Sonic Underground

For other uses, see Sonic the Hedgehog.

Sonic Underground
Starring	Jaleel White Tara Strong Gary Chalk Maurice LaMarche
Country of origin	United States France
No. of series	1
No. of episodes	40 (list of episodes)
Production
Running time	20-22 minutes
Original release
Network	: Seven Network : SBT : Teletoon : TV Finland : TF1 : Super RTL : Global TV : TV3 : TV3 : TV3 : TVI : Canal Super 3 : TV3 : Cine5 : ITV : UPN
Release	August 30, 1999 – October 21, 1999

Sonic Underground (Sonic le rebelle in French) is an animated series that follows the adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog and his siblings, pink hedgehog Sonia and green-hued Manic.

While it was believed for a while that 65 episodes were made of which only 40 aired, Ben Hurst, a main writer from the animated series Sonic the Hedgehog (dubbed SatAM by fans), who was also involved in Sonic Underground's production, stated in a chat at the Sonic Amateur Gaming Expo that only 40 were produced.

Underground versus Sonic the Hedgehog

Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic Underground are the two Sonic cartoons that most closely resemble each other. Both share a large number of things in common that were never in any of the games, including Sonic's catchphrases ("let's do it to it", "juice and jam time", etc.), Uncle Chuck, the Roboticizer, and King Acorn (or rather, a statue thereof). Though Underground had a lighter tone both were darker and more mature in tone than AoSTH.

Sonic Underground takes place on Mobius, similar to Sonic the Hedgehog, but with notable differences. Sonic the Hedgehog included Snively, power rings, Knothole Village and the Freedom Fighters,. Another difference is that Sonic is drawn slightly different from his Sonic the Hedgehog counterpart. When viewed from behind, Sonic's signature mohawk is now three rows, his teeth show more and he now has visible eyelids.

Though the Freedom Fighters were included in Underground, many of the characters in the Freedom Fighter group that were in Sonic the Hedgehog are completely left out (including Tails). Unlike Sonic the Hedgehog, Underground also includes Knuckles. 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 unroboticised, leaving multiple cities, a poor underclass, and an aristocracy for the heroes to interact with. Also, unlike SatAM and AoStH, many of the minor characters were not easily recognisable as being based on Earth animals, instead appearing far more alien.

Jaleel White, who had previously voiced Sonic in AoSTH and SatAM, provided the voices for Sonic, Manic and Sonia. 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.

Show summary

Sonic, Sonia, and Manic are the children of Queen Aleena the Hedgehog. Queen Aleena was at once the kind and fair ruler of Mobius, but Dr. Robotnik and his forces of robots came in and ruled her out. She had to go into hiding and separated Sonic, Manic and Sonia. Dr. Robotnik began ruling Mobius under an unfair law, robotizing anyone he didn't like and forcing everyone to pay lots of money to him.

When Sonic, Manic and Sonia became teenagers, they heard of a prophecy that they would reunite with their mother, overthrow Robotnik, and become the rightful rulers of Mobius again. So Sonic, Manic and Sonia go on a quest searching throughout Mobius for Queen Aleena. Dr. Robotnik, with the assist of his bounty hunters Sleet and Dingo, is determined to capture the three siblings and roboticize them before they find Queen Aleena.

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/smoke machine/gun, Manic's medallion is a drumset/Earth controller/gun. 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" and "Robarfnik", 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 to heavily advertise all its big products. For Sonic, it contacted DiC (which at the time was owned by The Walt Disney Company), who previously made both TV shows Sonic the Hedgehog and Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, to make a new Sonic cartoon. Sonic Underground ran for one season in 1999 on UPN.

DVD releases

The complete Sonic Underground series, comprised of all 40 episodes on 10 DVDs, was released by Anchor Bay, compatible only with region 2 players. Sonic Underground, by Anchor Bay. The entire series was re-released by Delta (The same company who released the box set of Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog) onto 4 disc DVD with a 5th DVD containing bonus features, they like the other Sonic DVD boxsets it is Region 0.

A DVD box set entitled simply Sonic Underground was released by Shout! Factory on December 18, 2007. It contains the first 20 episodes of the show on three discs; a bonus fourth disc is an audio CD containing eight songs from the series, including the opening theme. It is an NTSC release. Sonic Underground, by Shout! Factory This was followed by the release of Sonic Underground: Volume 2 in June 2008.

Six volumes of this series have been released in Australia, containing 4 episodes each.

Animation Station released a Sonic Underground DVD called Dr. Robotnik's Revenge, containing 3 episodes; it has since been reissued by NCircle Entertainment. On December 18, 2007, NCircle Entertainment released more DVDs of this show called Queen Aleena Chronicles, Sonic to the Rescue, and Secrets of the Chaos Emerald. There were also episodes from the show in the Sonic Christmas Blast DVD.

Characters

• Sonic the Hedgehog: The world's fastest hedgehog, oldest sibling, and leader of the Sonic Underground. He is the lead singer; his medallion transforming into a laser-blasting electric guitar with his medallion string being red. As fast as the speed of sound, Sonic can easily outrun and outsmart Robotnik's forces. He is a big fan of chili dogs (just like in SatAM and AoSTH) and is rarely far from a chili 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 chili 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 Samuel Vincent.
• Sonia the Hedgehog: The female member of the Sonic Underground and Sonic's younger sister and Manic's older 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 with the string color being yellow. 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 although Sonia was made years before Amy . In an alternate reality, Sonia and her brothers are rulers of Mobius, but she was even more vain than normal, sentencing one unlucky tailor to be sent to the dungeons for poking her with a pin. She was also played by Jaleel White (he used his Steve Urkel voice to portray Sonia). Her singing voice was done by Louise Vallance.
• Manic the Hedgehog: Manic is the youngest of the trio who is a cool and calculating hedgehog and 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. His medallion string is blue. Manic is the most often captured of the siblings and was once put under mind control; becoming Robotnik's spy, nearly Roboticized (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. Like the above, he was voiced by Jaleel White. His singing voice was done by Tyley Ross.
• 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.
• Dr. Robotnik: Robotnik is the ruler of Mobius, after conquering it with his army of SWATbots. Robotnik lives in Robotropolis where he captures Freedom Fighters and roboticizes them into his robotic servants. Robotnik's main minions are Sleet and Dingo. Robotnik's round shape doesn't help him stand up straight and when standing on unstable ground, (such as that of Manic's drums causing earthquakes) causing him to bounce about much like a ball. His voice was done by Gary Chalk who played Grounder on Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog and Optimus Primal from Beast Wars (and the various Optimus Primes that followed Primal).
• 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 and only rarely succeeds. 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 is voiced by Maurice LaMarche.
• Dingo: One of Robotnik's canine bounty hunters. Dingo is a huge, almost ludicrously muscle-bound blonde canid with an Australian accent. He is partially roboticised (his hands and his left leg from the knee down), though how this came about is never explained. Dingo has a relentless crush on Sonia, but otherwise his loyalty remains fiercely with his partner Sleet. Sleet has a morphing device which can morph Dingo into anything he chooses (e.g. a chili 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). Dingo is voiced by Peter Wilds.
• 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 chili 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.

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; each song also has a distinct style. To learn more about the episode plots, go to List of Sonic Underground episodes.

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

(*) 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 is the first American Sonic series to feature Knuckles and the only one to not feature Tails.
• Uncle Chuck's office as shown in the first episode is a nearly exact replica of the one used by the roboticized Uncle Chuck from the Sonic the Hedgehog series, right down to its door being concealed behind a garbage heap and swinging upwards to open.
• The Archie Sonic comics consider Sonic Underground as an alternate universe version of Sonic, referred to as Sonic Audis (Audis as in "Audio" Referring to the musical theme of the series) and has made one appearance in the series, in Sonic Super Special #10. Two characters from the comic's possible future storyline Mobius: 25 Years Later were also named Sonia and Manik after the Underground characters.
• In the first episode "Beginnings" just at the beginning there is a statue that strongly resembles King Acorn from the Sonic the Hedgehog series.
• In the episode Wedding Bell Blues, when the trio are carpet cleaners, Manic and Sonic look like the Mario Brothers. DiC, which produced "Sonic Underground" previously produced three "Super Mario" cartoons between 1989-1991.
• In the Episode "Underground Masquerade" the purple mask worn by Manic and Max bares slight resemblance to Nights, another game by Sonic Team.
• The Sonic Underground's father was never mentioned. However, the French theme song of the show implied that there was no king at the time that Sonic and his siblings were born.
• As opposed to the Sonic the Hedgehog series, Robotnik's tyranny is not brought down at the end of the series.
• Denny's had a special where they would represent the show and sell Sonic and Knuckles dolls.

External Links

• NCircle Entertainment: Buy Sonic Underground DVDs
• Kewl Cartoons: Watch episodes online