Director Jeff Fowler just announced that Sonic the Hedgehog has been delayed from its original November 2019 release date to February 14th, 2020.
Taking a little more time to make Sonic just right.#novfxartistswereharmedinthemakingofthismovie pic.twitter.com/gxhu9lhU76
— Jeff Fowler (@fowltown) May 24, 2019
When the first trailer for the Sonic movie released, it was met with heavy criticism for the design of our favorite hedgehog. After receiving such harsh feedback on Sonic’s new look, Paramount made the decision to redesign the character so we all don’t have to see a Sonic that has human teeth.
Thank you for the support. And the criticism. The message is loud and clear… you aren't happy with the design & you want changes. It's going to happen. Everyone at Paramount & Sega are fully committed to making this character the BEST he can be… #sonicmovie #gottafixfast 🔧✌️
— Jeff Fowler (@fowltown) May 2, 2019
Delaying Sonic the Hedgehog to 2020 is a fantastic call for those at Paramount. Although the announcement of Sonic’s redesign was well-received, some online believed that this could lead to a brutal time crunch for the effects crew. A delay gives that crew enough time to deliver a worthwhile design for Sonic without them being put under an unnecessary amount of stress. As long as the redesign looks better than the original (which isn’t that hard to do), Sonic the Hedgehog might have a chance at success come Valentine’s Day 2020.
The movie still has to be good but some credit should be given to Paramount, Jeff Fowler, the team behind the film for their willingness to accept this criticism. Most studios would just double down on their decisions or brush it all off completely. However, those at Paramount have listened to “feedback” and have actually gone to great lengths to fix some of these issues.
Ben Schwartz, who is best known for his role of Jean-Ralphio in Parks and Rec, voices Sonic in the upcoming film. Schwartz talked with HuffPost about the redesign, stating:
“I was excited that the trailer came out, and then I just take my strides from Paramount, the human beings that helped do this and even allowed me to even play the role. They said we’re gonna retool it, and I said, ‘Really?’ And they go, ‘Yeah,’ and I said, ‘That’s great.’ I’m excited to see what it looks like … I feel like they’re going to do a good job playing with it a bit.”
He later went on to say:
“I think it’s cool of them even that they are going to retool it maybe because of feedback, maybe advice from everybody, from director and producers … they believe in the movie.”
We’ll definitely see the new Sonic sooner rather than later but we’ll have to wait until next year to see the hedgehog hit the big screen.
What are your thoughts on this delay? Let us know in the comments below!
