Paramount shares the first in-motion teaser for the Sonic the Hedgehog film, revealing a redesigned Sonic the Hedgehog that’s much more human than expected.<\/b>
\nMonday morning saw the release of the latest teaser for the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog movie from Paramount Pictures. The teaser, a motion poster, animates a first look at the reinvented Sonic himself. The teaser starts with a speedy Sonic as nothing more than a blue light collecting coins in the distance, but ends with a shadowed full body shot capturing the hedgehog\u2019s surprisingly human anatomy. It\u2019s Sonic the Hedgehog in his highest definition yet, for better or worse.
Sonic is notably different from what fans have come to expect from the anthropomorphic hedgehog over the years. The original Sonic the Hedgehog was characterized as stocky with a round belly and short, noodly appendages. Over the years as Sonic has starred in more recent video games and has been brought to television, he took on a lankier, skinnier form, but he\u2019s always retained his rounded body and definition-less arms and legs.
The Sonic the Hedgehog film\u2018s design of the protagonist is going in a much different direction than what\u2019s come prior. Just from this poster, it\u2019s clear that Sonic has much more human proportions for his torso and appendages, though he retains his oversized head. More significant is that Sonic has very defined musculature. Gone are his noodle arms and legs, replaced with a body more befitting of a human track runner. His iconic big shoes are now fitted for regular feet. His hands are, well, odd to say the least.
Whether or not fans of Sonic the Hedgehog will be comfortable with the dramatic changes remains to be seen, though early responses on social media imply a new level of distrust with the film\u2019s direction. But the larger question is whether or not what the fans think of the film is of much importance overall. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film of 2014 similarly reworked the look of its protagonists, much to its fanbase\u2019s chagrin. Nevertheless, the film was a financial success and was even nominated for a Kid\u2019s Choice Award for Favorite Movie.
Given the financial success of video film adaptations such as the Resident Evil series, Rampage, Assassin\u2019s Creed, Tomb Raider, Need for Speed, and others, as well as the early looks at other video game film adaptations including Sonic and Monster Hunter, there\u2019s a clear message across the board. Filmmakers know how to make video game film adaptations that make money. Making good movies at the same time isn\u2019t of similar priority.
Sonic the Hedgehog could turn out to be a great movie and break the trend. Fans are likely skeptical of that already, given the reaction to this first teaser poster. But fans can likely assume that the film\u2019s creators are doing exactly what they need to do to make a profit, for better or worse.<\/p>\n