Sonic the Hedgehog Producer Calls Initial Design Backlash “Luckiest Horrible Thing That Could Happen”

One of the producers on the Sonic the Hedgehog movie recently reflected on the original design for the titular character and spun the backlash into a positive thing. Sonic the Hedgehog is one of the most recognizable characters out there. Even if you’ve never played the games, his dark yet illuminating blue fur, big red sneakers, white gloves, and strangely shaped eyes stick out like a sore thumb. There’s no other character that looks like him and his overall design hasn’t changed a ton over the years when looking at the jump from 2D to 3D and video game to cartoon. However, Sonic did almost have a really horrendous look in his first big screen outing.

Deadpool director and Sonic the Hedgehog producer Tim Miller spoke about the controversy with Sonic’s design in a new video with Corridor Digital. The initial design was based in some sort of reality so Sonic could feasibly interact with real world objects, have real sneakers, and other things, however, people were upset with his look. He expressed how he went to tell director Jeff Fowler to address the backlash and was proud to learn that Fowler had already acknowledged the matter before the studio released a PR statement. Miller also denied that Paramount intentionally released a bad looking Sonic design to drum up publicity for the film, noting that the incident was the “luckiest horrible thing that could happen.” He specifically noted that it allowed the fans the ability to feel heard and have a sense of ownership over the final film.

The choice to redesign Sonic worked wonders for Sonic the Hedgehog. The film was a hit and spawned an equally successful sequel, even prompting Paramount to greenlight a third film before the second one released. Whether or not the original design would’ve really hurt the movie in the end is a mystery, but it can’t be denied that the re-design was a net positive for the franchise.

What do you think of the original Sonic design? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @Cade_Onder.