The 'Sonic The Hedgehog' Director Just Responded To Criticism With A Promise To Fans

Rest easy, Sega fans, your pleas have been heard. After facing backlash over the character's design, director Jeff Fowler responded to the Sonic the Hedgehog criticism on Twitter by promising that the beloved blue hedgehog will get a redesign before the movie's November release. Given that the movie is at least complete enough for a trailer to be released, his vow is a pretty big deal, but even if it means extra work for Paramount Pictures, this could go a long way in ensuring fans of the video game show up on opening night.

When the trailer for Sonic the Hedgehog was released earlier this week, there was an uproar about the character's human-like teeth that took Twitter by storm. But those nightmarish pearly whites weren't the only issue that fans had with the live-action rendering. Per IGN, there were also complaints about Sonic's legs and the look of his fur. Some video game aficionados even offered up redesigns that hewed closer to his classic look.

Now Fowler is making it clear that he has heard the complaints and he's taking steps to create a Sonic that's more in line with the expectations of people who have grown up with the character. "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," the director tweeted.

Fowler's gotta fix it fast hashtag is no joke. Sonic the Hedgehog is scheduled to hit theaters in November. That's probably not enough time to redesign the character from scratch while also building a marketing campaign for the film. Still, the director seems committed to at least tweaking Sonic in response to the feedback the trailer received.

Despite Sonic's teeth dominating the discussion, other parts of the trailer proved to be less divisive. The movie marks a return to madcap comedy for Jim Carrey, who is playing villain Dr. Ivo Robotnik. His performance looks reminiscent of '90s-era Carrey's work in films like The Mask and Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. Additionally, James Marsden is charming as a cop and Sonic sidekick, while Ben Schwartz seems to have Sonic's vivacious personality down with his voicework.

It seems like all the pieces needed to create a successful movie are there as long as Sega and Paramount can find a way to create a look for Sonic that's more consistent with his video game style. Whether that means simply easing up on the hyper realism of his teeth or softening the look of his fur remains to be seen. But fans on Twitter are optimistic — and some of them are even volunteering to help out. Concept artist RJ Palmer tweeted, "Hey wow this is huge. I was a concept artist on Detective Pikachu and I'm a lifelong Sonic fan. Can we talk?" While Twitter user @LiKovacs wrote, "Sorry for all of the online criticism I'm sure a lot of it was extremely harsh and unnecessary but I very much agree that Sonic could use some changes. Thank you for listening to our feedback."

It remains to be seen what the final version of Sonic will look like, but at least fans know that the character is in the hands of people committed to doing him justice.