While the Sonic movie was originally on track for a late 2019 release, it's now been pushed back to February 14, 2020. This is likely due to the changes being made to the main character after the backlash from the film's first trailer.
The delay was announced by Sonic's director Jeff Fowler, who tweeted a picture of the new release date along with a hashtag referencing the extra work needed:
#novfxartistswereharmedinthemakingofthismovie certainly seems to suggest the delay is due to the changes being made to Sonic.
After the release of the Sonic film's trailer, fans were vocally disappointed with the character design of Sonic. This was largely down to his separated eyes (in the games and other sonic media, the hedgehog's eye is a single ocular organ). Somehow he just looks wrong with two regular eyes. Though his regular human teeth were also faintly terrifying.
Following the trailer's release, Fowler made a statement, saying "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."
Fowler hasn't said what changes he plans for Sonic's design but I'd imagine those are the two key points of change. However, shortly after the trailer's release, artists not working on the movie suggested alterations that immediately made Sonic look more like himself.
For instance, take a look at the work by Edward Pun, a digital artist at Sucker Punch:
Topics: Sonic
