Sonic Boom (TV series)

Sonic Boom
Genre Comedy
Action/Adventure
Fantasy
Based on
Developed by
  • Evan Baily
  • Donna Friedman Meir
  • Sandrine Nguyen
Directed by Natalys Raut-Sieuzac
Voices of
Composer(s) Michael Richard Plowman
Country of origin United States
France
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 2
No. of episodes 88 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)
  • Sandrine Nguyen
  • Boris Hertzog
  • Donna Friedman Meir
  • Jane E. McGregor
  • Evan Baily
  • Bill Freiberger (Season 2–present; co-executive producer, Season 1)
Producer(s)
  • Yvette Kaplan (consulting)
  • Malinda Hee (associate)
Editor(s)
  • Natalys Raut-Sieuzac
  • Benjamin Schrepf
Running time 11 minutes
Production company(s)
Distributor Lagardère Entertainment Rights
Release
Original network Cartoon Network (U.S.; 2014–16)
Boomerang (U.S.; 2016–present)
Canal J & Gulli (France)
Picture format 1080i (HDTV)
Audio format Dolby Digital 5.1
Original release November 8, 2014 (2014-11-08) – present
Chronology
Related shows Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog
Sonic the Hedgehog
Sonic Underground
Sonic X
External links
Website www.sonicthehedgehog.com/boom/en

Sonic Boom is a French–American computer-animated action comedy television series, produced by Technicolor Animation Productions and Sega of America, Inc. in collaboration with Lagardère Thématiques and Jeunesse TV, respectively for channels Canal J and Gulli. Based on the Japanese video game franchise Sonic the Hedgehog created by Sega, the series is the fifth animated television series based on the franchise (plus the second one to be co-produced in France following Sonic Underground), and the first to be produced in computer-generated animation and in high definition.

The series premiered in November 2014.[1] The series is a part of the Sonic Boom spin-off franchise, which also consists of three video games, Rise of Lyric, Shattered Crystal and Fire & Ice, a comic series by Archie Comics, and a toyline by Tomy.[2]

Production

The animated series was first announced on October 2, 2013, revealing a teaser image featuring Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower, Knuckles the Echidna and Amy Rose, in silhouette form. The series, which consists of 52 11-minute episodes, was developed by Evan Baily, Donna Friedman Meir, and Sandrine Nguyen, with Baily and Bill Freiberger as showrunners, under the supervision of Sonic Team head Takashi Iizuka.[3] On February 6, 2014, Sega revealed the first trailer for the series,[4] showcasing the new designs for the characters.[5][6]

The series features returning voice actors from the video game series, including Roger Craig Smith as Sonic, Travis Willingham as Knuckles, Cindy Robinson as Amy, Mike Pollock as Doctor Eggman, Kirk Thornton as Orbot and Wally Wingert as Cubot respectively, while voice actress Colleen Villard succeeds Kate Higgins in the role of Tails.[6][7] The series also introduces a new character named Sticks the Jungle Badger, a somewhat-delusional hunter who has been living alone in the wilderness for many years before meeting Sonic and his friends,[8] who is voiced by Nika Futterman. In an interview with Polygon, Iizuka stated the series came about as a desire to appeal more to Western territories, following the 2003 Japanese anime series, Sonic X, with Iizuka also stating that the franchise will run in parallel with the 'Modern' series of Sonic games.[9] Baily stated that the series would be a mixture of action and comedy, featuring an episodic structure.[10] On October 4, 2014, Sega announced the air date of the series in the United States to be November 8, 2014.[11]

On February 19, 2015, Cartoon Network announced in a press statement that Sonic Boom, along with 10 other shows, will return for the 2015-2016 TV season.[12] This was subsequently confirmed by executive producer Bill Freiberger in a fan commentary to not be an indicator of a renewal or second season at this time.[13] However, on October 10, 2015, Lagardère Entertainment Rights announced a second season which premiered on October 29, 2016.[14][15]

It was announced on November 10, 2016, that the remainder of season two will air on Boomerang.

Season 1 of Sonic Boom was released in Japan as a Netflix exclusive on July 1, 2017, under the title Sonic Toon (ソニックトゥーン)[16]

Plot

Sonic, Tails, Amy, Knuckles, and Sticks reside on Seaside Island in Hedgehog Village, formerly Badgerville.[17] Together, they defend the island from various threats like the mad scientist Doctor Eggman and his robotic creations.

Broadcast

Sonic Boom made its international debut on Cartoon Network in Australia and New Zealand on April 4, 2015.[18] In the United Kingdom and Ireland, the series premiered on Boomerang on June 1, 2015.[19] The series is also airing on Cartoon Network in Singapore and Malaysia,[20] on Cartoon Network in India as Sonic Boom Dhamaal Aur Dhoom,[21] and on Okto in Singapore.[22] It also began airing on Boomerang in the United States on October 8, 2015.[23] The series premiered on Family Chrgd in Canada on October 24, 2015.[24] It has also been acquired by the English-language feed of Cartoon Network in Africa as well as the English and Arabic-language feeds in the Middle East.[25]

Characters

Main characters

Sonic Boom features characters redesigned for Western audiences. From left to right: Sticks (a new character to the series), Knuckles, Sonic, Amy, and Tails.

Sega confirmed various cast and characters for Sonic Boom on February 25, 2014.[6] On May 29, 2014, Sega announced that Nika Futterman will play the role of Sticks, a jungle badger, who joined the franchise as a major character.[26][27] Several new characters were also created for Sonic Boom, such as Mayor Fink, Fastidious Beaver, and Perci.[28] Jack Fletcher works as the show's voice director, a role he has also held for the video game series since 2010.

Recurring characters

Episodes

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
152November 8, 2014 (2014-11-08)November 14, 2015 (2015-11-14)
252October 29, 2016 (2016-10-29)TBA

Video games

A pair of video games that serve as a prequel for the series were released for the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS systems in November 2014.[59] The Wii U version, Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric, was developed by Big Red Button Entertainment, and the 3DS version, Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal, by Sanzaru Games. The games were announced alongside the TV series' first trailer on February 6, 2014 and serve as prequels to the series. Rise of Lyric sees players alternate control between Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy. The game utilizes each of their abilities—Sonic's speed, Tails' flight, Knuckles' strength, and Amy's agility—allowing two players to play cooperatively and four players competitively. Shattered Crystal lets players control Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Sticks and places more emphasis on platforming and puzzle-solving than the more adventure-oriented Rise of Lyric.[60] On June 20, 2014, it was confirmed that both games would be released on December 18 in Japan under the name of Sonic Toon.[61] A third game, Fire & Ice, was for Nintendo 3DS in September 2016.[62] Sonic Dash 2: Sonic Boom, a follow-up to the free-to-play Sonic Dash, was released on Android devices on July 1, 2015.[63] Since her debut in the show, the character Sticks has gone on to be featured in Sonic titles that are not part of the Boom brand, such as Sonic Runners and Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.[64][65]

In early 2016, a series of children's books adapted from several Sonic Boom episodes were released in France by Bibliotheque Rose.[66]

Comics

Cover of the first issue of the comic

A comic based on the new franchise by Archie Comics was released beginning in October 2014, with Ian Flynn as the writer and Evan Stanley as the artist, similar to Archie's long-running Sonic the Hedgehog comic series.[67] Several issues were also written by TV series showrunner Bill Freiberger.[68] Jesse Schedeen of IGN rated the first issue of the comic a 7.2 out of 10. He commended Flynn for not having relied on trendy, modern humor or dialogue in the comic's presentation, and also appreciated the fourth-wall humor and "clean, expressive" art style. Schedeen did, however, find the plot "fairly disjointed" and possessing little coherent structure, and he criticized Sticks, whom he considered a needless exposition device.[69]

The Sonic Boom comics were featured alongside Archie's Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic Universe, and Mega Man comics, as well as various other Sega and Capcom video game series as part of the 2015 Sonic/Mega Man crossover "Worlds Unite", with issues #8-#10 forming parts 2, 6, and 10 of the story.[70][71][72][73][74] The series concluded with its 11th issue in September 2015, though stories featuring the characters continued to be printed as part of the Sonic Super Digest and Sonic Super Special Magazine books.[75][76] Flynn and Stanley later began writing for the television series during its second season.[77]

Home media

A DVD release of the first 13 episodes titled "Season 1 Volume 1- The Sidekick" was released in the UK on February 8, 2016, by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.[78] A second DVD of the next 13 episodes titled "Season 1 Volume 2- Hedgehog Day" was also released by Universal in the UK on May 30. A third DVD release of the third 13 episodes titled "Season 1 Volume 3- Mayor Knuckles" was released in the UK on July 25 by Universal. A fourth DVD release of the last 13 episodes of Season 1 titled "Season 1 Volume 4- No Robots Allowed" was released in the UK on October 10 by Universal.

On May 22, 2016, the entire first season was made available to stream on Hulu in the United States, under a deal with Sega and Technicolor Animation Productions. The series was later made available for streaming on Netflix outside of the US as of December 23, 2016.[79]

Reception

Emily Ashby of Common Sense Media said that it was somewhat violent for children but that some viewers can have fun watching it.[80] Patrick Lee of The A.V. Club called it the first great Sonic cartoon in over 20 years, finding the updated cast of characters to be "a good fit for a hangout show."[81]

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Nominee Result Ref.
2016 Universal Film Festival Best Animation Marlene Sharp Nominated [82]
2017 Chico Independent Film Festival Best Animation Natalys Raut-Sieuzac Won [83]
2017 TV France International Export Awards Animation Nominated [84]
2017 Teen Choice Award Choice Animated TV Show Pending [85]

See also

References

  1. "Canal J : "Sonic Boom" débarque le 19 novembre". Média+ (in French). Nore&Press-média+. 3 November 2014. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
  2. McWhertor, Michael (6 February 2014). "Sonic Boom gets an animated TV series, toy line from Tomy in 2014". Polygon. Vox Media. Retrieved 10 October 2014.
  3. "Sonic Boom (Working Title) – A New Animated Series Coming Fall 2014". Sega.com. 2 October 2013. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
  4. "Sonic Boom™ - TV Series Trailer". YouTube. 6 February 2014. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
  5. "SEGA Launches New Franchise Strategy for Sonic the Hedgehog with Sonic Boom". Sega.com. 6 February 2014. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
  6. 1 2 3 Parker, Kellie (25 February 2014). "Go Behind the Scenes with Sonic Boom". Sega Blog. Sega. Retrieved 25 February 2014.
  7. Sonic the Hedgehog [@sonic_hedgehog] (25 February 2014). "Yes, Colleen Villard is the voice of Tails moving forward for all Sonic the Hedgehog titles." (Tweet). Retrieved 29 May 2014 via Twitter.
  8. Busis, Hillary (29 May 2014). "Meet Sonic's new pal, Sticks the Badger -- EXCLUSIVE". Polygon. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
  9. Corriea, Alexa (6 February 2014). "Why Sega handed Sonic over to Western studios and gave him a scarf". Polygon. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
  10. "Sonic Boom Interview with Evan Baily". NintendoWorldReport. 12 February 2014. Retrieved 14 February 2014.
  11. "Timeline Photos - Sonic Boom Air Date". Facebook. Sega Corporation. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
  12. "Cartoon Network Approaches Upfront with Unmatched Growth Across All Screens". Cartoon Network / Turner Network Television. 19 February 2015. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
  13. "Sonic Boom Commentaries Uncut: Ep 15 Pre-Show - 'Off & Showrunning'". Last Minute Continue / The Sonic Show. 3 March 2015. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  14. Harry Winston. "Mediakwest - MIPCOM 2015 : la 2ème saison de la série d'animation "Sonic Boom" en cours de production". Mediakwest.
  15. "Google Translate".
  16. "‘Sonic Toon’ available on Japan’s Netflix on July 1st.". Sega Nerds. 30 June 2017. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
  17. Rose, Amy. "Chez Amy". Sonic Boom. 1 minutes in. Meh Burger is horrible. The people of the Unnamed Village deserve better.
  18. Higgins, D (March 30, 2015). "APRIL on FOXTEL: Game Of Thrones, Mad Men, Wentworth, Deadline Gallipoli and 200+ other new shows". The Green Room. Foxtel. Retrieved March 31, 2015.
  19. Loveday, Samantha (May 28, 2015). "Boomerang signs up for Sega's Sonic Boom". Licensing.biz. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
  20. Cartoon Network Asia (April 10, 2015). "Sonic's back with a boom in brand new series Sonic Boom!". Facebook. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
  21. "Cartoon Network turns 20; celebrates with new shows, contest". Indian Television. Mumbai. May 4, 2015. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
  22. "Sonic Boom Show Info". Toggle. MediaCorp. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
  23. "Boomerang Schedule". Retrieved 2 October 2015.
  24. "DHX TELEVISION UNVEILS FAMILY CHRGD ON FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9" (Press release). Toronto: DHX Media. October 7, 2015. Retrieved October 11, 2015.
  25. Winston, Harry (October 10, 2015). "MIPCOM 2015 : la 2ème saison de la série d'animation "Sonic Boom" en cours de production". Mediakwest (in French). Retrieved October 11, 2015.
  26. Parker, Kellie (29 May 2014). "Introducing Sticks to the Sonic Boom Franchise". SEGA Blog. Sega. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
  27. SegaAmerica (29 May 2014). "Sonic Boom Sticks Announcement". YouTube. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
  28. Parker, Kellie (23 July 2014). "Meet Characters in the Sonic Boom Universe". SEGA Blog. Sega. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
  29. Barker, TW. "Don't Judge Me". Sonic Boom. 3 minutes in. TW Barker Your Honor, counsel for the plaintiff. I intend to prove that Sonic T. Hedgehog willfully and maliciously attacked and permanently injured my client, Doctor Eggman.
    Barker, TW. "Don't Judge Me". Sonic Boom. 4 minutes in. Isn't it true that Dr Eggman was attacked by Mr The Hedgehog while doing nothing more than taking a leisurely evening drive in a harmless moth-shaped vehicle?
  30. Sarge. "It Wasn't Me, It Was the One-Armed Hedgehog". Sonic Boom. 2 minutes in. That'll do it. Sonic T Hedgehog you are under arrest. You have the right to remain silent.
  31. 1 2 3 4 Steven Frost (4 November 2014). "Twitter". Retrieved 6 November 2014. Tailsfan: Just curious but are the characters in Sonic Boom the same ages as their game counterparts? / Steven Frost: Same characters, same world. / Tailsfan: Thanks! Just clarifying I meant between the mainline Sonic series and the Sonic Boom series. Not sure if I was clear. Sorry :p / Steven Frost: Oh, gotcha. There isn't really any sort of official difference in age, but the way they act comes across maybe a bit older.
  32. "Eggman the Auteur". Sonic Boom. 7 minutes in. If you know everything, Mr and Mrs Know Everything, then where's your camera, your robots?
  33. "Bro-down Showdown". Sonic Boom.
  34. "Bill Freiberger on Twitter". Twitter. 29 January 2017. Retrieved 29 January 2017. Bill Freiberger: @VOColleen is the voice of Belinda.
  35. "Bill Freiberger on Twitter". Twitter. 20 October 2015. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  36. "Bill Freiberger on Twitter". Twitter. 25 October 2015. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  37. "Bill Freiberger on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  38. 1 2 "Mike Pollock on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  39. Sonic Boom Commentaries Uncut: Ep 9 Post-Show - "Natural Selection". YouTube. 19 January 2015. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  40. Grenier, Benoit (24 July 2015). "Beyond the Valley of the Cubots". Sonic Boom. Season 1. Episode 36. Cartoon Network.
  41. Moarbes, Charles-Henri (29 August 2015). "Bro-Down Showdown". Sonic Boom. Season 1. Episode 41. Cartoon Network.
  42. Lieblich, Doug (22 November 2014). "My Fair Sticksy". Sonic Boom. Season 1. Episode 5. Cartoon Network.
  43. 1 2 Harrison, Reid (22 August 2015). "Tails' Crush". Sonic Boom. Season 1. Episode 40. Cartoon Network.
  44. "Bill Freiberger on Twitter". Twitter.
  45. "Sonic the Hedgehog on Twitter". Twitter.
  46. Harrison, Reid (19 September 2015). "It Wasn't Me, It Was the One-Armed Hedgehog". Sonic Boom. Season 1. Episode 44. Cartoon Network.
  47. "Cindy Robinson on Twitter". Twitter.
  48. "Bill Freiberger". Twitter.
  49. "Bill Freiberger". Twitter.
  50. Denton, Alan; Hahn, Greg (14 November 2015). "It Takes a Village to Defeat a Hedgehog". Sonic Boom. Season 1. Episode 52. Cartoon Network.
  51. 1 2 Harrison, Reid (14 March 2015). "Don't Judge Me". Sonic Boom. Season 1. Episode 17. Cartoon Network.
  52. Denton, Alan; Hahn, Greg (28 February 2015). "Aim Low". Sonic Boom. Season 1. Episode 15. Cartoon Network.
  53. Banker, Mark; Denton, Alan; Hahn, Greg (7 February 2015). "Circus of Plunders". Sonic Boom. Season 1. Episode 12. Cartoon Network.
  54. "Chili Dog Day Afternoon". Sonic Boom.
  55. "It Wasn't Me, It Was the One-Armed Hedgehog". Sonic Boom.
  56. "Bill Freiberger". Twitter.
  57. 1 2 Freiberger, Bill [@BillFreiberger] (22 August 2015). "Zooey was voiced by Colleen O'Shaughnessey." (Tweet). Archived from the original on 29 August 2015. Retrieved 22 August 2015 via Twitter.
  58. Denton, Alan; Hahn, Greg (15 August 2015). "Battle of the Boy Bands". Sonic Boom. Season 1. Episode 39. Cartoon Network.
  59. "Sonic Boom™ - Video Game Reveal Trailer". YouTube. 6 February 2014. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
  60. Narcisse, Evan (6 February 2014). "Meet The New Sonic and His Next Game". Kotaku.com. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
  61. "SONIC TOON". Sonic Channel (in Japanese). Sega Corporation. 20 June 2014. Retrieved 21 June 2014.
  62. Aaron (14 September 2015). "Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice moves to 2016". Sega Blog. Sega. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
  63. "Sonic Dash 2: Sonic Boom soft-launched on Android [Update]". Pocket Gamer. 1 July 2015.
  64. GameZone. "Sticks is now playable in Sonic Runners".
  65. "Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games amiibo Compatibility, Characters, And Events Announced". Siliconera.
  66. "Sonic Boom" (in French). Bibliotheque Rose. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
  67. "Archie to Publish Sonic Boom Comic Series". IGN. 16 July 2014. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
  68. "Inteview: SONIC Goes BOOM with Bill Freiberger". Comicosity.
  69. Schedeen, Jesse (October 29, 2014). "Sonic Boom #1 Review". IGN. Retrieved November 14, 2014.
  70. Schedeen, Jesse. "Sonic Boom and Mega Man X Unite in Comic Book Crossover". IGN.com. Ziff Davis. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  71. Russ Burlingame. "EXCLUSIVE Archie Action Solicitations For May 2015: WORLDS UNITE BEGINS!". Comicbook.com. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  72. Russ Burlingame. "EXCLUSIVE Archie Action Solicitations For June 2015". Comicbook.com. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  73. Russ Burlingame. "EXCLUSIVE Archie Comics First Look: Sonic Boom #10". Comicbook.com. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  74. "Capcom and Sega Join Forces for Worlds Unite Comic Book Crossover". IGN. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  75. "Archie Comics on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  76. Vincent Lovallo (w). "Sonic Boom Blast! [column]" 'Sonic Boom' 11: 24 (September 2015), Pelham, NY: Archie Comics
  77. Freiberger, Bill [@BillFreiberger] (5 December 2016). "Bill Freiberger on Twitter: "Episode 206: Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Worse-er. Written by @IanFlynnBKC. Storyboards by Gael Leroux & Jeremy Klein."" (Tweet) via Twitter.
  78. "Sonic Boom: The Sidekick [DVD][2015]:Amazon.co.uk:DVD & Blu-Ray". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
  79. Spangler, Todd (13 May 2016). "Hulu Grabs ‘Sonic Boom’ Animated Hedgehog Series in Exclusive Deal". Variety. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  80. "Sonic Boom".
  81. Lee, Patrick (Sep 30, 2015). "A hedgehog for all seasons: Our guide to 20 manic years of Sonic cartoons". The A.V. Club. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  82. "2016 Awards & Nominees". Universal Film Festival. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
  83. "Official Selections for 2017 Trailers". Chico Independent Film Festival. Retrieved July 2, 2017.
  84. Bruneau, Marie-Agnès (14 March 2017). "Versailles tops French export awards". C21Media. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
  85. Atkinson, Katie (June 20, 2017). "Harry Styles Leads First Wave of 2017 Teen Choice Awards Nominations". Billboard. Retrieved July 2, 2017.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.