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| This DVD box set features all 26 episodes and it’s a two disc box set (13 episodes each).

This release will feature a different cover, not using the previous cover art due to [[Ken Penders#Legal issues|lawsuits against Ken Penders]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=DECIDED: Archie Comic Publications Inc. v. Penders – Patent Arcade |url=http://patentarcade.com/2015/07/decided-archi-comic-publications-inc-v.html |access-date=2023-07-15 |language=en-US}}</ref>
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Revision as of 00:02, 7 September 2023

Sonic the Hedgehog
Also known asSonic SatAM[1]
Genre
Based on
Directed by
  • John Grusd (pilot only)
  • Dick Sebast (season 1)
  • Ron Myrick (season 2)
Voices of
Theme music composer
Opening theme"The Fastest Thing Alive"
Composer
Michael Tavera (season 1)
Country of origin
  • United States
  • Italy
Original languages
  • English
  • Italian
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes26
Production
Executive producers
Producers
Editors
  • Mark A. McNally
  • Sue Odjakjian
  • CK Horness
Running time20–22 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network
ReleaseSeptember 18, 1993 (1993-09-18) –
December 3, 1994 (1994-12-03)
Related

Sonic the Hedgehog is an animated television series based on the video game series of the same name. It was story edited by Len Janson and produced by DIC Productions, Sega of America, and the Italian studio Reteitalia in association with Telecinco.[2] It is the second of DiC's Sonic cartoons, following Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog. It features a more dramatic and dark story than the lighter Adventures series,[3] depicting Sonic as a member of a band of freedom fighters battling to overthrow Dr. Robotnik, now a despotic dictator who conquered their home planet Mobius years prior, ruling it as a polluted industrial dystopia. To distinguish it from other Sonic the Hedgehog media, the series is commonly referred to by fans as "SatAM", in reference to its Saturday morning timeslot.[1]

The program aired for two seasons with a total of 26 episodes on ABC from September 18, 1993, to December 3, 1994,[4] and continued in reruns until 1995. A third season was planned, but ABC canceled the show, ending it with a cliffhanger. Despite its cancellation, a fan following has elevated the series to become a cult hit.[5] The show also inspired a long-running comic book series of the same name.

Plot

The series takes place on Mobius, a planet mostly populated by anthropomorphic animals. The Kingdom of Acorn, based within the metropolitan city of Mobotropolis, was at war with an unseen enemy. King Acorn recruited a human scientist named Julian to build war machines to end the war with a victory. However, during peacetime, Julian and his nephew Snively launched a coup d'état against the kingdom. The King is banished to another dimension called the Void and most of the citizens are captured and permanently transformed into robot slaves, through a machine called the Roboticizer. Julian renames himself as Dr. Robotnik, now the dictator of Mobius. Mobotropolis is renamed Robotropolis, a polluted, industrial cityscape.

Robotnik finds himself at odds with a small collective group called the Freedom Fighters, who operate out of the hidden woodland village of Knothole. They are led by Sonic the Hedgehog and Princess Sally Acorn, King Acorn's sole heir. Other members include Sonic's best friend Miles "Tails" Prower, computer genius Rotor the Walrus, French coyote Antoine Depardieu, half-roboticized Bunnie Rabbot, and Dulcy the Dragon. They act as a rebellion against Robotnik's regime. Sonic uses the Power Rings to gain a temporary boost in power. Both the rings and the Roboticizer were designed by Sonic's uncle Chuck, one of the victims of the machine.

Early on in the series, Sonic uses a Power Ring to restore Uncle Chuck's free will in his mechanical body. Chuck decides to act as a spy for the Freedom Fighters, operating from within the city. He is eventually discovered by Robotnik in the second season and escapes to Knothole. Sally searches for her father during the series. He is found alive within the Void, shared with the sorcerer Naugus who was also imprisoned within the dimension by his former associate Robotnik. Naugus attempts to escape the Void, but both he and King Acorn discover their bodies turn to crystal if they leave the Void due to their prolonged exposure to it. King Acorn gives his daughter a list of known Freedom Fighters that they can make use of in their fight against Robotnik. The heroes gain other allies including Ari the Ram, and Lupe, leader of the elusive wolf pack.

In the series' sole two-part episode, "Blast to the Past", Sonic and Sally use the Time Stones to travel back in time, in an attempt to prevent Robotnik's planned takeover. They fail, but manage to get their younger selves to the safety of Knothole, with help from Sally's nanny Rosie Woodchuck.

In the series finale, Robotnik builds the Doomsday Project to destroy the population. The Freedom Fighters launch a full-scale attack against Robotnik, with Sonic and Sally destroying the Doomsday Project with the power of the Deep Power Stones. Robotnik is caught in the destruction and is utterly destroyed along with Doomsday and the Freedom Fighters declare victory, with Sonic and Sally kissing. In a final scene, Snively becomes the main antagonist, accompanied out of the remains of an elevator by an unseen ally with red eyes. Ben Hurst, one of the series' writers, confirmed the figure was Naugus.

Characters

Knothole Freedom Fighters

  • Sonic (voiced by Jaleel White as his older self and Tahj Mowry as his younger self) is a blue hedgehog and the main protagonist of the series. He is able to run at superhuman speed, and is the only Freedom Fighter capable of using magical rings called Power Rings. Sonic has an impatient and head-strong personality, but is also fearless, heroic, and well-meaning. He always mockingly refers to Robotnik as "Ro-butt-nik".
  • Princess Sally Alicia Acorn (voiced by Kath Soucie as her older self and Lindsay Ridgeway as her younger self) is a chipmunk who is the rightful princess of Mobotropolis and Sonic's love interest. As strategist and leader of the Knothole Freedom Fighters, she is knowledgeable and the voice of reason. Sally tries to keep Sonic grounded. She is known for her compassion and master diplomacy.
  • Bunnie Rabbot (voiced by Christine Cavanaugh) is a rabbit with a southern accent. Half of her body was roboticized, leaving her left arm and both legs mechanical. She is skilled in martial arts and wants to be returned to normal.
  • Antoine "Ant" Depardieu (voiced by Rob Paulsen) is a coyote with a French accent whose awkwardness often places the others in danger and gets him captured. He has some difficulty speaking English. He has romantic feelings for Princess Sally, and attempts to impress her. However, his selfishness hinders this goal. Sonic often teases Antoine over his shortcomings.
  • Rotor (voiced by Mark Ballou in Season 1 and Cam Brainard in Season 2) is a walrus and the mechanic of Knothole Village. He provides the Knothole Freedom Fighters with useful inventions, and accompanies them on infiltrations.
  • Tails (voiced by Bradley Pierce) is a young two-tailed fox who idolizes Sonic. While usually left behind in Knothole, he proves useful in deadly missions.
  • Nicole (voiced by Kath Soucie) is a portable computer that Sally uses to hack into Robotnik's technology. Nicole speaks in a female monotone, and exhibits artificial intelligence. It is indicated that Sally received Nicole from her father.
  • Dulcy (voiced by Cree Summer) is a young dragon, who provides the Knothole Freedom Fighters with transportation. Sporting powerful lungs, Dulcy can blow enemies away and burn/freeze them with fire or ice breath. She has trouble landing, and often crashes mid-flight. She was introduced in Season 2.

Villains

  • Dr. Julian Robotnik (voiced by Jim Cummings) is a human warlord who seeks to cover Mobius in machinery and transform its population into robotic slaves by roboticizing them. He is chiefly opposed by the Knothole Freedom Fighters. Robotnik's obsession with destroying Sonic is often his downfall. In this version, his real first name is Julian, adopting the moniker "Robotnik" after his takeover.
  • Snively (voiced by Charlie Adler) is Robotnik's nephew and right-hand man. He is constantly abused by his uncle. As such, Snively hates Robotnik and plots behind his back.
  • Naugus (voiced by Michael Bell) is a powerful humanoid sorcerer of indeterminate species with bat-like ears, a rhinoceros horn on his head, a crustacean-like claw for a left hand, and a lizard-like tail. He resents his former associate Robotnik for betraying and imprisoning him within the Void. Naugus desires retribution, but he cannot escape without turning into crystal due to him being in the Void for too long as he can no longer exist outside the void.
    • Cluck (vocal effects by Frank Welker) is a robotic chicken-like bird and the only creature Robotnik shows affection towards.
    • Swat-Bots (voiced by Jim Cummings and Frank Welker) are Robotnik's primary henchmen and foot soldiers.

Recurring

  • Sir Charles "Chuck" Hedgehog (voiced by William Windom) is Sonic's uncle, and the inventor of the Roboticizer before Robotnik stole it. He was roboticized and made into one of Robotnik's slaves, until Sonic restored his free will. He serves as a spy for the Freedom Fighters. According to Robby London, he was named after the writer and animator, Chuck Menville, who died in 1992.[6]
  • Ari Ram (voiced by Dorian Harewood) is a Freedom Fighter who worked as a double agent for Robotnik, only to be betrayed later and trapped in the Void. He is later rescued by Sonic and joins the Knothole Freedom Fighters.
  • King Acorn (voiced by Tim Curry) is the former king of Mobotropolis and Sally's father. He was banished to the Void during Robotnik's takeover, and like Naugus, cannot escape without turning into crystal due to prolonged exposure to the Void. But before returning to the Void, he gives Sally the list of all the Freedom Fighter groups in Mobius, telling her to find them, unify them under her banner and establish a Freedom Fighter network so they can be strong enough to overthrow Robotnik once and for all.
  • Lupe Wolf (voiced by Shari Belafonte) – Leader of the Wolfpack Freedom Fighters and one of the Knothole Freedom Fighters' allies in the fight against Robotnik.

Voice cast

Jaleel White reprises his role as Sonic from the previous series Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog.

Crew

  • Marsha Gooodman - Casting director
  • Ginny McSwain - Casting director and voice director

Production

Sonic the Hedgehog was created by DiC Animation City in association with Sega of America, which produced a total of 26 episodes for its two-season run, and the Italian studio Reteitalia S.p.A., part of Fininvest company in association with Telecinco. The show's animation was outsourced to the Korean studio Sae Rom Production and Spanish studio Milimetros.

Before production began, Sega of America CEO Tom Kalinske and its newly appointed consumer products director Michealene Risley approached DiC Entertainment's CEO Andy Heyward and the ABC network to produce a television show featuring Sonic. After being shown the character, Heyward agreed to make the show and was granted the license. According to Robby London, DiC originally made a deal to produce only the Saturday morning Sonic series for the ABC network, which was originally planned to air in the Fall of 1992.[8] The cartoon was to be more light-hearted compared to the final product, as reflected by the episode "Heads or Tails", early promotional material found in Fleetway's Sonic the Comic[9][10] and the early issues of Sonic the Hedgehog comics by Archie, which were based on the Saturday morning Sonic cartoon. However, DiC also wanted to expand the show and produce additional episodes for weekday syndication as well, similar to what DiC had previously done with The Real Ghostbusters, but Mark Pedowitz, the then-senior vice president of business affairs and contracts at ABC, who expected the Sonic cartoon to air exclusively on ABC, rejected the idea, telling London "If you guys want to do syndication, be our guest, go with God, but you won’t be on our network."

ABC would not agree to the deal until London came with a proposition that DiC would produce a separate, vastly different Sonic show for syndication instead, the result of which became Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog. Afterwards, ABC was at first willing to air only a single half-hour episode as a prime-time special scheduled to air in March 1993 (which would become the episode "Heads or Tails") before ultimately delaying it and including it as part of the show which ABC picked up again for a full season, this time airing in the Fall of 1993, alongside Adventures airing in syndication at the same time. During that time, the Saturday morning Sonic cartoon received a makeover and was made darker and more serious in order to distinguish itself from the syndicated Sonic cartoon.[11][12][13] The show bible for the Saturday morning Sonic cartoon was written in February 1992[14] with the final revision made on March 10, 1993.[15]

Episodes

Series overview

SeasonSegmentsEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
11313September 18, 1993 (1993-09-18)December 11, 1993 (1993-12-11)
21513September 10, 1994 (1994-09-10)December 3, 1994 (1994-12-03)

Season 1 (1993)

No.TitleWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code
1"Super Sonic"Jules DennisSeptember 18, 1993 (1993-09-18)238-205
An ancient, formerly evil wizard named Lazar takes away Sonic's speed, with the promise to return it if Sonic retrieves the wizard's computer archive of spells from Robotnik. (This episode was the actual 1st full edition of this series to air on ABC, on Sept. 18, 1993.[16])
2"Sonic Boom"Len JansonSeptember 25, 1993 (1993-09-25)238-201
Princess Sally and Antoine follow up on a lead that suggests that her father, King Acorn, may be alive. Meanwhile, Sonic attempts to rescue a captured freedom fighter.
3"Sonic and Sally"Ben Hurst & Pat AlleeOctober 2, 1993 (1993-10-02)238-202
When the Princess is captured, Robotnik creates a robotic duplicate of her as a means of spying on and sabotaging the Freedom Fighters.
4"Hooked on Sonics"Randy RogelOctober 9, 1993 (1993-10-09)238-207
Antoine goes after Robotnik himself in an attempt to impress Sally and earn personal glory.
5"Ultra Sonic"David VillaireOctober 16, 1993 (1993-10-16)238-203
Sonic finds his long lost uncle, Sir Charles, after a failed mission in Robotropolis.
6"Sonic's Nightmare"Frank SantopadreOctober 23, 1993 (1993-10-23)238-209
Sonic is paralysed by a recurring nightmare personifying his own personal fears; meanwhile, Robotnik unleashes a machine capable of destroying the world.
7"Warp Sonic"Matt UitzOctober 30, 1993 (1993-10-30)238-210
The Freedom Fighters find themselves defending an underground city of Mobian refugees, all the while coming to terms with their own personal relationships.
8"Harmonic Sonic"David VillaireNovember 6, 1993 (1993-11-06)238-208
Robotnik launches a spy satellite in an effort to locate Knothole Village, the Freedom Fighters' hidden base. Sonic and Rotor head towards the satellite using a makeshift rocket to destroy it.
9"Sonic and the Secret Scrolls"Janis DiamondNovember 13, 1993 (1993-11-13)238-204
The Freedom Fighters embark on a mission to find magical scrolls which may hold the key to unlimited power.
10"Sub-Sonic"Barbara SladeNovember 20, 1993 (1993-11-20)238-211
The Freedom Fighters' home, the Great Forest, is dying. In search of magical water that causes plants to grow at an accelerated speed, the Freedom Fighters journey underground where they begin disappearing one by one.
11"Heads or Tails"Len JansonNovember 27, 1993 (1993-11-27)238-010/238-213
Sonic heads to Robotropolis in search of materials to build a defense against an impending invasion by Robotnik. However, the inexperienced Tails is tagging along.
12"Sonic Past Cool"Kayte Kuch & Sheryl ScarboroughDecember 4, 1993 (1993-12-04)238-212
Robotnik has set his eyes on the last living herd of a dinosaur-like species. The Freedom Fighters help the creatures navigate through the Great Jungle while fighting off the advances of Robotnik's machines.
13"Sonic Racer"Len JansonDecember 11, 1993 (1993-12-11)238-206
Robotnik holds a race in Robotropolis in a bid to lure Sonic into a trap. The other Freedom Fighters take advantage of Robotnik's fixation on the race in hopes of destroying the city's power generator.

Season 2 (1994)

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code
141"Game Guy"Ben Hurst & Pat AlleeSeptember 10, 1994 (1994-09-10)238-302
Sonic and Sally befriend an ally who claims to be part of another Freedom Fighter group, but he is not what he seems to be.
152"Sonic Conversion"Ben Hurst & Pat AlleeSeptember 17, 1994 (1994-09-17)238-301
Knothole's De-roboticizer is a success! Bunnie Rabbot and Uncle Chuck are back to their normal selves! But the Freedom Fighters' latest accomplishment seems too good to be true.
163"No Brainer"Pat AlleeSeptember 24, 1994 (1994-09-24)238-303
When Sonic loses his memory, Snively takes advantage and gets the hedgehog to infiltrate Knothole.
174"Blast to the Past"Ben HurstOctober 1, 1994 (1994-10-01)238-304
185October 8, 1994 (1994-10-08)238-305
Part I: The war with Robotnik goes badly. The only hope may lie in a pair of magical Time Stones: using them Sonic and Sally could travel to Mobotropolis Kingdom's past, prior to Robotnik's takeover and stop the fight before it begins.
Part II: The time-travel mission to stop Robotnik has failed; his armies have already taken Mobotropolis! Also, Sonic and Sally have somehow put their younger selves and the Knothole Village in the Great Forest at risk.
19a6a"Fed Up with Antoine"Len JansonOctober 15, 1994 (1994-10-15)238-306a
Antoine is appointed king of a biker gang, unaware of their cannibalistic tradition.
19b6b"Ghost Busted"Pat AlleeOctober 15, 1994 (1994-10-15)238-306b
Sonic and Tails investigate a possible ghost problem while camping out.
207"Dulcy"Ben Hurst & Pat AlleeOctober 22, 1994 (1994-10-22)238-307
Dulcy is summoned to a dragon mating ground as Robotnik seeks to Roboticize the remainder of her species.
218"The Void"Ben HurstOctober 29, 1994 (1994-10-29)238-308
When Sally and Bunnie disappear, Sonic and Nicole rush in to rescue them, discovering the Void. Within the Void they encounter a mysterious wizard named Naugus, a long-lost friend, as well as Sally's father, the long lost King of Mobotropolis.
22a9a"The Odd Couple"Len JansonNovember 5, 1994 (1994-11-05)238-309a
Antoine is forced to share his house with Sonic after a failed landing from Dulcy destroys the hedgehog's home.
22b9b"Ro-Becca"Pat AlleeNovember 5, 1994 (1994-11-05)238-309b
Antoine accidentally activates a robot Rotor was working on. The robot suddenly develops a crush on him.
2310"Cry of the Wolf"Pat AlleeNovember 12, 1994 (1994-11-12)238-310
Sonic and company finally make contact with another Royal Freedom Fighter group. They must work together when a nearly indestructable war-machine arrives to attack.
2411"Drood Henge"Ben HurstNovember 19, 1994 (1994-11-19)238-311
Sonic and Tails team up in order to thwart Robotnik's scheme to possess the magical Deep Power Stones.
2512"Spyhog"Ben HurstNovember 26, 1994 (1994-11-26)238-312
Uncle Chuck finds himself increasingly at risk operating as a spy in Robotropolis.
2613"The Doomsday Project"Ben HurstDecember 3, 1994 (1994-12-03)238-313
Robotnik's Doomsday Project begins a week earlier than anyone had anticipated. With all of Mobius in danger, the Freedom Fighters prepare for what may be their final battle.

Broadcast and distribution

Initial run

The Saturday morning series differs from Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, which premiered two weeks earlier and aired on weekday afternoons in syndication. While Adventures is lighthearted and comical, Sonic the Hedgehog featured a comparatively complex plot and dramatic atmosphere. It explored unusual story concepts for animation, including losing loved ones to war[17] and relationships focusing on young couples.[18][3]

While featuring a darker tone in comparison to Adventures, the Saturday morning show's first season had an episodic structure and aired out of order, however the second season featured a story arc (which would've continued in the later seasons, had the show not been cancelled). At ABC's request, the second season included episodes devoted to humor, while darker and dramatic elements were reduced. Other changes in season two include Princess Sally donning a jacket, Dulcy the Dragon being added to the cast and Rotor receiving a new design. ABC also ended up, in some weeks, airing back-to-back episodes of this show during the 1st season, while in Season 2, each time slot for the show was for a single episode only.[19]

Syndication

After the program's initial run, it appeared on the USA Network's Action Extreme Team block from June 1997 to January 1998. ABC did not replicate this, replacing Sonic with reruns of Free Willy. Sonic the Hedgehog aired in Canada on the CTV Network, with a bonus summer run between June 10 and September 2, 1995. It has not been rerun on broadcast or cable television in Canada since its cancellation on CTV, but was present on the Shomi video-on-demand platform until its November 30, 2016, closure. In 2004, it started airing on Spacetoon TV in the MENA region until May 2015. All scenes with depicted romance have been censored due to federal laws in Saudi Arabia.[citation needed]

From 1994 to 1996, it had a complete run on the UK television on ITV and Channel 4, In December 1994, the first season was broadcast in the Republic of Ireland on RTÉ2.[20] On September 2, 2016, reruns of the series began airing on Starz.[21] As of 2020, the show can be found on demand on Pluto TV on Paramount+, as well as YouTube. On March 15, 2021, it began airing in Malaysia on TA-DAA!.[22]

Home releases

VHS/DVD name Episodes Distributor Release date Note
Super Sonic "Super Sonic"
"Sonic & Sally" 		Buena Vista Home Video (1994)
Lions Gate Home Entertainment/Trimark Home Video (2002) 		October 21, 1994 (BVHV)
February 26, 2002 (Lions Gate)
Sonic Racer "Sonic Racer"
"Sonic Boom" 		Buena Vista Home Video (1994)
Lions Gate Home Entertainment/Trimark Home Video (2002) 		October 21, 1994 (BVHV)
February 26, 2002 (Lions Gate)
Hooked on Sonics "Hooked on Sonics"
"Warp Sonic" 		Buena Vista Home Video October 21, 1994
Super Sonic "Super Sonic"
"Sonic & Sally"
"Sonic Racer"
"Sonic Boom" 		Lions Gate Home Entertainment/Trimark Home Video (2002)
NCircle Entertainment (2008) 		February 26, 2002 (Lions Gate)
December 23, 2008 (NCircle) 		The Lions Gate release has an extra episode ("Sonic and the Secret Scrolls") as an award for completing the trivia game. The NCircle re-issue has the episodes in a different order, and lacks the bonus episode.
The Complete Series All 26 episodes of the series Shout! Factory March 27, 2007 This four disc boxset includes the entire 26 episodes from the series, and are presented in its original, uncut broadcast presentation.

Bonus features include: storyboards, concept art, storyboard-to-screen comparisons, deleted/extended scenes, a printable prototype script of the series pilot (Heads or Tails), and interviews with Jaleel White and writer Ben Hurst.

The individual cases and the DVDs themselves also feature fan art submitted to Shout! Factory during the box set's development phase. The set features cover art by Ken Penders, and was released by Shout! Factory and Vivendi Visual Entertainment.

The Region 2 version was distributed by Delta Music Group PLC in the UK and released on September 10, 2007. While it contains the same content and bonus features as the Shout! Factory release, it uses different artwork for menus and packaging and comes with a set of stickers.

The Fight for Freedom "Hooked on Sonics"
"Ultra Sonic"
"Sonic and the Secret Scrolls"
"Warp Sonic" 		NCircle Entertainment September 16, 2008
Sonic Goes Green "Heads or Tails"
"Sonic's Nightmare"
"Sub-Sonic"
"Sonic Past Cool" 		NCircle Entertainment March 3, 2009
Freedom Fighters Unite "Sonic Conversion"
"Dulcy"
"The Void"
"Spy Hog" 		NCircle Entertainment May 5, 2009
Sonic Forever! "No Brainer"
"Blast To The Past (Part 1)
"Blast to the Past" (Part 2)
"Fed Up With Antoine" and "Ghost Busted"
"The Odd Couple" and "Ro-Becca" 		NCircle Entertainment March 16, 2010
Doomsday Project "Harmonic Sonic"
"Game Guy"
"Cry of the Wolf"
"Drood Henge"
"The Doomsday Project" 		NCircle Entertainment August 31, 2010
The Complete Series All 26 episodes of the series NCircle Entertainment September 19, 2023 This DVD box set features all 26 episodes and it’s a two disc box set (13 episodes each).

After DHX took over distribution of DiC Entertainment in 2012, all previous releases of Sonic the Hedgehog went out-of-print. Due to legal issues with Archie Comics based on it,[23] NCircle wasn’t going to reissue the show. It wasn't until 2023 that NCircle announced a re-release of the complete series on DVD for September 19 after the issues were resolved.[24] The complete series is also available to purchase and download on iTunes.[25][26]

In other media

Comics

Main article: Sonic the Hedgehog (Archie Comics)

Archie's Sonic the Hedgehog comic book was initially based on the Saturday morning cartoon.[27] From its earliest issues, the book shared the characters and story premise established within it. However, the comic differed in that it featured humorous plots modeled after the weekday show.[28] After writer Ken Penders had the opportunity to view the Saturday morning program, the comic gradually became adventure-driven.[29]

The comic series shifted focus again after ABC cancelled Sonic the Hedgehog, developing into a relationship-based superhero story, and following a reboot, Archie's Sonic was primarily inspired by the video game series. Nevertheless, the characters and locales from the Saturday morning cartoon remained prominent until the comic's cancellation in July 2017.[27]

Video games

Main articles: Sonic Spinball and Sonic Mars

Several video games were intended to use elements from the TV series, although only one was completed. This was Sonic Spinball, released in 1993 for the Sega Genesis. It contained characters from the show, including Princess Sally, Bunnie Rabbot, Rotor and Muttski. Spinball was commissioned due to Sonic the Hedgehog 3 being pushed back from its intended 1993 release in the holiday shopping season to February 1994, with the game being developed in under a year.[30] An 8-bit port of the game was also released for the Master System and Game Gear due to the poor reception of Sonic Drift in Japan.[31]

Another video game tentatively titled Sonic-16 was intended to be set in the same universe, with a prototype being created by Sega Technical Institute in November 1993. However, Yuji Naka and Sega management disliked the project, allgedly due to its slow-paced nature, and it was soon cancelled without any further development.[32][33][34] Directly afterwards, the same team worked on Sonic Mars; this would have featured Princess Sally and Bunnie Rabbot as playable characters.[35] This project eventually evolved into Sonic X-treme, which was cancelled in 1996 due to development difficulties.[36][37] Hackers also found within the data of the arcade game SegaSonic the Hedgehog (1993) a near-complete sprite sheet for the Robotnik design used in the cartoon, with it being speculated it was to be used in a scrapped English localization.[38]

Feature film attempts

A piece of concept art for Ken Penders's unproduced movie Sonic Armageddon, depicting the characters of Sonic and Sally crying over the planet Mobius exploding

In 2002, writer Ben Hurst attempted to pitch an animated film in order to revive the series. Hurst said that he proposed his idea of "a feature film to be the Third Season of SatAM" to a Sega executive, who was interested in the project, and that he later received a call from Ken Penders, head writer of the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series by Archie Comics, who had been alerted about the movie. Hurst stated he told him to relay his strategy to Sega in an attempt to get them interested, however after calling Sega back, his contact's demeanor had completely changed; they angrily stated that Sega is paid to develop Sonic projects, rather than paying others to do so. Hurst theorized that Penders had told them about their strategy in a "less-than-flattering way", and that he implied he would be the writer of a Sonic movie.[39]

Penders would later pitch Sega his own concept for a movie in 2003 based on the Archie comic, under the name Sonic Armageddon.[40] Not much is known about the pitch, except that the film would have followed Sonic and friends after their home planet of Mobius explodes, something shown in pitch art and stated by Penders himself.[41][42] According to Penders, he had the support of both X-Men director Larry Hudson and Sega of America licensing manager Robert Leffler behind him, and cites the opportunity to make the film as to why he left his position as lead writer of the Sonic comic at Archie.[43] He created four pieces of concept art and a homemade pitch video, but the project never materialised due to the death of Leffler and what Penders described as "massive corporate upheaval" at Sega sometime in 2007.[43][42][44]

Team Sea3on

From 2019 onwards, a group of fans calling themselves 'Team Sea3on' spun out from the online "FUS" community ("Fans United for SatAM,") and began work on bringing a third season of the programme to life, basing the plotlines on both Ben Hurst's original notes as well as the group's active webcomic. The group are presently working within 'proper legal channels' to advance the project with Sega's awareness. The effort gained attention from the likes of IGN.[45] In April 2022, a full teaser trailer was uploaded to the group's YouTube channel,[46] with a cover of the Satam theme song "Fastest Thing Alive" by Johnny Gioeli of Crush 40.[47]

Reception

Sonic the Hedgehog ranked No. 9 for all of Saturday Morning with a 5.2 rating, an estimated 4.8 million viewers during its first season.[48]

The first season received an approval rating of 40% on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on five reviews.[49] Patrick Lee of The A.V. Club gave it a positive review, saying that "the show pushed its cartoon animal characters to the most dramatic places they could go without venturing into self-parody. Over the course of the series, the characters dealt with loss, romance, and death [...] The entire series successfully pulled off that sort of balancing act, and even 20 years later, it’s still a solid Saturday morning cartoon".[50] Mark Bozon of IGN criticized the show as dated, considering it "so bad, it's good."[51] Writing for DVD Talk, Todd Douglass Jr. remarked that Sonic didn't stand the test of time. Overall, he considered it to be of low quality, although he found the stories "Ultra Sonic" and "Blast to the Past" to be "the crème of the crop."[52]

Luke Owen of Flickering Myth felt Sonic aged better than is often supposed, praising its well-executed characterizations and treatment of war, although he considered Antoine to be "one of the worst characters committed to a cartoon series."[3] GamesRadar listed the show as one of "the worst things to happen to Sonic." It criticized its plot and characters as "unwanted".[53] The Escapist journalist Bob Chipman credited the series with providing a viably menacing take on Doctor Robotnik, and an engaging narrative.[54] Bob Mackey of USgamer wrote that the cartoon's writing didn't live up to its intriguing premise. In particular, he argued that the Antoine character perpetrated negative French stereotypes.[55]

Notes

  1. ^ Known as DIC Animation City during season 1

References

  1. ^ a b Plant, Gaz (October 18, 2013). "Feature: A Supersonic History of Sonic Cartoons". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on August 18, 2014. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
  2. ^ "Sonic Boom". Sonic the Hedgehog. Season 1. Episode 2. 1993. 22 minutes in. ABC.
  3. ^ a b c Luke Owen (September 16, 2014). "Looking back at… Sonic the Hedgehog (1993 – 1994)". Flickering Myth. Archived from the original on June 28, 2022. Retrieved August 19, 2015.
  4. ^ "Sonic the Hedgehog Episode Guide -DiC Ent". The Big Cartoon DataBase. Archived from the original on June 28, 2022. Retrieved May 3, 2017.
  5. ^ Way Past Cool!: A Conversation with Ben Hurst, Sonic The Hedgehog - The Complete Series. Brian Ward. Cookie Jar Entertainment. Burbank, California. 2007. B000M8N41W.
  6. ^ "- YouTube". YouTube. Archived from the original on August 3, 2020. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Sonic the Hedgehog (1993 TV Show)". Behind The Voice Actors. Archived from the original on April 13, 2021. Retrieved March 8, 2021. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its opening and/or closing credits and/or other reliable sources of information.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
  8. ^ "The Complete History of Sonic SatAM". Archived from the original on May 15, 2022. Retrieved May 15, 2022.
  9. ^ "Saturday Morning Sonic - Features - The Evolution of the Freedom Fighters". Archived from the original on September 9, 2021. Retrieved September 9, 2021.
  10. ^ "Sonic HQ - Cartoon Info - Before SatAM". Archived from the original on May 7, 2021. Retrieved September 9, 2021.
  11. ^ "How Sonic scored two different animated series at the same time". Polygon. February 18, 2020. Archived from the original on March 12, 2020. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
  12. ^ "From Captain N to Sonic Underground: Behind videogames' earliest cartoons". GamesTM. Archived from the original on January 14, 2015. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
  13. ^ Kate Willaert [@katewillaert] (September 3, 2019). "Thread: Why were there two different Sonic cartoons by DiC airing within the same period?" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  14. ^ "Behind the Scenes | Fans United for SatAM". Archived from the original on April 11, 2020. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  15. ^ Ken Penders [@KenPenders] (April 19, 2020). "Here's something for the SONIC fans. I didn't receive a copy of the SatAM series bible until I was working on ENDGAME…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  16. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Super Sonic: Sonic the Hedgehog (Satam) Premiere 1993-09-18". YouTube. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
  17. ^ Sonic the Hedgehog series episode "Ultra Sonic"
  18. ^ Sonic the Hedgehog series episode "Hooked on Sonics"
  19. ^ "- YouTube". YouTube. Archived from the original on May 7, 2019. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
  20. ^ RTÉ Guide.   9–16 December 1994 edition and subsequent dates.
  21. ^ "STARZ Streaming September 2016: The Complete List Of Titles Added To The App This Month". Tech Times. August 31, 2016. Archived from the original on September 16, 2016. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  22. ^ "Astro strengthens kids entertainment with new channel 'TA-DAA!' (Ch 612) | Press Release | Mediaroom | Astro". Archived from the original on May 30, 2022. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
  23. ^ Sonic SatAM was not renewed by NCircle after 2010 as several characters, including Bunnie Rabbot, Rotor, and Snively, were owned by Archie Comics prior to the discontinuation in 2017.[1] The other DiC-produced Archie-related media, including Sabrina: The Animated Series and Archie's Weird Mysteries, have not been renewed by NCircle after 2010 and are currently distributed by Mill Creek Entertainment since 2011.
  24. ^ "Sonic SatAM Juices Back to DVD with Complete Series Set". July 3, 2023.
  25. ^ "Sonic SatAM season 1". iTunes. September 19, 1993. Archived from the original on January 14, 2020. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
  26. ^ "Sonic SatAM season 2". iTunes. September 19, 1993. Archived from the original on January 14, 2020. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
  27. ^ a b "Expanded Universes: Sonic the Hedgehog comics and cartoon". Destructoid.com. ModernMethod. March 4, 2009. Archived from the original on October 19, 2015. Retrieved July 7, 2012.
  28. ^ "The Great Sonic Continuity Debate". Saturday Morning Sonic. Archived from the original on July 25, 2015. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
  29. ^ "Sonic the Hedgehog, Ken Penders, Bioware, Electronic Arts, Archie Comics, Creator Rights, etc. - A review". Archived from the original on July 31, 2015. Retrieved August 18, 2015. I became enamored of the storylines in the series but was told we couldn't tie-in directly to the stories in the series as DiC - just like SEGA - refused to cooperate with us in allowing us access to their material for the purpose of tying together the continuity of the book with the show, something I was very much interested in, as was Scott. It was only during the time when it was uncertain whether or not ABC would even renew the series for a third season that DiC provided us with scripts and other materials, probably out of hope that maybe the book would help attract more viewers if it were tied in more closely with the show. Mike and I were even invited to submit outlines with the idea we would be contributing to the third season as scriptwriters. … It was only when we learned the show was cancelled that I changed my mind about embracing the show as it was and instead decided to proceed as if the book were the third season and continuing beyond that. There were many reasons for this but the most important one boiled down to simply this: the book's very survival. We never, ever felt the book had much of a shelf life beyond the existence of the games and animated series if we didn't develop it into its own unique series." -Ken Penders, former writer of Archie's Sonic the Hedgehog comic, The Times They Are A' Changing. Original Source: http://www.kenpenders.com
  30. ^ * Retro Gamer staff (March 2007). "Company Profile: Sega Technical Institute". Retro Gamer. No. 36. Bournemouth: Imagine Publishing. pp. 28–33. ISSN 1742-3155. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
  31. ^ Thorpe, Nick (March 22, 2014). "The History of Sonic on the Master System". Retro Gamer (179). Retrieved March 22, 2020.
  32. ^ Cifaldi, Frank (February 22, 2010). "Spun Out: The Sonic Games You Never Played". UGO.com. UGO Entertainment. Archived from the original on April 29, 2010. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
  33. ^ "Interview: Peter Morawiec (2007-04-20) by Sega-16". Sega Retro. April 20, 2007. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  34. ^ Horowitz, Ken (2016). Playing at the Next Level: A History of American Sega Games. McFarland & Company. pp. 98–102. ISBN 9780786499946.
  35. ^ Fahs, Travis (May 29, 2008). "Sonic X-Treme Revisited". IGN. Archived from the original on February 28, 2012. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  36. ^ "Whatever Happened To... Sonic X-treme". Retro Gamer. No. 22. Imagine Publishing. March 2006. pp. 36–38.
  37. ^ "The Making Of... Sonic X-treme". Edge. Vol. 15, no. 177. Future plc. July 2007. pp. 100–103. Archived from the original on April 17, 2013 – via Edge Online.
  38. ^ Kalata, Kurt (July 17, 2018). "SegaSonic The Hedgehog". Hardcore Gaming 101. Archived from the original on February 18, 2022. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  39. ^ "Ben Hurst on SatAM". Saturday Morning Sonic. Archived from the original on May 3, 2012. Retrieved December 18, 2011.
  40. ^ "Ken Penders: "SEGA & I Once Tried To Launch Film Project Based On Work I Did For Archie"". tssznews.com. Archived from the original on November 25, 2015.
  41. ^ Ken Penders [@KenPenders] (March 26, 2022). "This is not really a spoiler. This was a plot point originally intended for my SONIC ARMAGEDDON film project as well as M25YL, but in the opening chapter of THE LARA-SU CHRONICLES, the planet MOBIUS is blown into oblivion. It's a matter of survival from that point forward" (Tweet). Retrieved May 23, 2022 – via Twitter.
  42. ^ a b Ken Penders [@KenPenders] (March 12, 2019). "Amazing what bullshit gets spread over the Internet. This was NEVER pitched to Dreamworks. It didn't even exist in 2002. It was 1st pitched to SEGA - and ONLY SEGA - in Sept 2003. (I have the documents to prove it.) The ONLY reason it died in 2007 was massive corporate upheaval" (Tweet). Archived from the original on December 13, 2020 – via Twitter.
  43. ^ a b "Ken Penders Interview: Sonic Comic Writer To Finish What He Started". ScreenRant. September 4, 2021. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  44. ^ Midnight's Edge (February 27, 2020). Talking the Archie Comics Lawsuit over Sonic with Ken Penders. YouTube. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
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  51. ^ Bozon, Mark (February 28, 2007). "Sonic the Hedgehog – The Complete Series". IGN. Archived from the original on November 30, 2021. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  52. ^ Douglass, Todd Jr. (March 2, 2007). "Sonic The Hedgehog – The Complete Series". DVDTalk.com. Archived from the original on May 8, 2014. Retrieved July 7, 2012.
  53. ^ "The absolute worst Sonic moments". April 23, 2008. Archived from the original on March 23, 2014. Retrieved December 7, 2012.
  54. ^ "Game Overthinker V22". YouTube. Archived from the original on July 26, 2015. Retrieved August 13, 2015.
  55. ^ "On Saturday Mornings, Sonic the Hedgehog Turned Platforming into Pathos". USgamer.net. October 7, 2014. Archived from the original on August 10, 2014. Retrieved August 3, 2014.

Quotations related to Sonic the Hedgehog (TV series) at Wikiquote

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