It seems like the story of the Sonic the Hedgehog movie’s journey to theaters is going to make for an interesting behind-the-scenes documentary next year, because everything about it just has it set up to be a great underdog story of the little Sonic movie that could.
In an interview with Variety, producer Tim Miller discussed how those at the studio were willing to go back and redesign the CGI Sonic character after intense backlash from fans who were upset about the look depicted in the trailer.
“This is a franchise,” he told them, “and it has to be great.” He explained that neither he nor Fowler was satisfied with the initial design:
“Look, I was with fans and so was Jeff. When the s–t hit the fan, I went over there and said, “The most important thing to do, man, is say, ‘I f–ked up.’ He’d already sent a tweet out an hour before I got there. He’s a good man. It was exactly the right way to handle that. The fans have a voice in this too. There’s a right way to listen.”
I’m a little unclear why, in fact, they went forward with the movie in the first place if they didn’t feel like the initial design was really that strong. Getting the CGI design of the titular character and face of the nearly 30-year franchise is literally the most important thing to do before getting the rest of production underway. Still, that might also explain why they were so quick to eat crow and go back to the design board in light of the fan backlash, but stories like this only make the powers that be sound really out of touch, or as if they used the uproar as an opportunity to market themselves as defenders of the “fans.”
After all, this behind-the-scenes narrative has me more interested and low-key “invested” in how the movie turns out than the bad trailer or the backlash. If this was a marketing gimmick, it absolutely worked, because it gave people a lot more faith in the creators than they had before. Turning off the cynical part of my brain, if this is all genuine, then I’m glad that they are listening to fans and are working to make thing better.
When asked if he’s seen the new designs, Miller said, “In fact I have. And I think the fans will be pleased.” We shall see. I’m willing to wait for the next trailer and give Sonic a chance to become the most fantastic Valentine’s Day movie since Deadpool when it comes out next year.
(via SyFy Wire, image: Paramount)
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