Sonic the Hedgehog: Behind-the-scenes footage fuels CGI conspiracy theory

A spurious rumour about Sonic’s infamous redesign has resurfaced after footage gives a glimpse of a dummy used during filming

Resurfaced behind-the-scenes footage from the set of Sonic the Hedgehog has fuelled one popular conspiracy theory about the film’s use of CGI.

Last year, the lead character of Sonic the Hedgehog underwent a long and expensive redesign after the film’s first trailer was released to widespread backlash – with people calling the Sonic character “creepy.”

After a do-over that reportedly cost tens of millions of dollars, and which delayed the film’s release by three months, the new, cuddlier Sonic was met with adulation, and the film became a box office smash.

However, somewhat inevitably, a conspiracy theory arose on the internet, positing that the original, off-putting design was never intended to be used, and was simply a ruse to buy extra production time and curry favour for the new design.

While this has been denied by the artist responsible for the design, a behind-the-scenes video has rekindled some people’s suspicions.

The video, posted on YouTube by jbwebtv, sees a Sonic the Hedgehog dummy placed in a car during a scene with Jim Carrey – and the character bears a strong resemblance to the redesigned version, not the toothy original.

Someone was quick to connect the dots on Reddit – adding that the design might just be the result of a late-in-the-day reshoot. Another commenter suggested that the filmmakers might not have finalised the design by that point in filming, so a non-specific Sonic stand-in was used.

Whatever the explanation, it’s clear this is a conspiracy theory isn’t ready to die just yet.