PeterPancake

Sonic could absolutely work as a PG-13 film. There is nothing more inherently ridiculous about him than Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or the Guardians of the Galaxy

I think you're onto something

That's what I find contradicting. Maybe they digitally added the shoes into the pre-Tom scenes for the trailers? Marvel does something similar for their trailers (adding and removing characters and elements).

Wearing shoes he acquires on Earth?

Confirms that the Green Hill Zone scene is from the end of the movie

The Baby Sonic "rumor" was already confirmed months ago by other merch. The question is whether it was removed from the film altogether but I hope it wasn't because it gives Sonic depth and I also liked the Superman analogy

I wonder when they're gonna start releasing licensed merchandise

Damn. That sucks I think it was real. They used mockup images as a "proof of concept" type thing. But the Sonic design was probably early concept art and could have been from 2015 when Sony had the project. Paramount wanted an edgier design in vein of Bayturtles and well, the rest is history. I'm glad we got the design we got now, though.

That's interesting

I want that shirt! I hope merch is ready to go before Christmas

Well, you could establish some of that backstory in exposition. But you'd have to make sure the information is relayed to the audience in the least intrusive way possible. If you're burrowing from Archie then you could streamline some elements of the backstory so make it easier digestible. For instance-- You could start the movie showing Sonic's father and mother engaged in the Great War (Jules and Bernadette) with hundreds of other Mobians. Seemingly sacrificing their lives for Sonic. Before their death, we see them recording a message for Sonic (about what he is, taking inspiration from the movie, Sonic has special powers). > Cut to black. The movie could then jump ahead to a young Sonic with his uncle Chuck. Playing tag with a young Tails. We establish two things here: We see here that young Sonic is still discovering his power and that Tails is his best friend since early childhood. Heck, you could even make them brothers. Tails being an orphan like Sonic whom Uncle chuck brought in to raise. Maybe Chuck warns Sonic not to go into the forbidden Zone (for good reason) they go being dumb kids and as they are discovered by some guards, we get our second action sequence and our first taste of what Sonic can REALLY do as he accidently goes super sonic speed for the first time in a desperate attempt to escape the Robots (Tails in arms). They barely make it back home, Chuck scolds a crying Sonic and we jump ahead 5 years later to a 15 year old Sonic doing some immature, rebellious thing. Like maybe stealing some rings from a vendor and running from the guards. Something to establish Sonic's personality more firmly and also show the "Before" picture before his character arc... Mudhoney's 'Touch Me I'm Sick' would be a good tone establisher for this sequence To summarize, Chuck is captured, Sonic and Tails are homeless orphans again and they are taken to whatver Mobius' equivalent to a foster care system is where they meet Amy Rose. They escape. We now have introduced Amy and given Sonic his dramatic need in the story -- to rescue Uncle Chuck. This need will eventually turn into needing to save the world from Robotnik as he discovers who he truly is over the course of the movie (We meet his roboticized parents in an emotional revelation to Sonic) Just some ideas I had

if I had my way, I'd make a movie that takes inspiration from SATAM and the Archie comics and tell a much more serious story. I feel like Sonic can be so much more than an Alvin and the Chipmunks-esque road trip comedy film. At least in the same league as modern CBMS. For one, a story with darker implications. Like totalitarianism and the loss of free will from Roboticization. Man vs. Nature. The value of liberty and the need to never stop moving no matter what. Sonic represents the spirit that drives life, the will to live and be free (from tyranny) while Robotnik represents control and man's corrupting of natural life through industrialism and pollution.. Sigh... Maybe one day.. I'm not getting the movie I wanted either but I hope at least that this movie can do some good for the Sonic franchise and give him the boost he needs in modern pop culture. I'm ready for a return to the Adventure-era of story-driven games myself. Forces I don't count

And this is what I've been trying to communicate all along. It's crazy how Paramount's rationale is EXACTLY what I've been saying it would be for the past 2 years. This movie was made to appeal to as wide an audience as possible. The average schmoe who played Sonic when he was younger and the kids and family audiences are the main demographics and they are the ones who will carry the box-office. Sonic fans make up such a tiny percentage of whom is going to see the movie and Paramount was under the impression that most of them would see it regardless. What happened though, waa that the targeted demographic rejected Sonics design so forcefully that it spooked the execs into bringing him back to the little blue furball that we all know and love. This Is what they do, this is how their minds work. They wanted to appeal to the general audience, they rejected the movie forcing them to change

I actually love this design. I wouldn't mind if Sonic's game design took on some elements of it. After all, Nintendo did add more detail to Mario in Odyssey

https://www.gamebyte.com/sonic-the-hedgehog-movie-redesign-cost-paramount-millions/ I hope the movie is a huge success. It sends a shockwave message throughout the entire industry that listening to fans can lead to a positive outcome