The Internet is awesome. There’s no doubt about that. Sure, it’s been around for over 50 years, but what once was a nerdy pastime is now an integral part of most people’s lives.
But, of course, while the World Wide Web can provide an enormous amount of information and connect us to just about anyone anywhere, it can have its dark sides. Among them is that it often serves as an echo chamber for the loudest of voices, and it doesn’t accurately provide a fair assessment of what most people think. Along the same veins, mob mentality can dominate social media, which can make even small slights and grievances be amplified. After all, studies show that unhappy customers will share their experiences more than happy customers.
So it can be hard for companies to establish when there’s legitimate negative feedback or if the Internet is just overreacting.
That being said, remember when this came out?
It got a lot of people talking all right. Creating a buzz is always important. Unfortunately, most of the discussion was about Sonic’s fur and buff bod rather than getting audiences excited for a Sonic the Hedgehog movie.
But Paramount Pictures told viewers to relax. And they (or their marketing team) said it again after each reveal and leak.
…All the way up to this trailer.
And then suddenly, the director announces that they’re going to be making changes to Sonic’s design.
Necessary Changes or Unnecessary Drama?
Again, on one hand, I can understand not wanting to react to every Internet outrage. I was one of those people who thought the Genie in the live action Aladdin movie looked horrid when revealed (like a blue balloon with Will Smith’s badly CG’d onto it), but his appearance is much better in later trailers. Besides, the Chipmunks in the live action Alvin and the Chipmunks movies were nothing like their original cartoonish, anthropomorphized appearances, and they were successful enough to have four movies made.
On the other hand, the staff should have realized that Pokémon Detective Pikachu wasn’t getting the same kind of flack even though it’s also a realistic live action adaptation of a video game. This Twitter thread explains pretty well why Pikachu is less jarring than Sonic is.
Companies do test runs and focus groups all throughout the creative process, which makes you wonder what the other concept designs for Sonic were. When Paramount bought the rights for the film from Sony, did they not analyze why Sony was losing money on the project? Why not figure out what wasn’t working back then or at least pay more attention to the red flags the fans were waving since December?
And how involved was Sega? Did they just give Paramount’s blessing to do things as they fit? This interview makes it seem like they just passed on feedback, but even the executive producer of the film says Sega probably “wasn’t happy” about Sonic’s eyes. The Pokémon Company was heavily involved in Pokémon Detective Pikachu, and Sega should have also insisted on approving all designs and making sure Sonic looked like something that fans would approve of.
A Happy Ending?
So while Sonic fans may be getting what they want — a redesign — some people are upset that animators may have to work overtime and be under a lot of pressure to meet the November release date. Yeah, it’s probably not what they had planned, and no doubt the animators aren’t going to be thrilled. Changing one thing really means changing a lot of things, and it’s usually harder to make significant changes in the late stages of a project. We don’t know if Sonic is just going to get a new face or if his whole body and dimensions are being retooled, but either way, it’s going to be a lot of work.
Still, while they should be mad at the higher ups who got them into this mess, a film that isn’t destined to be a box office bomb is better for everyone in the end. Movies are also delayed very often, and while Paramount would love to find a period before the holiday blitz that also doesn’t compete with other studio’s major releases, moving Sonic the Hedgehog to, say, Q1 2020 is likely. For example, Battle Angel Alita moved from December 2018 to February 2019 just a couple of months before its release, and that was already after being pushed back from July. Justice League had reshoots and had to edit out Superman’s mustache.
Plus, as a reminder, it’s not just the animators who are likely going to be working overtime. The entire marketing department is going to have to have to redo their plans. The printing department has likely put their posters on hold, meaning eventually running a new batch fast and sending them out to theaters in a hurry when they’re finally finished. Any movie merchandise is going to need updated renders for the box art, and perhaps the merchandise itself. Yes, the animators who are going to have to edit every scene have the hardest job, but something like this is a chain reaction.
So, while more movies will be added to the schedule, early 2020 is looking like a better time for Sonic the Hedgehog than competing with movies like Frozen 2, which comes out later the same month. It could be possible to make the November deadline, and if they must, it’s just going to be one of those crunch times that all people face at one time or another. I don’t want to see anyone overworked, of course, but how else are changes going to be made when a film was at or near completion?
Final Thoughts
Still, this whole situation is a good reminder that the Internet is not exactly known for welcoming changes. People get comfortable with things being — or looking — a certain way. Companies should know what kind of criticisms they’re going to get but have the confidence to believe they’re making a good product. Don’t dismiss concerns beforehand, but it you’re the type to backtrack after one day of an official trailer being out, maybe you knew that it wasn’t a good character design in the first place. Realizing that could have saved everyone a lot of headaches.