| Sonic the Hedgehog: The Animated Series | |
|---|---|
Opening title card for Sonic the Hedgehog |
|
| Genre | Science fiction Action/Adventure Comedy-drama Dystopian fiction |
| Format | Animated series |
| Created by | Len Janson |
| Directed by | John Grusd Dick Sebast Emory Myrick |
| Voices of | Jaleel White Charlie Adler Chris Cavanaugh Jim Cummings Bradley Pierce Rob Paulsen Mark Ballou Kath Soucie Frank Welker |
| Theme music composer | Noisy Neighbors |
| Opening theme | "Fastest Thing Alive" |
| Composer(s) | Michael Tavera |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 26 (List of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Andy Heyward Robby London |
| Producer(s) | John Grusd |
| Running time | 20-22 minutes |
| Production company(s) | DIC Entertainment Sega Corporation (characters) |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | ABC The Childrens Channel Pop (UK TV channel) KidsCo |
| Original run | September 18, 1993 – December 10, 1994 |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog |
| Followed by | Sonic Underground |
| External links | |
| Production website | |
Sonic the Hedgehog: The Animated Series (commonly referred to by its fans as Sonic SatAM or just SatAM to differentiate it from Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, named because it usually aired in a Saturday morning time slot) is an American animated series produced by DIC Entertainment with the partnership of Sega of America and was based on the Sonic the Hedgehog video game series. The show aired two seasons on ABC from September 18, 1993 until December 3, 1994, and reran until May 1995. Due to its groundbreaking format and over-arching plot[1] [2] [3], the cartoon has had a strong cult following.
In the first season, SatAM focuses its subplots on subject matter that is unusual for most American children's cartoons; placing its setting in a post-apocalyptic fantasy world, and using story concepts such as losing family members to war: SatAM is considered "darker" than most American cartoons.[4], Nevertheless, the cartoon remains almost entirely family friendly, as this subject matter is depicted in a slightly softened manner. This series sharply contrasts with Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, a syndicated series that premiered in the same month. While Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog was very light-hearted and comical, Sonic the Hedgehog featured a much more complex plot and a more dramatic atmosphere that constitutes a departure from the overall tone of the Sonic games.[5]SatAM also contrasts Sonic Underground just as sharply: Sonic Underground does not deal with the same subject matter, but instead focuses its plots on the positive social development of younger viewers. SatAM is the primary inspiration for the Archie comic book series of the same name,[6] which continues to use elements and characters from this series. There are some lasting similarities between this show and the comic; however, there are many notable differences in overall tone and character portrayal.
The show takes place on a planet called Mobius sometime in its 33rd century; Mobius is largely populated with anthropomorphic animals. A mad warlord and former scientist named Dr. Julian Ivo Robotnik (voiced by Jim Cummings), aided in the conquest by his assistant and nephew Snively (voiced by Charlie Adler), invaded and conquered Mobotropolis (The capital city of Mobius and the seat of the King of Mobius) with an army of robot soldiers called SWATbots.
Dr. Julian Ivo Robotnik, leader of the Mobotropolis War Ministry, led the King's SWATbot army to victory in the Great War. He was to be appointed Minister of Science by the King of Mobius, Maximillian Acorn, who had decided to close the War Ministry and dismantle the SWATbots following the War. However, Robotnik, a liar and insatiable sadist, overthrew the Kingdom through a planned coup d'état. Capturing the palace, Robotnik declared himself to be the new King. King Maximillian is never seen or heard from again. Robotnik soon captured most of the citizens, including an intelligent old hedgehog named Sir Charles Hedgehog (voiced by William Windom) and his crowning invention, the Roboticizer. The Roboticizer, intended to prolong life, changes living creatures into robots. The Roboticizer also has the effect of robbing an individual of their free will; so Charles tried to destroy it. He failed however, as Robotnik stole the plans to the device, built his own, and used the device against the captives. (including Charles himself) He then turned his army loose on the world, "roboticizing" any who crossed his path.
Some citizens managed to escape the coup, and fled to Knothole Village in the Great Forest to hide from Robotnik's army. Under Princess Sally, (the King's only heir) they formed a group called the Freedom Fighters to (hopefully) restore Mobius and end Robotnik's rule. The Knothole Freedom Fighters foil Robotnik's schemes wherever they can, but they fail to make much difference at large as Robotnik literally rules the planet with an iron fist. In the first season, there is constant implication that Robotnik's overuse of the planet's resources forces him to search for more usable energy.
The cartoon was intended as a replacement prototype for Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, which was deemed too silly to meet the demands of ABC's intended audience. It seems that the concept was changed several times: In 1993, an article in Sonic the Comic (the British comic officially licensed by Sega Of Europe) announced two new television series starring Sonic the Hedgehog, Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog. Within the four pages of plot synopsis and concept art, the group of screen shots representing Sonic the Hedgehog greatly differ from the rest appear without explanation. The aborted cartoon has been dubbed "The Mystery cartoon" also "Pre-Sonic the Hedgehog" by Sonic fans.[7]
The supporting characters in the Pre-SatAM cartoon are based on the small animals freed from enemies in the original Sonic the Hedgehog game, as are the main characters of the finished product, but they are wildly different in design. They all bear the same names as those attributed to the various video game animal characters listed in the UK book, Stay Sonic, which were also used in Sonic the Comic strips. The images went on to inspire redesigns of Sonic the Comic supporting characters Johnny Lightfoot and Porker Lewis - while originally they were single the basic rabbit and pig video-game character designs, they were abruptly redesigned to be given humanoid proportions and the leather jackets the image depicted. Most notable in the image is the lack of Tails; it could be that the concept was drawn up before Tails' arrival in the series.[8]
Initially very popular, Sonic the Hedgehog: the Animated Series made and sold more non-videogame merchandise than all other Sonic products combined through 1995.[9] [10] Evidence of this popularity exists in statements made by the writer of Sonic the Hedgehog, issue 50, (the Endgame arc) in which it was implicitly stated that when the show was cancelled, the comic book's sales received a major boost from dedicated SatAM fans, preventing the comic from being cancelled, and boosting it into first place as the most popular Archie Publications comic book. Statements by Ben Hurst (the cartoon's secondary editor) in a letter reveal that Sonic the Hedgehog was cancelled for reasons regarding the portrayal of Sonic, not for lack of viewers. [11] It generally receives "good" or "excellent" reviews from non-committal parties, few of which are notable, with the possible exception of Doug Walker, The Nostalgia Critic, who rated it as the twelfth best children's animated series, and significantly better than 'Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog.[12]
Sonic the Hedgehog: The Animated Series is a major departure from every other iteration of the Sonic franchise. In the rest of the franchise, Dr. Robotnik is portrayed as a bumbling, foolish, mad scientist. His attempts at global takeover always fail, and he is not likely to foresee his shortcomings. His inventions are usually inefficient (with a few exceptions) and always fail, even when they succeed in the short term. He is usually under the name Dr. Eggman, as the other portrayals of him are usually egg-shaped. In this series, Robotnik is a masterfully tactful combat-veteran, (episode: Blast to the Past) and the simplest of his machines are extremely dangerous, even to Sonic. (reference: Season 1) Robotnik is also the effective ruler of a stated half of Mobius, and is constantly at war with numerous Freedom Fighter groups across the planet. (episode: No Brainer) He is usually called "Dr. Ivo", and is not Eggman at all.
In the rest of the franchise, Sonic is usually described as a drifter who lives as he wants, and makes life a series of events and adventures. Sonic hates oppression and staunchly defends freedom. Although he is mostly easy-going he has a short temper and is often impatient with slower things. Sonic is a habitual daredevil hedgehog who is honest, loyal to friends, keeps his promises, and dislikes tears. He is not usually very intelligent. (The characterizations vary widely) In this cartoon, Sonic's short temper is present, as well as his hatred of oppression. He is more arrogant, and generally meaner than other portrayals of him (Second to his appearances in Sonic: the Movie, and Sonic the Comic, which are not related to this cartoon) He is portrayed as easy-going unless danger arises, in which case he suddenly becomes highly direct and professional. (episode: Sonic Boom) He can be very intelligent, but due to his usually carefree nature, he often isn't. (Super Sonic)
Both Sonic and Robotnik become more like their SEGA counterparts in Season 2, especially Sonic, who grows much less competent.
In other iterations of the franchise, Sonic's closest allies are Miles "Tails" Prower, Knuckles the Echidna, and Amy Rose. In this cartoon, Knuckles and Amy do not appear, as they were not complete characters yet. Tails was given a tersiary role, and was portrayed as very clever. Also, Princess Sally is Sonic's love interest in this cartoon: none of the other usual romance characters were existent.
The "Chaos Emeralds" are re-imagined as the "Deep Power Stones", they are the source of the Power Rings. (episode: Warp Sonic) If used directly, they allow Sonic all of the powers associated with Super Sonic, plus the observed ability to give someone else the same power through sustained touch contact. (the recipient was Princess Sally) Sonic's powered status is never named as Super Sonic. (episode: Doomsday)
While obviously a children's show, the first season (minus "Heads or Tails") possesses a fairly large amount of noticeable content that is generally considered mildly offensive. Some sound content was edited from the NCircle Entertainment DVDs to remove some very mild swearing, some minced oaths, and various innuendos. [13]
After season 1, the cartoon was stated to be "too moody" for its home network by the ABC board of directors. It was decided that the second season would have several episodes devoted entirely to humor, while "darker" plot developments and possibilities, as well as all violence, was reduced in magnitude.[14]
In Season 1, Princess Sally wore only a pair of boots.[1] Due to parental concerns about her "naked" appearance (despite that most of the other "animal" characters wore little or no clothing), in Season 2 she wears her now trademark blue vest. [2]
In an interview with screen-writer Ben Hurst, he mentioned that the third season had already been plotted out before the show's cancellation. (However, only three episodes had even reached the concept stage) Upon the request of an eager fanbase, Hurst revealed the unknown villain would be the wizard Ixis Naugus. Robotnik was not killed on Doomsday; rather, he has become trapped within the Void as Naugus' prisoner.
Snively would briefly rise to power and assume his uncle's title as oppressive overlord, but quickly fails thanks to Sonic and the Freedom Fighters. Out of desperation, Snively frees Naugus from the void, and in the process also frees Robotnik and King Acorn, though the two have become the wizard's slaves. Naugus immediately usurps the title of main villain and uses King Acorn as bait to try to capture Sally. Snively, reduced to nothing, defects to the side of the Freedom Fighters (which briefly occurred in the Archie comic storyline).
There would be more developments in the relationship between Sonic and his friend Tails, who discovers an "incredible power" and saves the Freedom Fighters from a "great disaster". It has also been mentioned that Sally would romance someone other than Sonic. The origins of Dr. Robotnik and Snively would also be revealed. Hurst stated that no scripts were written for Season 3. He also stated that he is done trying to produce Season 3 and has given up: he presented the idea to SEGA, but all of his attempts at reviving the cartoon have been ignored.[15] Hurst later passed away after lapsing into a diabetic coma, on August 10, 2010. He was in his mid-50s.[16][17]
According to Ben Hurst's response letter to online personality Sonique of Fans United for SatAM, the show was cancelled because during the time the second season was aired, the producers were in a ratings battle with the Power Rangers which was a powerfully influential TV show at the time. The cartoon did not pull the ratings required to keep it on the air. Later, Hurst printed a retraction to that statement, stating that the show was forcibly cancelled by SEGA for conceptual reasons.[18]
A fansite continuing the story of SatAM after its cancelation. Currently, they have made four issues of SatAM: Season 3. THere are plans to turn the three issues into a straight to DVD film, titled Sonic The Hedgehog: Beware of Aftermaths. The comic will continue on for thirteen issues. More straight to DVDs are planned to follow.
The show is the primary inspiration for the Archie Comic book series of the same name,[19] and its influence can still be seen. Several characters and themes were used, but the comic follows an entirely different continuity and should not be used to reference the show's storyline or character portrayal. (The similarity between the TV show and comic seem to be a result of the comic's early issues, Sonic The Hedgehog #1-#25, being based on the show's pre-production notes. See the episode: "Heads or Tails", the only episode to directly resemble comics #1-#25. All later episodes have only visual similarities to all later comic issues.)
In the interview, Morawiec states that the sprites and background are actually 32-bit.[20]
In 2006, online personality Cheezmatt of the fan-website, Fans United for SatAM e-mailed Michael Tavera composer of the music for SatAM, asking him whether there was any way to get a copy of the music from the series. Not expecting much to come from the letter, Matt received a reply from Tavera himself, stating that was willing to retrieve whatever music he had in his archives and send it to him free in the form of a CD. Cheezmatt received the music in the same year, to find that most of the music on the disk was not used in the cartoon, but demo tracks.[22]
According to Tavera's engineer, Scott Cochran, these demo tracks were most likely created when the show was in its conceptual stages, when it was more lighthearted like Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog. Apparently most of the actual music from the series was sent straight to DiC without backups, and now DiC will not let Tavera have copies of his own music. The 12 tracks can be found at the SatAM fan site, Saturday Morning Sonic.[23] One track (unused victory theme) was reused from season 3 of Captain N, and can be heard in the Captain N episode "Totally Tetrisized."
After Sonic the Hedgehog ended its run, the series was aired on the USA Network's Action Extreme Team in reruns from June 1997 to January 1998. The series aired reruns in syndication from 2004 to 2005.[24]
The series was also aired in Canada on the CTV Network, with a bonus summer run between June 10 and September 2, 1995 that ABC did not replicate. However, the series has not been re-run on television in Canada since its cancellation on CTV.
It initially had a complete run on the UK television channel Channel 4 from 1994 to 1996. Season 1 was broadcast in the Republic of Ireland on RTÉ Two in December 1994.[25]
The series has also been dubbed into many other languages.
The entire series was released on DVD by Shout! Factory on March 27, 2007 in the USA. In the UK it was released on DVD by Delta Music on September 10, 2007 as a DVD box set, before 4 individual volumes were released later.
| DVD Name | Ep # | Release dates | Additional Features | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 | |||
| The Complete Series | 26 | March 27, 2007 | See Below | - | This four disc boxset includes the entire 26 episodes from the series. 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 head 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
Cover art by Ken Penders and released by Shout! Factory and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. |
| Sonic The Hedgehog: Super Sonic | 5 | February 26, 2002 | - | - | This single disc DVD includes five episodes from the series. Bonus features include: "Exciting Interactive Game", "Trailers" and "Scene Access". This DVD was pulled however when Buena Vista claimed to have distribution rights to the series. Some copies are still available to be purchased on the second hand market. |
| The Complete Series | 26 | See Above | September 10, 2007 | TBA | This four disc box set includes the entire 26 episodes from the series. Bonus features include: "Way Past Cool! A Conversation with Sonic Writer Ben Hurst", "The Fastest Thing Alive: A Conversation with Jaleel White", "Storyboard-to-Screen: The Doomsday Project - The complete episode shown with the animated storyboards", "Original Storyboards for an Unproduced Opening Title Sequence" and "Original DiC Concept Art Galleries". As on the R1 set, a "Printable Heads or Tails Pilot Script" is listed on the disc's extra menu, but the PDF file is nowhere to be found on any of the discs. Solicitations for the set also promised "Easter Eggs Galore" and "Fan art", neither of which appeared on the finished product. The box set is marketed as Region 2, but is in fact Region 0 PAL. [3] |
| Sonic The Hedgehog: Sonic Boom And Other Episodes | 9 | - | September 10, 2007 | - | This disc features nine episodes from the series, all from season one. The episodes included are as follows: Sonic Boom, Sonic & Sally, Ultra Sonic, Sonic & The Secret Scrolls, Super Sonic, Sonic Racer, Hooked On Sonics, Harmonic Sonic, and Sonic's Nightmare.[4] |
| Sonic, Las aventuras: Vol. 1 | 4 | N/A | N/A | 2007 | The first volume from the region 4 DVDs released in Mexico by Zima Entertainment. This single disc DVD includes four episodes from the series. The episodes included are as follows: Sonic Boom, Sonic & Sally, Ultra Sonic and Sonic & The Secret Scrolls.
Audio language: Spanish/English. A picture gallery is included as a bonus feature. |
| Sonic, Las aventuras: Vol. 2 | 4 | N/A | N/A | 2007 | The second volume from the region 4 DVDs released in Mexico by Zima Entertainment. This single disc DVD includes four episodes from the series. The episodes included are as follows: Super Sonic, Sonic Racer, Hooked on Sonics and Harmonic Sonic.
Audio language: Spanish/English. A picture gallery is included as a bonus feature. |
| Sonic, Las aventuras: Vol. 3 | 4 | N/A | N/A | 2007 | The third volume from the region 4 DVDs released in Mexico by Zima Entertainment. Episodes included on this single DVD: Sonic's Nightmare, Warp Sonic, Sub-Sonic and Sonic Past Cool.
Audio language: Spanish/English. Bonus feature: Picture gallery. |
| Sonic, Las aventuras: Vol. 4 | 4 | N/A | N/A | 2007 | The fourth volume from the region 4 DVDs released in Mexico by Zima Entertainment. Episodes included on this single DVD: Game Guy, Sonic Conversion, No Brainer and Blast to the Past (Part I).
Audio language: Spanish/English. Bonus feature: Picture gallery. |
| Sonic, Las aventuras: Vol. 5 | 4 | N/A | N/A | 2007 | The fifth volume from the region 4 DVDs released in Mexico by Zima Entertainment. Episodes included on this single DVD: Blast to the past (Part II), Fed Up with Antoine/Ghost Busted, Dulcy and The Void.
Audio language: Spanish/English. Bonus feature: Picture gallery. |
| Sonic, Las aventuras: Vol. 6 | 5 | N/A | N/A | 2008 | The sixth and last volume from the region 4 DVDs released in Mexico by Zima Entertainment. Episodes included on this single DVD: The Odd Couple/Ro-Becca, Cry of the Wolf, Drood Henge, The Spyhog and The Doomsday Project.
Audio language: Spanish/English. Bonus feature: Picture gallery. |
| Sonic The Hedgehog: The Fight for Freedom | 4 | September 16, 2008 | - | - | The first of a series of single disc DVDs released by NCircle Entertainment. Episodes included are: Hooked on Sonics, Ultra Sonic, Sonic & the Secret Scrolls, and Warp Sonic. |
| Sonic The Hedgehog: Super Sonic | 4 | December 23, 2008 | - | - | The second of NCircle Entertainment's single disc DVDs. Episodes included are: Sonic Boom, Sonic and Sally, Super Sonic, and Sonic Racer. |
| Sonic The Hedgehog: Sonic Goes Green | 4 | March 3, 2009 | - | - | The third of NCircle Entertainment's single disc DVDs. Episodes included are: Heads Or Tails, Sonic's Nightmare, Sub-Sonic, and Sonic Past Cool. |
| Sonic The Hedgehog: Freedom Fighters Unite! | 4 | May 5, 2009 | - | - | The fourth of NCircle Entertainment's single disc DVDs. Episodes included are: Sonic Conversion, Dulcy, The Void and Spy Hog. |
| Sonic The Hedgehog: Sonic Forever | 5 | March 16, 2010 | - | - | The fifth of NCircle Entertainment's single disc DVDs. Episodes included are: No Brainer, Blast To The Past Parts 1 and 2, Fed Up With Antoine/Ghost Busted, and The Odd Couple/Ro-Becca. |
| Sonic The Hedgehog: Doomsday Project | 5 | August 31, 2010 | - | - | The last of NCircle Entertainment's single disc DVDs. Episodes included are: Harmonic Sonic, Game Guy, Cry of the Wolf, Drood Henge, and The Doomsday Project. |
| VHS Name | Ep # | Release dates | TV Encode | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hooked on Sonics | 2 | October 21, 1994 | NTSC | Includes the episodes Hooked on Sonics and Warp Sonic. |
| Sonic Racer | 2 | December 19, 1994 | NTSC | Includes the episodes Sonic Racer and Sonic Boom. |
| Super Sonic | 2 | December 19, 1994 | NTSC | Includes the episodes Super Sonic and Sonic and Sally. |
| Sonic Racer | 2 | February 26, 2002 | NTSC | Contrary to popular misconception, this 2002 release entitled 'Sonic Racer' is not a re-issue of the 1994 video cassette of the same title. This release features the episodes Sonic Racer and Harmonic Sonic. Unlike the 1994 release, it does not feature Sonic Boom. This 2002 release also has various edits and sound effect removals. |
| Super Sonic | 2 | February 26, 2002 | NTSC | Like its 1994 counterpart, this 2002 release of 'Super Sonic' features the episodes Super Sonic and Sonic and Sally. However, unlike its 1994 counterpart and broadcast airings, this 2002 release has various edits and sound effect removals. |
1. Jaleel White was the voice of Sonic the Hedgehog in all of the American cartoons. He also provided the voice's of Sonic's siblings, Sonia and Manic, in Sonic Underground.
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![[1]](http://www.sonicscene.net/cartoons/satam/screens/s1/Episode 02-Sonic Boom/001 (36).jpg){kind=link}
![[2]](http://www.sonicscene.net/cartoons/satam/screens/s2/Episode 02-Sonic Conversion/001 (23).jpg){kind=link}