‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ redesigned after fan complaints

Sonic the Hedgehog director Jeff Fowler has announced that “changes” will be made to the forthcoming movie based on the video game after the trailer premiere was met with blistering criticism.

The three-minute trailer, featuring star Jim Carrey as Dr Eggman alongside the CGI-animated hedgehog, debuted last Tuesday, and was greeted with considerable derision. The Guardian’s Keith Stuart described it as “a 200mph slap in the face” and said the central character “resembles a cheap knock-off Sonic toy your child might win at a fairground stand and then be terrified of”. The character’s human-style teeth drew particular flak on social media.

Using the hashtag #gottafixfast, Fowler — a VFX specialist whose previously worked on Spike Jonze’s adaptation of Where the Wild Things Are — posted a message on social media saying: “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.”

Sonic the Hedgehog has been in development as a movie since Hollywood studio Sony acquired the adaptation rights in 2013. However, it failed to get a project off the ground, and the rights passed to Paramount in 2017. The film is due for release in November.