After a rocky first trailer, Sonic the Hedgehog managed to win over fans of the series with the film's final cut. The movie's director, Jeff Fowler, credited fans in part for helping him shape the film.
Fowler spoke to SYFY WIRE, talking about how he handled fan responses to his work along the way. He said, “I appreciate having been through the whole experience with it, and it’s just a reminder of how important the fans are. But it's such a balance. You don't want to be polling the fan base and just [asking], ‘What do you want from a movie?’ Because that just turns into Mad Libs. There's just no way for you to come out with one cohesive thing.”
Fan response to Tails, in particular, surprised him, but in a positive way. He said, “Of all the screenings that I would pop in for, seeing people's reaction to Tails showing up at the end … nothing could have prepared me!” He added, “To see people respond and having these kids just shout at the screen, and just yell their little brains out. I just never got sick of it. I just loved it."
Fowler ultimately expressed disappointment that he didn't get to explore the Sonic and Tails friendship, but fan response to the famous orange fox made him hopeful to touch on that dynamic in a potential future sequel.
Sonic the Hedgehog recently became available for home purchase. Blu-ray, 4K Ultra HD and DVD versions of the film release on May 19, which feature deleted scenes, a blooper reel, a director's commentary and more.