More than seven months after Paramount Pictures unveiled the first trailer for the upcoming live-action Sonic the Hedgehog film, a second trailer has been released with a newly redesigned main character.
The initial CGI rendering of Sega’s much-beloved video game character was met with widespread criticism and called “creepy,” among other insults. However, the film company released another trailer on Tuesday that gave Sonic a complete makeover.
The second clip seemed to come in response to criticism from the Sonic fanbase, as fans have expressed heavy distaste on social media for the on-screen iteration of Sonic since April.
In the newest clip, Japan-based animation company Marza Animation Planet Inc. completely redesigned the blue hedgehog, giving it human teeth that are “less pronounced,” according to one Twitter user, who also called the newest iteration “a million miles less uncanny valley.”
The newly updated Sonic has allowed director Jeff Fowler to dig his way out of the backlash brought on by the prior CGI model.
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In May, after an onslaught of negative response, Fowler, 41, vowed to change the design of Sonic — only six months before the film was scheduled to be released worldwide.
“Thank you for the support. And the criticism,” he tweeted. “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 & Sega are fully committed to making this character the BEST he can be… #sonicmovie #gottafixfast”
The Sonic the Hedgehog cast stars Ben Schwartz (Parks and Recreation) as the voice of Sonic, Jim Carrey playing the notorious Dr. Robotnik, and James Marsden (Westworld) as Tom Wachowski, the sheriff of Green Hills.
The remainder of the cast includes Natasha Rothwell, Tika Sumpter, Neal McDonough and Adam Pally.
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Many fans have expressed their excitement over Sonic’s animation update.
Here’s what some Twitter users had to say:
One social media user tweeted: “If your man doesn’t take to see the Sonic the Hedgehog movie for Valentine’s Day next year, does he even love you?”
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Sonic the Hedgehog hits cinemas across North America on Feb. 14, 2020.
You can see the updated Sonic the Hedgehog in the video above.
— With files from Katie Scott