SONIC THE HEDGEHOG Star Jim Carrey Explains How Trailer Backlash Ultimately Benefited The Movie

Sonic the Hedgehog was delayed following backlash aimed at the titular character's weird redesign, and star Jim Carrey has now weighed in on why that was ultimately a good thing for the video game movie...

By JoshWilding - Feb 18, 2020 02:02 AM EST

Filed Under: Sonic the Hedgehog

Leaked images from Sonic the Hedgehog confused fans of the character as it appeared that the iconic SEGA creation had been completely redesigned, but it was that first trailer that really generated backlash online. As a result, Jeff Fowler announced plans to go back to the drawing board, and the entertaining movie ultimately featured an accurate portrayal of the hero.

While Jim Carrey was initially critical of Paramount's decision to bow down to fans and delay the movie, the actor has now admitted that the negative response "turned out to be a great thing."

"It turned out to be a co-op where everybody was in on the creation," Carrey tells Fox News. "I think everybody felt good about it ultimately because [director] Jeff Fowler [had] no ego involved at all. He just went, 'These people grew up with it, and it's important to them that we get it right.' And I think it was just a much better movie because of it."

After pointing out that he doesn't create his characters "based on what people are saying," Carrey admitted that there were parts of Sonic that weren't necessarily working before fans weighed in, and while he had some concerns about changing things, the movie "turned out fantastic."

The actor is definitely a highlight in Sonic the Hedgehog, and there's already a lot of excitement for the sequel (which seems inevitable given the movie's recent box office performance).

Do you think the studio made the right decision with this redesign?

Hit the "Next" button to check out some Easter
Eggs from the Sonic the Hedgehog movie!

Some Familiar Villains

The movie kicks off in Sonic's home, a land that's clearly based on the Green Hills Zone from the original video game. However, his peaceful life doesn't last long as a group known as the Echidnas soon attack. It's important to note that Knuckles was a member of the Echidna Clan, but the group here seem to be based on the Nocturnus Clan.

They rule over a realm called the Twilight Cage and have some pretty nefarious plans for Earth.

Why they want Sonic is hard to say, but if we had to hazard a guess, they would certainly make a pretty fitting choice of villains in the sequel (especially if they're looking to steal those rings).

The Flash Comic Books

Sonic has a lot of cool hobbies, and seems to be fascinated (understandably so) with speed. As a result, it's hardly a surprise that he's shown reading comic books featuring The Flash!

DC Comics' Scarlet Speedster is a much more fitting choice than Quicksilver - that pile of comics would be pretty small if Sonic was only reading his solo adventures - and it's easy to see why Sonic would be a fan. Perhaps most surprising is that Warner Bros. happily greenlit this particular reference.

Sonic's Race Car Bed

The movie ends with Sonic being asked to live with Tom and Maddie, and they present the hero with his own bedroom in their loft. Look closely during that sequence, and you'll notice that they've got him a race car shaped bed, something which you might dismiss as a nod to the aforementioned racing games the SEGA character has starred in over the years.

While that's entirely possible, this is more likely a hat tip to the Sonic the Hedgehog comic book series which also used to see Sonic kick back and take some naps in a bed shaped like that!

"Sanic"

Sonic has become something of an urban myth in his home of Green Hills on Earth and only one of the town's residents believes he's real (mostly because the speedster enjoys toying with him).

That's "Crazy Carl," and a drawing he's done of Sonic looks eerily familiar. That's because it's based on that weird Sanic the Hedgehog meme which was started after YouTuber 0nyxheart uploaded his drawing a decade ago. It's an unexpected nod, but one meme lovers will appreciate.

Oh, and that "Blue Devil" nickmane is likely a reference to the car he drives in those racing games.

A Familiar Logo

While Sonic is hanging out in his cave, he plays around with some nunchuks and dons a headband.

Well, look closely at that and you'll notice that it's emblazoned with the character's classic logo...the only thing that's missing is Sonic himself! This is a fun throwback to his video games, but another comes in a slightly less obvious fashion which is definitely a highlight here.

While the gold rings in this movie are used to travel between worlds and locations, almost every time Sonic is hit, he drops them and that's a nod to what happens in the games.

The Chaos Emerald

Before seemingly being killed by the Nocturnus Clan, Longclaw gives Sonic a map directing him to Earth and that mushroom planet (which is another level from the games).

However, look closely at that and you'll notice a mention of the Chaos Emerald.

That mystical gem - and the seven others like it - have played a huge role in the video games, and they've since become the franchise's go-to MacGuffins. It's possible this reference will pay off in the sequel as this might be another reason that Clan was targeting Sonic.

"BADNIKS"

By the time the post-credits scene rolls around, Dr. Robotnik has become the "Eggman" we know and hate from the video games. However, there are some early hints about his transformation.

After the power surge which shuts his ride down, Robotnik searches for a control panel to reboot the system, and a label can be seen which says "BADNIKS" on it. That's a reference to Eggman's original robots, and quite possibly something we can look forward to seeing in the sequel.

Sonic's Love Of Chilli Dogs

This is a fun one.

Sonic is show to be a huge fan of chilli dogs in this movie, and that's another concept which was introduced in the Archie Comics Sonic the Hedgehog series. Later, that was added to the animated series as well, and both Sonic and Tails would frequently eat them...and nothing else!

Added to the video game franchise with Sonic Unleashed, they've stuck around ever since.

A Familiar Animation

If you've played enough Sonic video games, then you'll know that the speedster's "idle animation" is him putting his hands on his hips and tapping his foot impatiently.

Well, when time slows down around the iconic video game character as Robotnik shoots those missiles at him, Sonic recreates that exact same animation from the games.

Tails

Sonic the Hedgehog is an absolute blast, but the movie definitely would have benefited from spending a little more time on the hero's homeworld. Thankfully, it looks like that could be a strong possibility in the sequel because the post-credits scene introduces us to beloved icon, Tails.

Armed with a tracking device, he seemingly wants to bring Sonic home and is shown using his familiar flying power thanks to the tail he can spin around exactly like a helicopter. It's an awesome visual nod to the games and it's clear now that Tails will be a key player in the eventual follow-up.

Product Placement

Sonic's sneakers may look like they've been lifted straight from the games, but when Tom's niece presents them to him, you'll see that they boast tiny Puma tabs. Before the character was redesigned, he was going to wear actual Puma sneakers which can presumably be bought in stores.

There's a lot of product placement in the movie, though, including frequent mentions of Olive Garden!

"Gotta Go Fast!"

As you might expect, Sonic's iconic catchphrase finds its way into the movie when he's woken up by Tom's wife with smelling salts. It's a fun nod to the games and a clever way of including it.

Equally as fun is seeing Sonic perform a patented spin dash in the movie while he's facing off with some of Robotnik's creations during that standout chase with Tom on the highway.

KNUCKLES: Paramount+ SONIC Spin-Off Hits Rotten Tomatoes; New Clips Released

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53 Comments

1 2

VicSage - 2/18/2020, 2:37 AM

The Sonic franchise deserved a win. After so many years of subpar games, it really needed this. I hope they can finally get their games on track. Admittedly, I haven't played any in 20 years, but if they were good I think I may have heard something by now.

Kumkani - 2/18/2020, 2:48 AM

Publicity stunt confirmed lol

Spidey91 - 2/18/2020, 3:55 AM

Lets not get this twisted: fan backlash goes both ways, sometimes it is justified, other times not so much. It's good that they listened to this fans in this instance, but lets not make it a thing.

Spidey91 - 2/18/2020, 3:58 AM

@Spidey91 - *the fans.
Stupid autocorrect.

Matador - 2/18/2020, 4:57 AM

@Spidey91 - Soooooo we should not tell DC/WB what we really want.

Spidey91 - 2/18/2020, 5:09 AM

@Matador - in a nice way, yes. Not by spamming Matt Reeves' Twitter with photos of Batfleck and #ReleaseTheSnyderCut hashtags, or not by harassing John Boyega's instagram with Reylo sh*t, or not by doing pointless petitions to replace Brie Larson, or not by...
You get the point.