With the release of Pokemon’s Detective Pikachu, the pressure is on for other video game-related movies. One, in particular, is Paramount’s Sonic the Hedgehog which is scheduled for release in November. Film stars include Ben Schwarts as the titular character, Jim Carrey as villain Doctor Robotnik, as well as James Marsden, Tika Sumpter, Natasha Rothwell, Neal McDonough, and Adam Pally. While there have been some questions in the casting of Jim Carrey, it is the appearance of protagonist Sonic in the trailer that has upset fans.

Watch the trailer below:

 

 

 

 

The trailer itself has received criticism for its use of Coolio’s Gangsta’s Paradise, which many fans believe is out of place in a movie about a children’s video game character.

But it was the appearance of Sonic himself that has become a hot topic online in the past week, with fans pointing out the ‘uncanny valley’ effect of Sonic’s teeth, eyes, and body.

 

 

Some fans have taken it upon themselves to improve the look of the character. One redesign by digital artist Edward Pun has received over 80,000 retweets and over 320,000 likes on Twitter. Many have criticised the Sonic on the left as looking like a man in a costume, whereas the right’s body and eye shape are more like the iconic Sega character.

This has all lead to the director of the film, Jeff Fowler, to respond to comments on Twitter saying that they will be redesigning the character to best fit what fans want. This redesign comes just six months before the film’s release.

It’s unclear if the film’s release date will be pushed back.

 

 

 

The release of Detective Pikachu and its early positive reviews has lead to comparisons between the two iconic video game characters. While Pikachu is near identical to the character it’s based on, Sonic has been likened more to a cat than its hedgehog roots.