3 IDEAS FOR THE SONIC THE HEDGEHOG REDESIGN

A little over two weeks ago, the trailer for the Sonic the Hedgehog movie was dropped, and viewers were left horrified by the film’s ungodly rendering of the blue speedster. Whether or not you have any idea what Sonic is supposed to look like, it’s agreed that a CGI anthropomorphic hedgehog with human teeth and troll-doll hair for fur, is a walking – or in this case; running super fast – nightmare.

The disgust was universal, and producers at Paramount saw that and decided to redesign the character. Now, this decision can and should be debated. Do the producers not trust the film? Would a redesign help make the movie any better? Will film fans start thinking that if they’re loud and boisterous enough, they can get their way? Where does it stop? I will not answer any of those questions. For I do not know. Instead, I will present my ideas for what Sonic should end up looking like.

Rather than ask a team of animators to work double time for presumably no extra pay, why not go even more live with the live-action? Here are some suggestions.

An Actual Hedgehog Dyed Blue

A lot of films forget that the point of doing live-action is to provide a sense of realism. I like to think back to the conception of the video-game character. Had his name not included the title Hedgehog, I might have just thought it was a weird mouse. Though to be fair, what are hedgehogs but weird mice? For my first idea, I would like to present a weird mouse dyed blue.

Unlike any previous look, this would make it perfectly clear that we are looking at a hedgehog.

Pros: Realism
Cons: Hard to work with

One would imagine that in order to shoot the scenes of Sonic in action, a crew would have to follow the hedgehog around for months and then just speed up the footage.

Usain Bolt in a Blue Shirt

Maybe you’re looking beyond the visuals. You want someone who can do the work rather than look the part. Art is more than just appearances. Art has a message to convey. The message of this film – notice, I said film and not movie, because it’s art – is that some beings move faster than others. The greatest possible messenger would be the fastest man alive, as far as I know; Usain Bolt!

Pros: Speed closest to Sonic
Cons: Does not resemble the character in any way.

As a subtle nod to the character, Mr. Bolt will wear a blue shirt.

This Bar of Soap

The film is slated for a November release. Considering Sonic is the titular character, it looks like they would have to reanimate close to the entire film. Can they do it on time? Possibly, but instead of going through such a laborious task, why not use this picture of a bar of soap?

Pros: Blue. Saves time. No scary teeth or hair.
Cons: No mouth either. How will scenes be shot?

There is no real defence against this particular con. However, it would be easier to shoot than following a hedgehog around, and would be less expensive than Usain Bolt.