Early test footage of the first Sonic movie shows how the original design could have been even worse than what we saw

The first Sonic movie could have been even uglier than its first version, according to newly revealed test footage. Remember the human teeth? The eyes, the figure? In the released images, we get a glimpse at earlier designs, and it does not look good.

"Short thread of Sonic Movie 1 test footage since apparently the world is clamoring for this stuff," wrote X user Doctor Caboose (@joe44951318), sharing some Sonic test footage images that might haunt your dreams, including a few with Sonic in a "lumberjack outfit". The user also said they will be releasing the full video footage soon, and revealed he got it from an "old job with a company that no longer exists".

These images only highlight how off the mark Paramount was about the highly anticipated first Sonic movie.

Back in 2019, the first trailer for the film was released, causing a huge controversy among fans who slammed the weird design of the titular character, dubbed 'Ugly Sonic'. The film was then delayed in order to come up with a more satisfactory design.

"It was pretty clear on the day the trailer was released, just seeing the feedback and hearing the feedback… that fans were not happy enough with where we were at,” director Jeff Fowler said at the time of release. "The message was very clear. In a situation like that, it was very little discussion – we just knew that that work had to be done. We just rolled up our sleeves and dived in," he continued.

Luckily for everyone involved, the re-design was a success and turned the first Sonic into one of the best video game films of all time. A few years later, it has become a massively popular and growing movie franchise, with more sequels and spin-offs in the works.

In fact, according to the franchise's executive producers, the Sonic movies are heading toward "Avengers-level events".

The last time we saw the blue hedgehog was in Sonic 3, which was released in December 2024, and we already know Sonic 4 is on the way. For more, check out our lists for all upcoming movies in cinemas and upcoming video game movies in 2025 and beyond.