More Sonic the Hedgehog Pre-Visualization Footage Surfaces Online

More pre-visualization footage from the first Sonic the Hedgehog movie has surfaced online after being shared by Ellery Ortiz, a previs artist that worked at Digital Domain, one of the companies that worked on the 2020 movie. This is far from the first time we’ve seen an early version of the character, and the physical release even includes several deleted scenes at various levels of completion, but Ortiz’s footage does appear to feature an extremely early look at the character.

The reason the footage looks like, well, like it does is because that’s basically how pre-vis works in animation. Rough models are intentionally used to plot out complex scenes in order to see how it looks so things can be tweaked before its finalized. Think of it like storyboarding in 3D. “Working from storyboards, I created animation and defined timing of action in the shots,” Ortiz’s brief description of the above footage reads. “Sweetened with FX and Lighting elements. Defined camera composition and lens choices for the purposes of storytelling.”

Here’s how Paramount Pictures describes the film:

“Based on the global blockbuster videogame franchise from Sega, SONIC THE HEDGEHOG tells the story of the world’s speediest hedgehog as he embraces his new home on Earth. In this live-action adventure comedy, Sonic and his new best friend Tom (James Marsden) team up to defend the planet from the evil genius Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey) and his plans for world domination. The family-friendly film also stars Tika Sumpter and Ben Schwartz as the voice of Sonic.”

A second Sonic the Hedgehog movie was recently announced and is currently set to release on April 8, 2022. Sonic the Hedgehog, the original film, is now available to purchase on home video, digitally as well as on Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Ultra HD. The film stars Ben Schwartz as the voice of the eponymous hedgehog, James Marsden as Tom Wachowski, a police officer that befriends Sonic, and Jim Carrey as Dr. Robotnik, the franchise’s classic villain and scientist. You can check out all of our previous coverage of the Sonic the Hedgehog movie here.

What would you like to see in the Sonic the Hedgehog sequel? What do you think of the new pre-visualization footage? Let us know in the comments, or hit me up directly on Twitter at @rollinbishop to talk all things gaming!

[H/T Tails’ Channel]