Minecraft director Jared Hess says he doesn’t want the upcoming live-action movie to find itself in an Ugly Sonic situation.
Speaking with The Salt Lake Tribune, per ComicBook.com, Hess touched on what viewers can expect from the upcoming Minecraft movie. He also noted he didn’t want to upset any Minecraft fans by creating an Ugly Sonic situation when bringing the popular video game to live-action.
“I think anybody that does any IP, they just want to avoid an Ugly Sonic situation,” Hess said. “I just can’t disappoint the 10-year-olds, or they’re going to murder us.”
Initial footage of the live-action Sonic the Hedgehog movie resulted in negative reactions from fans, many of whom weren’t a fan of the titular character’s unsettling look. The initial Sonic design, dubbed Ugly Sonic, quickly became a meme, with many pointing out the character’s human-looking teeth and uncanny valley appearance.
In reponse to the criticism, Sonic was redesigned to look more like more like he does in the video game franchise. Sonic the Hedgehog was released in February 2020 and was followed by a 2022 sequel, Sonic the Hedgehog 2. A third film and a spin-off miniseries are currently in the works.
Playing off the initial design and meme, Ugly Sonic appeared as a supporting character in 2022’s Chip ’n Dale: Rescue Rangers, where he was voiced by Tim Robinson.
Who stars in the Minecraft movie?
Plot details about the upcoming Minecraft movie are being kept under wraps at this time. The movie’s cast includes Jack Black, Jason Momoa, Emma Myers, Sebastian Eugene Hansen, and Danielle Brooks.
Hess, who directed 2004’s Napoleon Dynamite, also said about adapting the video game into a feature film, “Trying to adapt something that doesn’t have a story — it’s an open sandbox game. … I like the challenge. There’s got to be a fun, ridiculous movie here. And there is.”
Additionally, Hess teased that the movie will star “a funny lady, who has not been announced.”
Minecraft releases on April 4, 2025.
