Sonic the Hedgehog to Get Redesign After Trailer Backfires

The film based on the Sonic the Hedgehog video game is due out in November, and the moviemakers hoped the trailer released Tuesday would generate some early buzz—and it did, but not in the way they anticipated. Instead, the Guardian reports on the "considerable derision" the nearly three-minute clip evoked, mainly directed at how the title character is depicted. The fact that Sonic now sports human teeth is causing particular consternation, per Uproxx, while Variety notes that Sonic's "shapely and somewhat disproportionate legs" are also creeping people out. Kotaku went so far as to call the entire movie "a blight upon this weary earth."

The backlash didn't fall on deaf ears. On Thursday, the movie's director took to Twitter to discuss the matter. Jeff Fowler thanked fans for both their support and their critiques. "The message is loud and clear ... you aren't happy with the design & you want changes," he tweeted. "It's going to happen. Everyone at Paramount & Sega are fully committed to making this character the BEST he can be." Fowler, who Fox News notes is a visual effects artist who's taking the director's chair for the first time, didn't elaborate on what those changes may be. (More movie trailer stories.)