Trying on the unique trailer for the live-action Sonic the Hedgehog film is like wanting right into a portal to a special timeline, one the place the movie itself probably doesn’t herald the arrival of a massively profitable movie franchise that ultimately spawns a dangerous Paramount+ spin-off. At finest, it leads to a Morbius-level hate-watch marketing campaign and goes down in historical past as an ideal affront to the titular blue blur. However it’s been 5 years since that first trailer, displaying a hedgehog who appeared extra like a human little one in cosplay than the beloved online game hero, broke the web, and it’s fascinating to look again and bear in mind simply how disastrous that unique look actually was.
Funnily sufficient, it’s important to go searching by way of unofficial channels to seek out the trailer that includes “Ugly Sonic,” as Paramount has eliminated it from its official YouTube channel. However the web is eternally, so shoutout to KinoCheck for preserving this second in Sonic historical past for us. Let’s revisit it, we could?
Oh, god. I actually received shivers taking a look at his terrifying human-like silhouette. Outdoors of Sonic himself, a whole lot of the trailer nonetheless represents the film we received in 2020. Jim Carrey remains to be eccentric as villain Physician Robotnik, using Coolio’s “Gangster’s Paradise” is emblematic of the live-action sequence’ reliance on licensed needle drops over the Sonic sequence’ glorious OST, and Sonic nonetheless goes actually quick and messes up the ol’ egghead’s robots. As my mind goes into survival mode and blots out Sonic from my imaginative and prescient, I’m reminded by this trailer that the primary film remains to be fairly enjoyable. It doesn’t really feel like a Sonic film in the identical method Sonic the Hedgehog 2 did in 2022, nevertheless it had some good gags in between the neverending popular culture references and Olive Backyard product placement.
However for fuck’s sake, have a look at how they massacred my boy. The tooth, the human fingers coloured white to look considerably like his white gloves, the terrible, beady little eyes. Every part about Sonic’s unique film design screams a misguided want to make one thing that appeared “reasonable” versus the ultimate, far more cartoony and game-accurate design. The destructive response was so swift and so loud that film director Jeff Fowler introduced, on Might 2, 2019, that the filmmakers could be going again to the drafting board to repair the blue blur’s live-action design. Whereas this got here as a aid to each Sonic followers and the harmless bystanders who could be subjected to this monstrosity on advertising signage each time they went to a theater, it spurred different conversations round creatives being “compelled” to make adjustments based mostly on fan outcry (Carrey even appeared conflicted on the flip of occasions), in addition to conspiracy theories that the complete factor was a advertising ploy designed to generate buzz across the movie.
The choice to revamp Sonic resulted in a three-month delay for the movie, pushing it from November 2019 to February 2020. However when the new-and-improved Sonic was unveiled in a trailer across the time of that unique November launch date, followers had been thrilled to see one thing that managed to steadiness the live-action world of the movie and the character they know and love. Paramount additionally made positive to incorporate among the similar pictures that had been so heinous and off-putting within the first trailer, so the comparisons had been extremely flattering. Take, for example, the scene the place Sonic meets his cop good friend Tom Wachowski they usually each scream at one another. This was one of many worst pictures of the previous design, showcasing the terrible human mouth they’d placed on him. Now, Sonic seems to be like a personality you’ll be able to truly stand to have a look at for a 99-minute lengthy film. As an amusing apart, the Ugly Sonic design could not have gotten to star within the film, nevertheless it did make an look within the Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers movie in 2022.
Sonic the Hedgehog premiered in February 2020 to first rate critiques and revamped $319 million on the field workplace. Its success meant it received a sequel, which went on to be a good higher success in theaters bringing in over $400 million. Most not too long ago, Paramount put out a spin-off sequence on Paramount+ for Idris Elba’s Knuckles. It hasn’t been going over very nicely, nevertheless it’s merely an appetizer for the following meal: Sonic the Hedgehog 3. The third film is introducing Sonic’s rival, Shadow the Hedgehog, who will probably be voiced by Matrix and Cyberpunk 2077 star Keanu Reeves.
It’s wild to look again on that unique trailer and suppose that, had Paramount not delayed the film and pivoted, none of this may need occurred. We’ve averted the worst timeline, and the Sonic sequence has been present process a little bit of a renaissance because of this. It appears like a distant reminiscence now that we’re 5 years eliminated, however I can’t think about anybody, from followers, to the creatives behind the films, to even Paramount’s fits, isn’t glad that fan backlash modified the course of Sonic historical past.
Sonic the Hedgehog is obtainable to stream now on Paramount+.
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