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Sonic Underground

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Sonic Underground
StarringJaleel White, Gary Chalk
Country of origin United States
 France
No. of episodes40 (list of episodes)
Production
Running time30 min.
Original release
NetworkSyndication
ReleaseMarch 20, 1998 –
November 24, 1999

Sonic Underground is an American animated television series that follows the adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog and his siblings, pink hedgehog Sonia and green-hued Manic. Sonic Underground bears little relation to the often complex Sonic universe (including previous animated series, as well as Sonic comics and games), and shared few established characters.

While it was believed for a while that 65 episodes were made of which only 40 aired, Ben Hurst, a notable writer from the Sonic the Hedgehog television show (dubbed "SatAM" by fans), whom was also involved in Sonic Underground's production, stated in a SAGE chat that only 40 were produced.[1]. Sonic Underground takes place on Mobius, similar to SatAM, but with notable differences. Elements that are not included in Sonic Underground but were present in SatAM include Snively, power rings, Knothole Village, and the Freedom Fighters. Though the Freedom Fighters were included, many of the characters in the Freedom Fighter group that were in SatAM are completely left out (including Tails ). Another difference with the Freedom Fighter group is that Freedom Fighters do not remain in one Knothole-like refuge but instead travel around Mobius to battle Robotnik's forces on a global scale; and that Robotnik has left most of the Mobian people Un-Roboticised, leaving multiple cities, a poor underclass and an aristocracy for the heroes to interact with.

Jaleel White provided the voices for all three siblings. The main theme was composed by Robbie London and Mike Piccirillo. The musical underscore was composed by Jean-Michel Guirao and Mike Piccirillo. The series featured 40 songs spread over the series as featured music videos. Each of these songs were composed by Mike Piccirillo.

Template:Spoiler

Sonic, Sonia, and Manic are the children of Queen Aleena Hedgehog. They are chased by Doctor Robotnik and his bumbling bounty hunter sidekicks, Sleet and Dingo. The reason that he is chasing the three is because of a prophecy made by the Oracle of Delphius (a spoof of the Oracle of Delphi of Ancient Greece) - saying that the Queen's three children will one day find their mother, overthrow Robotnik, and together become the rulers of Mobius again.

The three siblings have powerful medallions that not only change into musical instruments but also into weapons when the triplets are in perfect harmony with each other. Sonic's medallion is an electric guitar/gun, Sonia's medallion is a keyboard/gun, Manic's medallion is a drumset/Earth controller. The three use the amulets not only to fight Robotnik's forces but to also have instruments for their underground rock band, Sonic Underground. Sonic, Sonia, and Manic also call Robotnik "'Robuttnik", as opposed to just Sonic referring to him by that name.

Program history

During the run up to the launch of the Sega Dreamcast, Sega began heavy advertised of all their big products. For Sonic, they contacted DiC, who previously made both TV shows Sonic the Hedgehog and Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, to make a new Sonic cartoon. Due to low popularity, Sonic Underground ran for only one season, 1998 to 1999. Since then, the show can now be found in syndication on a few channels, including UPN at 8 AM. It is now also airing on the UK Channel "POP" at various times. POP has now aired all three DiC produced Sonic animated series. CITV also transmitted the show.

Airing History

  • New Zealand

Characters

Main article: List of characters in Sonic Underground
File:Sonic-underground2.jpg
Sonia, Sonic, and Manic
  • Sonic the Hedgehog: The world's fastest hedgehog, oldest sibling, and leader of the Sonic Underground. In this story, he has a brother and sister (below) and is known to be a prince. He is the lead singer, his medallion transforming into a laser-blasting electric guitar (which can act as a bass sometimes). As fast as the speed of sound, Sonic can easily outrun and outsmart Robotnik's forces. He is a big fan of chilli dogs (just like in SatAM and AoSTH) and is rarely far from a chilli dog stand. He is terrified of water as he cannot swim. In an alternate reality, Sonic and his siblings were the rulers of Mobius, but Sonic was an obese hedgehog from eating so many chilli dogs, and had banned music on the planet. Sonic's most-used phrases in the series include "Way past cool", "Bummer Majores!", "It's juice and jam time!" and "Let's do it to it!" He was voiced by Jaleel White. His singing voice was done by Sam Vincent, who also voices Edd (Double D) on Ed, Edd 'n Eddy and Dexter in Hamtaro.
  • Sonia the Hedgehog: The female member of the Sonic Underground and Sonic's sister. Unlike Sonic and Manic, she was raised by an aristocratic foster family, and she hates getting dirty. She is great at gymnastics and karate. Her medallion can transform into a laser-blasting keyboard. Sonia has a pink motorbike to go as fast as Sonic. Sonia develops an attraction towards Knuckles at the Flying Fortress saga of the series. Some fans consider Sonia to be a clone of Amy Rose. In an alternate reality, Sonia and her brothers are rulers of Mobius, but she likes fashion, not to rule and have to deal with Mobius problems. She was also played by Jaleel White (her voice is an exact copy of Steve Urkel's from the later seasons of Family Matters). Her singing voice was done by Louise Valliance.
  • Manic the Hedgehog: A cool and calculating hedgehog who was raised by thieves, unlike his siblings. Manic became an expert thief and eventually met his siblings, who disapprove of him stealing. Manic is the drummer of Sonic Underground, his medallion hiding his drums, which can cause earthquakes. Manic is the most often captured of the siblings; he has been under mind control, becoming Robotnik's spy, nearly Robotisized (but was freed), put to sleep, and hypnotised (for a short while). In an alternate reality, Manic and his siblings are rulers of Mobius, but he took away everyone's money for his own greed and enjoyment. In the Flying Fortress saga at the end, Manic's drum kit is destroyed by Dingo when he is a chaos monster. Like the above, he was voiced by Jaleel White. His singing voice was done by Phil Hayes.
  • Queen Aleena Hedgehog: Sonic's, Sonia's, and Manic's mother. She had to give them up in order for the prophecy to work. She now is on the run from her own children, until the time is right. Aleena has many allies, including the Oracle of Delphius and Knuckles. She often appears during the episodes.
  • Knuckles the Echidna: The guardian of the Master Emerald and Angel Island. He is very protective of his island home, and has set many traps about the island. He has a pet Dinosaur called Chomps. His great-grandfather Athair warns him he must stay on the island, in order to play his part in the freedom of Mobius. In the series, the Master Emerald has been changed to a Chaos Emerald, probably due to the fact that the Chaos Emeralds weren't well established in the series and adding the Master Emerald would cause confusion. He was played by Ian James Corlett.
  • Sleet: One of Robotnik's canine bounty hunters. This cunning wolf leads the bumbling Dingo about on missions to capture the hedgehogs. Sleet has a voice like that of Igor and has a morphing device that can transform Dingo into anything he wishes. Sleet may seem to be a serious villain but he is always failing at missions but he does succeed sometimes. Sleet is constantly being crushed by Dingo and is usually the one who suffers, he does however appear to get away from being Roboticized no mater how angry he makes Robotnik. Sleet's voice was done by Maurice LaMarche.
  • Dingo: One of Robotnik's canine bounty hunters. Dingo is a huge, muscle-bound dingo who has a relentless crush on Sonia. Sleet has a morphing device which can morph Dingo into anything he chooses (e.g. a chilli dog cart, a carpet, or even a woman) In the Flying Fortress saga, Dingo breaks a Chaos Emerald which transforms him into an enormous out-of-control beast that threatens to destroy Mobius, but eventually reverts back to normal (crushing Robotnik in the process).
  • The Oracle of Delphius: An odd, warty, reptilian anteater in a cloak. The Oracle prophecised that when Robotnik invaded Mobius, Aleena and her children would form the Council of Four to overthrow Robotnik and free Mobius. The Oracle lives in a cave somewhere in a cold region of Mobius, and is quite good at making chilli dogs.
  • Bartleby: A posh mink who is one of Robotropolis' richest aristocrats. Bartleby is Sonia's former fiancé, who dislikes her brothers and works as an agent for Robotnik. Eventually, Bartleby flees from Robotnik and joins the Freedom Fighters.
  • Cyrus: Cyrus is a lion and a technician in the Freedom Fighters. He is an old friend of Sonic. In his first appearance he was working as a spy for Robotnik but later quit. Cyrus has appeared several times afterwards. His father was Roboticized. His voice was also done by Ian James Corlett.
  • Trevor: A mouse who is an old friend of Sonic Underground and resembles a hippy. He is easily captured, but is also equally as easily freed. Only seen about once or twice.
  • The Freedom Fighters: The Freedom Fighters play an important role in the show as Robotnik's opposition. Notable members include Sonic, Sonia, Manic, Knuckles, Queen Aleena, The Oracle of Delphius, Cyrus, and Trevor.

For a list of other characters in the series, see List of characters in Sonic Underground.

Episode list

Note: It is not fully known what the exact ordering of episode listing is. Though the closest to official episode list (the version used here) is taken from the Anchor Bay Sonic Underground DVD boxset. To the right of the episode is the name of the song in it. For more information, see Sonic Underground (Episodes).

  1. Beginnings** - Someday
  2. Getting to Know You** - Working Together In Harmony
  3. Harmony or Something** - We're All In This Together
  4. Wedding Bell Blues - When Tomorrow Comes
  5. To Catch a Queen - Have You Got The 411?
  6. Mobodoon - I've Found My Home
  7. The Price of Freedom - Money Can't Buy
  8. Underground Masquerade - Let The Good Times Roll
  9. Tangled Webs - The Children Light The Way
  10. The Deepest Fear - Face Your Fear
  11. Who Do You Think You Are? - We Need To Be Free
  12. The Last Resort - Listen To Your Heart
  13. Come Out Wherever You Are - Society Girl
  14. Winner Fakes All - Built For Speed
  15. A Hedgehog's Home is Her Castle - Let's Do It To It
  16. Artifact - You Can't Own Everything
  17. Bug! - Never Give Up
  18. Sonic Tonic - (I Wish I Was) The Fastest Thing Alive
  19. Friend or Foe - Not Always What They Seem
  20. Head Games - Take A Chance
  21. When in Rome - When There's A Will, There's A Way
  22. The Jewel in the Crown - The Cosmic Dance
  23. Three Hedgehogs and a Baby - Being A Kid Is Cool
  24. Dunesday - True Blue Friend
  25. Mummy Dearest - We Are Sonic Underground (Egyptian version)
  26. The Hedgehog in the Iron Mask - Part Of The Problem
  27. Six is a Crowd - I Can Do That For You
  28. Flying Fortress* - No One Is An Island
  29. No Hedgehog is an Island* - Learn To Overcome
  30. New Echidna in Town* - The Mobius Song
  31. Country Crisis - How You Play The Game
  32. Haircraft in Space - Don't Be A Backstabber
  33. Healer - We're The Sonic Underground (Rock version)
  34. Sonia's Choice - Never Easy
  35. The Big Melt - Fun In The Sun
  36. Sleepers - Have It All Again
  37. Bartleby the Prisoner - Justice Callin'
  38. The Art of Destruction - The Sound Of Freedom
  39. The Pendant - Liberty's Gonna Rock
  40. Virtual Danger - Don't Let Your Guard Down

(*) Part of the 3 Part Chaos Emerald saga (**)Part of the 3 Part Beginnings saga

Trivia

File:Sonicundergroundcomic.jpg
SU's single comic appearance in Sonic Super Special #10
  • This cartoon was originally made in France and titled Sonic Le Rebelle.
  • This is the first American Sonic series to feature Knuckles and also to not feature Tails.
  • It is also the only feature a relative of Knuckles: his great-grandfather Athair (originally featured in the Archie comics), who was thought to have been voiced by Sean Connery, while it was in fact voice actor Maurice Lamarche.
  • For some reason, in the episode "Sleepers", Manic's voice is a little deeper than normal and in the episode "Wedding Bell Blues", Sonic's voice was more high-pitched than normal.
  • The earliest song in the series was "Fun In The Sun", while the latest song is "Working Together In Harmony".
  • The Archie Sonic comics consider Sonic Underground as an alternate universe version of Sonic, and has made one appearance in the series, in Sonic Super Special #10.
  • There are only a few references to the games, including a circular floating fortress that resembles the Death Egg, a large Freedom Fighter-eating spaceship called Predator which closely resembles the Egg Carrier, and Floating Island (Now known as Angel Island) which first appeared in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 along with Knuckles.
  • In the first episode "Beginnings" just at the beginning there is a statue that strongly resembles King Acorn from the SatAM series.
  • Episode twelve of Sonic Underground is titled, The Last Resort. Coincidentally, the ninth episode of the English version of Sonic X is also titled The Last Resort, however Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog had an episode called The Last Resort which is the 35th episode.In Shadow the Hedgehog a poster found in the Central City stage says "The Last Resort.
  • Sonic's singing voice sounds strikingly similar to Double D from Ed, Edd, and Eddy and fans say that it sounds like Rocko from Rocko's Modern Life. Due to the similarity, fans think that Jaleel White even is Sonic's singing voice.
  • Some fans have commented that the sanctuary at the end of Episode 20, Three Hedgehogs and a Baby, resembles Knothole Village from SatAM.
  • The SWATbots in "Who Do You Think You Are" have a different voice.
  • Many fans have noticed that in flashbacks, Queen Aleena has Sonia in her arms or lap. This has lead to fans that Sonia is her favorite child (She left her in an aristocrat home). Whereas Sonic was in a normal house, and Manic was in a poor-looking neighborhood before he got stolen. Also, Manic was the farthest away sitting from Queen Aleena in flashbacks, So, Manic could be her least favorite child. This has gotten criticism for the fans of Manic (and sometimes Sonic).
  • In the episode Wedding Bell Blues, when the trio are carpet cleaners, Manic and Sonic look like the Mario Brothers.
  • In the episode Mobodoon, Manic says When the moon is full on the second day of the third month it'll show up like a clockwork. So, their birthday could be March 2.
  • Sonic cried once through the whole series (Beginnings), Manic cried four times (Mobodoon, Three Hedgehogs and a Baby, Six is a Crowd, and The A.R.T. of Destruction), and Sonia cried the most (too many times to count).
  • Sonic's last words were "Game over, 'Buttnik!"
  • There are many errors that always occur, such as when Medallions are missing, Manic has his earrings on his right ear, Manic's fanny-pack is missing, and gloves or arms are in a different color. There have also been perspective issues.
  • In the episode, "The Big Melt", when Manic comes out of the water and coughs, it's in Sonic's voice, and in "Beginnings", when the Oracle of Delphius reveals that their foster parents are robotosized, you can see Sonic's mouth move to Sonia's voice, and vise versa.
  • In the episode "Beginnings", when the photo of the three is shown, they are not babies, but toddlers. But, Aleena separated them when they were babies.
  • The medallion strings are in different colors rather than what many people think to be green, blue, and pink. Sonic has a red string, Sonia has a yellow string, and Manic has a blue string.
  • Throuout the series, Sonic calls Manic and Sonia "little bro/sis". So, Sonic is the eldest, but in the French episode of "When in Rome", Sonia calls Manic her little brother. So, Sonia is the middle child, and Manic is the youngest. But, they are triplets. It is possible that maybe Sonic was born 1st and Sonia and Manic were born a few hours/minutes after.
  • The Episode "Underground Masquerade" the purple mask worn by Manic and Max bares slight resemblence to NiGHTS, another game by Sonic Team.
  • The episode "Sonic Tonic" (which appears as a bonus feature on the Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 DVD King Koopa Katastrophe) recycles the general plot of the Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog episode "Full-Tilt Tails".
  • The Sonic Underground's father was never mentioned. However, the French theme song of the show inferred that there was no king at the time that Sonic and his siblings were born.


References

  1. ^ According to Hong Ying |Animation works of 1998, the animation studio who animated Sonic Underground list 40 episodes which is the complete series.
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