Sonic The Hedgehog’s Creator Yuji Naka Is Not Impressed With Sonic’s 2019 Movie Design

Months after the release of the poster for Sonic’s live-action movie which gave fans their first glimpse of what the blue speedster will look like, it seems like we have finally gotten a look at the film’s final design for Sonic the Hedgehog and let’s just say no one on the internet is particularly thrilled by it.

Outraged fans took to Twitter to post their own improved design of Sonic to make it look closer to the original design.

There we go, my quick edit of the Sonic movie design #SonicTheHedgehog #SonicMovie pic.twitter.com/JNXqJEwoMe

— LadyGT【嬢子愛】 (@LadyGT_DA) March 5, 2019

I've seen a few people say that the leaked movie Sonic's style isn't the real problem, it's just that he's missing Sonic's signature eyes.

So I made that.

For your consideration, with fur, brow style, and even iris placement unchanged, here's how classic sonic eyes would look: pic.twitter.com/mjqngd4W11

— Tom Marks (@TomRMarks) March 5, 2019

If you’re wondering how impactful Sonic’s eyes are in the overall look, here’s his silhouette as used in a logo.

It seems that even the creator of Sonic The Hedgehog Yuji Naka is not impressed with the final design of Sonic. Especially with the fact that Sonic’s gloves are mysteriously missing in the live-action movie. Instead of white gloves, the film designers have opted for giving Sonic bare, white hands.

ソニックの映画の画像が公式からではなくこれだけ出てくると、戦略的にリークしてるのだと思うのですが、良くない方向で話題になるとソニックのIPをきそんして行くことになるので良くないですよね。まあファンメイドの可能性もありますが、しかし手袋は付けて欲しいですね。素手が白いのは衝撃的です。 pic.twitter.com/TtJM6G88Ov

— Yuji Naka / 中　裕司 (@nakayuji) March 5, 2019

Naka’s tweet roughly translates to,

“I feel that with Sonic, the important thing to consider is the head and body ratio, and the roundness of the abdomen. I wonder if they couldn’t have balanced them a little bit better. These images of Sonic are probably not from the official source. I think it’s possible they’re being strategically leaked, though getting people to talk about the design ‘just because it’s bad’ can’t be good for Sonic’s existing IP. There is also a possibility of this being fan-made, but I’d prefer it if they made him wear gloves. It is shocking to see that his bare hands are white.”

Yikes.

This reaction is a far cry from the one fans gave Detective Pikachu following the release of its trailers. Though not everyone was sold by the hyperrealistic design of the beloved Pokemons, some still praised the film for its design for being not just realistic but also accurate to their original appearances.