When Viewers Become Directors (Sort Of)

Imagine waiting years for your favourite character to hit the big screen, only to look at them and think, what the f**k is this? Then we realise, we can change this, this isn’t right, this movie wouldn’t be happening without the fans, so we will make sure they get it right. We did not wait years for these movies for them to look nothing like their original designs.

These big studios can’t ignore the voices of the fans once they get the word on social media, and the rest of the community joins together to express their distaste for the design. Fans who have grown up with the characters that are now being moved to movie screens from their childhood games believe they have a right to have a say in the way the characters look. Especially if it looks nothing like what we are used to, fans feel connected to these designs and what them shown that way.

Take the first trailer for the Sonic the Hedgehog movie, the first design of the iconic blue hedgehog was terrifyingly bad, and we did not keep quiet about it. The original design by the studio was met with harsh criticisms, the characters new look was too human-like for the fans, with eerily human-looking teeth. The design wasn’t even close to the original design, the features were too small compared to the original cartoon. He was thinner and taller, and although much of the design was the same, it wasn’t the iconic Sonic we know and love.

After seeing the first trailer, fans rallied to social media to show their disappointment using the hashtag #gottafixfast, and it got the attention of the director, Jeff Fowler. Jeff took to X to let fans know they saw their criticisms and are going to change the design that they couldn’t get right. This led to a more Sonic-looking Sonic being designed with many similar features to the original, but just a little bit more modern and fans were much happier with this choice.

The studio listened to the backlash they got and knew not to ignore it and continued to make the movie with the original design and make a movie that is unsuccessful. Without the fans, the movie would be nothing. The studios want to profit from this film, and if they go against the fans hopes and wishes, they won’t get the profit they hope for. But studios can’t always please us, it’s not just movies its TV too, and fans made their complaints about the HBO show The Last of Us, that it wasn’t exactly like the game, with character differences and lack of LGBTQ storylines. But even with the fans showing their annoyance at the changes, the show turned out to be a hit, with a 94% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

We fans will always take an active role in shaping movies, like the designs and the storytelling. Studios listen, they know we are the best way to a successful movie. So, next time you hate a movie's design, don’t just sit there, take yourself onto social media. You might just make the difference that’s needed.