Before breaking down Sonic’s look, it’s worth pointing out this poster’s origins. According to the source Twitter account, this poster was an internal production made prior to the film even being cast. For example, “Officer Tom” in the photo is a photoshopped Chris Pratt, one of the actors the film wanted to explore as a candidate. Pratt was not cast, which just goes to show that this image of Sonic could also be an early version of the character and may have changed.
As for Sonic, the character in the image does seem similar to the one from the recent Sonic the Hedgehog teaser poster. His sneakers and the fur on his head specifically line up with the teaser poster’s outline. What seems different is Sonic’s overall size, since he seems much thinner and lankier in the teaser photo. Also, the teaser poster’s Sonic has much more defined musculature.
Over the past week, details about the Sonic the Hedgehog movie have trickled out to the public, only further confusing the discourse. For example, a quote from executive producer Tim Miller acknowledged that they gave Sonic fur to make him fit the real-world aesthetic, fixed his proportions, and reworked his eyes. “I don’t think SEGA was entirely happy with the eye decision,” he admitted.
The eyes in the leaked poster are definitely a departure from what fans of Sonic the Hedgehog are used to, but so is everything else about the film’s take on Sonic. There’s just no realistic way of giving Sonic human-like proportions without it being very weird. But as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film of 2014 proved, sometimes the cartoon/video game adaptations don’t have to look anything like their original visuals. They don’t even have to be popular. They just have to ultimately be profitable.
Sonic the Hedgehog comes to theaters November 8, 2019.
