedback and delay the film by three months, allowing time to revamp the central character and appease a legion of infuriated retro gamers. No pressure there then.
Now we may have just been gifted our very first sneaky peek at what Sonic 2.0 will look like, and there has been a vast, vast improvement. The pics were initially tweeted by Twitter user @BestInTheGalaxy, who claimed to have a ‘friend at Paramount’.
It’s not yet clear whether these are authentic leaked pics or clever fakes, and – if they are legit – we don’t know whether or not this is the final product.
However, this looks much more like it. New Sonic has lustrous dark blue fur and eyes so wide they dominate the entirity of his face. He will, in short, make you feel nostalgic for the sound of tinkling golden rings.
One approving individual tweeted:
My boy! My sweet blue boy you’re cured!
Another applauded:
The Blue arms still bother me a little,but other than that I’d say that is a full on good looking Sonic.
Back in July, director Jeff Fowler tweeted about the team’s commitment to improving :
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.
Whether or not these pics are the real deal, they have revealed the heartfelt hopes of all Sonic fans and illustrate what could be achieved.
Hopefully, the film will be able to defeat the villainous original Sonic and bring the visuals up to the next level.
Sonic the Hedgehog will come zooming into UK cinemas as of February 14, 2020.
If you have a story you want to tell, send it to UNILAD via story@unilad.com
Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.