The Sonic the Hedgehog film redesign has leaked

Guess what today is! It’s the day that the infamous Sonic the Hedgehog film was intended to hit theaters! And what better way to celebrate this national holiday than with a look at some very interesting info on how it’s coming along?

The upcoming film raised eyebrows to unseen heights when it debuted back in May with a VERY divisive design for the titular hedgehog; so poorly-received in fact, that it led to the film’s delay specifically so said design could be entirely overhauled. Well, I’m happy to report that this revision is beginning to appear in the wild, and it was definitely worth the wait!

Now in case you’ve forgotten the original trailer for the Sonic the Hedgehog film, here’s your grim reminder:

Excuse me for a moment while I weep… Okay, I’m good.

Once it was confirmed that Sonic’s appearance would be revised, fans were cautiously optimistic to hear that a rather beloved community member was apparently part of the project: Tyson Hesse, who began to post coy teases of his possible involvement, such as the one below (upon being asked if he had drawn some official artwork featured with the initial delay announcement):

https://twitter.com/tyson_hesse/status/1132095399462727680?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1132095399462727680&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fgonintendo.com%2Fstories%2F336111-rumor-tyson-hesse-might-have-provided-the-art-for-the-sonic-the

For a bit more background, Hesse is an artist who has made a number of contributions to recent Sonic related works, including the beautifully-made Sonic Mania Adventures shorts (found here, you’re welcome), as well as Sonic Mania itself. Given the immensely popular reception to the art therein, it was felt by many fans that there would be no-one more qualified for the Herculean task of making THAT Sonic look good.

Well, here we are. Behold!

https://twitter.com/SnideyMcCoolGuy/status/1191896637435731968?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1191896637435731968&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sonicstadium.org%2F2019%2F11%2Fleak-sonic-movie-standee-promo-along-with-hashtag-catchsonic%2F

Well, they did it! Now as much as I’d like to gush over this for a while, let’s stick to reporting on these recent developments. (also see a better render of the above image here).

Things began to snowball in late October, with a new cardboard standee being found and shared on social media:

https://twitter.com/pablothinghouse/status/1188296985645854720?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1188296985645854720&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sonicstadium.org%2F2019%2F10%2Fleak-sonic-movie-re-design-seen-on-movie-billboard%2F

As you can imagine, grains of salt were taken liberally, but thankfully these images have been confirmed to be genuine! Tails’ Channel and TSSZ News, both respected sources of Sonic the Hedgehog news, were able to verify that this leak is indeed the real deal (as seen here).

And with that, Sonic is looking damn good! With any luck, we’ll be seeing an updated trailer soon, to coincide with the release of these official promotional stands. The Sonic the Hedgehog film is scheduled to release in February next year, and it finally feels okay to be excited for it!

Keep an eye on the film’s official Twitter for any updates, which we’ll happily share as well. Or heck, maybe Sonic himself will jump the gun again; he’s goin’ fast!