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''Sonic Underground'' ( French: ''Sonic le Rebelle'') is an
animated Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby image, still images are manipulated to create Motion picture, moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on cel, transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and e ...
musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...
television series co-produced by DIC Productions, L.P., Les Studios Tex S.A.R.L. and
TF1 TF1 (; standing for ''Télévision Française 1'') is a French commercial television network owned by TF1 Group, controlled by the Bouygues conglomerate. TF1's average market share of 24% makes it the most popular domestic network. TF1 is part ...
. It is the third ''
Sonic the Hedgehog is a video game series and media franchise created by the Japanese developers Yuji Naka, Naoto Ohshima, and Hirokazu Yasuhara for Sega. The franchise follows Sonic the Hedgehog (character), Sonic, an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who battle ...
'' animated series, and the last to be produced by DIC. It follows a main plot separate from all other ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' media, where
Sonic Sonic or Sonics may refer to: Companies *Sonic Drive-In, an American drive-in, fast-food restaurant chain * Sonic (ISP), an Internet provider CLEC, serving more than 100 California communities * Sonic Foundry, a computer software company whic ...
has two
sibling A sibling is a relative that shares at least one parent with the other person. A male sibling is a brother, and a female sibling is a sister. A person with no siblings is an only child. While some circumstances can cause siblings to be raised ...
s, Sonia and Manic, that are collectively part of a
royal family A royal family is the immediate family of monarchs and sometimes their extended family. The term imperial family appropriately describes the family of an emperor or empress, and the term papal family describes the family of a pope, while th ...
who were forced to separate from their mother, Queen Aleena, upon Doctor Robotnik's takeover of Mobius due to a
prophecy In religion, mythology, and fiction, a prophecy is a message that has been communicated to a person (typically called a ''prophet'') by a supernatural entity. Prophecies are a feature of many cultures and belief systems and usually contain di ...
told by the Oracle of Delphius. Along the way, they encounter other resistance groups against Robotnik and powerful artifacts that could wreak havoc on the world, all the while searching for their long-lost mother, Queen Aleena. The series first aired in France from January to May 1999 on
TF1 TF1 (; standing for ''Télévision Française 1'') is a French commercial television network owned by TF1 Group, controlled by the Bouygues conglomerate. TF1's average market share of 24% makes it the most popular domestic network. TF1 is part ...
, and then premiered in the United Kingdom in May 1999 on ITV on the
GMTV GMTV (an initialism for Good Morning Television), now legally known as ''ITV Breakfast, ITV Breakfast Broadcasting Limited'', was the name of the national ITV (TV network), ITV breakfast television contractor/licensee, broadcasting in the Uni ...
strand and finally in the United States in the syndicated children's block BKN Kids II from August to October 1999. It also aired on the Sci-Fi Channel on weekday mornings starting October 1999, lasting until October 2000. The show ran only for one season, consisting of forty episodes.


Plot

The show takes place in a
canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western canon, th ...
and continuity separate from any other ''
Sonic the Hedgehog is a video game series and media franchise created by the Japanese developers Yuji Naka, Naoto Ohshima, and Hirokazu Yasuhara for Sega. The franchise follows Sonic the Hedgehog (character), Sonic, an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who battle ...
'' media. Queen Aleena, the ruler of Mobius, is overthrown by Dr. Robotnik, who seizes control of the planet with his army of Swat-bots and forces Queen Aleena into hiding. To preserve the
dynasty A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family, usually in the context of a monarchy, monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A dynasty may also be referred to as a "house", "family" or "clan", among others. H ...
, Queen Aleena separates her three children: Sonic, Manic, and Sonia after the
Oracle An oracle is a person or thing considered to provide insight, wise counsel or prophetic predictions, most notably including precognition of the future, inspired by deities. If done through occultic means, it is a form of divination. Descript ...
of Delphius tells her of a prophecy proclaiming she would one day reunite with her children to form the "Council of Four" and overthrow Robotnik. Meanwhile, Dr. Robotnik establishes an
autocratic Autocracy is a form of government in which absolute power is held by the head of state and Head of government, government, known as an autocrat. It includes some forms of monarchy and all forms of dictatorship, while it is contrasted with demo ...
government by appointing bounty hunters Sleet and Dingo to do his dirty work, legally turning anyone who stands against him into robots devoid of
free will Free will is generally understood as the capacity or ability of people to (a) choice, choose between different possible courses of Action (philosophy), action, (b) exercise control over their actions in a way that is necessary for moral respon ...
, and forcing the nobles into paying large amounts of money to him as tribute. When Sonic, Manic, and Sonia grow up, the Oracle of Delphius reveals the prophecy to them. After that, Sonic, Manic, and Sonia go on a quest searching for Queen Aleena throughout Mobius. Dr. Robotnik, with the assistance from Sleet, Dingo and the Swat-bots, tries constantly to capture the royal hedgehogs and prevent the prophecy from being fulfilled. The Oracle of Delphius assigns the three siblings powerful
medallion A medal or medallion is a small portable artistic object, a thin disc, normally of metal, carrying a design, usually on both sides. They typically have a commemorative purpose of some kind, and many are presented as awards. They may be in ...
s that can change into
musical instrument A musical instrument is a device created or adapted to make Music, musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can be considered a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. A person ...
s, and can also be used as weapons: Sonic's medallion is an
electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external electric Guitar amplifier, sound amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar. It uses one or more pickup (music technology), pickups ...
; Sonia's medallion is a keyboard that functions as a smoke machine; and Manic's medallion is a drumset that can be used as an "earth controller" with
cymbal A cymbal is a common percussion instrument. Often used in pairs, cymbals consist of thin, normally round plates of various alloys. The majority of cymbals are of indefinite pitch, although small disc-shaped cymbals based on ancient designs sou ...
s that can deflect
laser A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation. The word ''laser'' originated as an acronym for light amplification by stimulated emission of radi ...
fire. All of the medallions can be used as laser guns. The three use the medallions not only to fight Robotnik's forces but also as instruments for their underground
rock band ''Rock Band'' is a series of rhythm games first released in 2007 and developed by Harmonix. Based on their previous development work from the Guitar Hero, ''Guitar Hero'' series, the main ''Rock Band'' games have players use game controllers mod ...
, "Sonic Underground".


Characters


Main

*
Sonic Sonic or Sonics may refer to: Companies *Sonic Drive-In, an American drive-in, fast-food restaurant chain * Sonic (ISP), an Internet provider CLEC, serving more than 100 California communities * Sonic Foundry, a computer software company whic ...
(speaking voice by Jaleel White and singing voice provided by Sam Vincent) is the eldest sibling and lead singer of many songs performed by the Sonic Underground. His medallion turns into a guitar, which can fire laser blasts. As fast as the speed of sound, Sonic can easily outrun danger. He is a big fan of chili dogs, causing him to be a bit overweight. He also is terrified of water as he cannot swim. Sonic wears anti-gravity sneakers that allow him to hover over the ground while running. * Sonia (speaking voice by Jaleel White and singing voice provided by Stevie Vallance) is the only female hedgehog member of the Sonic Underground and the sister of Sonic and Manic. Unlike her brothers, she was raised by an aristocratic foster family, giving her an upper class mentality. She hates getting dirty, is skilled at
gymnastics Gymnastics is a group of sport that includes physical exercises requiring Balance (ability), balance, Strength training, strength, Flexibility (anatomy), flexibility, agility, Motor coordination, coordination, artistry and endurance. The movem ...
and
karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ), also , is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tī'' in Okinawan) un ...
, and possesses
superhuman strength Superhuman strength is a superpower commonly invoked in fiction and other literary works, such as mythology. A fictionalized representation of the phenomenon of hysterical strength, it is the power to exert force and lift weights beyond what is ...
, a
photographic memory Eidetic memory ( ), also known as photographic memory and total recall, is the ability to recall an image from memory with high precision—at least for a brief period of time—after seeing it only onceThe terms ''eidetic memory'' and ''photogr ...
, and the ability to spin in a cyclonic manner. Her medallion turns into a keyboard, which can fire laser blasts from one end, or create a pink mist when the keys are played. Sonia has a pink motorcycle which can travel as fast as Sonic's running and Manic's hover board. She also is the one that does research on Robotnik's plans and provides the technological innovation for the Sonic Underground. Of the siblings, Sonia is the only one to be seen involved in any romance, displaying feelings for her childhood friend Bartleby, despite his snobbishness, as well as other men encountered in her travels. Among these is Knuckles, whom she develops an attraction to during the series' Flying Fortress saga. * Manic (speaking voice by Jaleel White and singing voice provided by Tyley Ross) is the youngest sibling. He is a calculating and sarcastic hedgehog that was raised by thieves, and is a master of their trade. When Manic met his siblings, they disapproved of his thieving tendencies, but his skills as a lock-pick were greatly appreciated. Manic possesses neither Sonic's speed nor Sonia's spin-attack, thus making him the only member of the Sonic Underground who relies on entirely on his medallion for superpowers of his own. Despite his lack of superpowers, his thieving skills proves himself extremely useful to the group from time to time. Manic is the drummer of the Sonic Underground. His medallion turns into drums, which can cause earthquakes; the Oracle of Delphius claims that his drums are the most powerful instruments of the three. He also has a hover board that is as fast as Sonic's running and Sonia's motorcycle. His medallion's string is blue. * Dr. Robotnik (voiced by Garry Chalk) is the evil human dictator of Mobius, renamed Robotropolis under his rule, having conquered it with his army of Swatbots. He captures and roboticizes anyone who opposes him, transforming them into robotic servants. ** Sleet (voiced by
Maurice LaMarche Maurice LaMarche (born March 30, 1958) is a Canadian voice actor. Across a career spanning more than four decades he has voiced Chief Quimby on Inspector Gadget, Egon Spengler on ''The Real Ghostbusters'', The Brain on ''Animaniacs'' and its spi ...
) is a wolf and one of Robotnik's canine bounty hunters. This cunning wolf leads the bumbling Dingo about on missions to capture the hedgehogs. Sleet has a morphing device that can transform Dingo into anything he wishes. He is constantly being crushed by Dingo and is usually the one who suffers the most from their combined failures. ** Dingo (voiced by Maurice LaMarche) is a
dingo The dingo (either included in the species ''Canis familiaris'', or considered one of the following independent taxa: ''Canis familiaris dingo'', ''Canis dingo'', or ''Canis lupus dingo'') is an ancient (basal (phylogenetics), basal) lineage ...
who is one of Robotnik's canine bounty hunters and Sleet's partner. Dingo is a huge, muscle-bound blonde dingo and is also very ignorant. He is partially roboticized in his hands and his left leg from the knee down, which is never explained. He has a relentless crush on Sonia, but remains fiercely loyal to Sleet. ** Swatbots (voiced by Maurice LaMarche) are the robotic foot soldiers of Dr. Robotnik.


Recurring

* Queen Aleena Hedgehog (voiced by Gail Webster) is the mother of the Sonic Underground group and former ruler of Mobius before Robotnik's takeover. She had to give them up in order for the prophecy to become true. She spends the series on the run from her own children, until the time is right to reveal herself. Her character has many allies, including the Oracle of Delphius and Knuckles. She also does a bit of narrating in the start of every episode. * Knuckles (voiced by Brian Drummond) is a red echidna who is the guardian of one of the Chaos Emeralds and Angel Island, and an acquaintance of Queen Aleena's. He is very protective of his island home, and has set many traps about the island. He has a pet dinosaur called Chomps, and like his game incarnation is shown to be somewhat gullible. His great-grandfather Athair warns him that he must stay on the island in order to play his part in the freedom of Mobius. He turned against the Hedgehogs twice - first being tricked into thinking they were thieves and later thinking that it was the only way to save their planet - but came around and worked with them against the threat of Robotnik and his henchmen. During the Flying Fortress arc, he showed signs of a growing affection for Sonia, including a particular guilt over the prospect of betraying her. * The Freedom Fighters are allies of Sonic, Sonia, and Manic. They assist in fighting the forces of Dr. Robotnik. ** Oracle of Delphius (voiced by Maurice LaMarche) is an odd, wart-covered in a cloak that resembles a scaly
anteater Anteaters are the four extant mammal species in the suborder Vermilingua (meaning "worm tongue"), commonly known for eating ants and termites. The individual species have other names in English and other languages. Together with sloths, they ar ...
/
crocodile Crocodiles (family (biology), family Crocodylidae) or true crocodiles are large, semiaquatic reptiles that live throughout the tropics in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia. The term "crocodile" is sometimes used more loosely to include ...
hybrid. The Oracle prophesied 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. He is named after the
Oracle at Delphi Pythia (; ) was the title of the high priestess of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi. She specifically served as its oracle and was known as the Oracle of Delphi. Her title was also historically glossed in English as the Pythoness. The Pythia w ...
. ** Sir Bartleby Montclair (voiced by Peter Wilds) is a posh, cowardly upper-class English-accented
mink Mink are dark-colored, semiaquatic, carnivorous mammals of the genera ''Neogale'' and '' Mustela'' and part of the family Mustelidae, which also includes weasels, otters, and ferrets. There are two extant species referred to as "mink": the A ...
who is one of Robotropolis' richest aristocrats. Bartleby was Sonia's fiancé. He dislikes Dr. Robotnik and is often forced to fund Robotnik's schemes – although in secret he still supports Queen Aleena. ** Cyrus (voiced by Ian James Corlett) is a lion and a technician for the Freedom Fighters. He is an old friend of Sonic. In his first appearance he was working as a spy for Robotnik, but quit upon discovering that the Freedom Fighters' Sanctuary was a hideout for their children. Cyrus's father was roboticized. ** Trevor (voiced by Matt Hill) is a mouse who is a friend of the royal siblings and Cyrus. He dresses like a hippie. Trevor is an ace pilot and helps build and fix mechanical equipment. ** Renée is a fox and computer expert who leads a branch of the Freedom Fighters in the resort town of Anays. * Athair (voiced by Maurice LaMarche impersonating
Sean Connery Sir Thomas Sean Connery (25 August 1930 – 31 October 2020) was a Scottish actor. He was the first actor to Portrayal of James Bond in film, portray the fictional British secret agent James Bond (literary character), James Bond in motion pic ...
) is the great-grandfather of Knuckles. While he advises Knuckles not to leave Angel Island, he does provide advice to his great-grandson.


Episodes


Cast

* Jaleel Whitehttps://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/tv-shows/Sonic-Underground/ -
Sonic Sonic or Sonics may refer to: Companies *Sonic Drive-In, an American drive-in, fast-food restaurant chain * Sonic (ISP), an Internet provider CLEC, serving more than 100 California communities * Sonic Foundry, a computer software company whic ...
, Sonia, Manic, Aman-Rapi * Garry Chalk - Dr. Robotnik * Brian Drummond - Knuckles *
Maurice LaMarche Maurice LaMarche (born March 30, 1958) is a Canadian voice actor. Across a career spanning more than four decades he has voiced Chief Quimby on Inspector Gadget, Egon Spengler on ''The Real Ghostbusters'', The Brain on ''Animaniacs'' and its spi ...
- Sleet, Swatbots, Oracle of Delphius, Athair, Chuck, Farrell * Tyley Ross - Manic (singing voice) * Stevie Vallance - Sonia (singing voice) * Sam Vincent - Sonic (singing voice) * Gail Webster - Queen Aleena Hedgehog * Peter Wilds - Dingo, Sir Bartleby Montclair


Additional voices

* Kathleen Barr * Ian James Corlett - Cyrus * Merilyn Gann * Phil Hayes * Matt Hill - Trevor * Adrian Hughes *
Terry Klassen Terry Klassen is a Canadian voice actor, ADR director and writer. Before animation, Klassen worked in radio in Winnipeg (CITI-FM), Toronto (Q107), Calgary (CFAC), Portage la Prairie (CFRY) and part-time at CFOX and CFMI. In animation, he is best ...
* Blu Mankuma * Cusse Mankuma * Tabitha St. Germain * Lee Tockar


Crew

* Michel Trouillet - Voice Director


History


Development

It is often claimed that the newly
Sega of America is a Japanese video game company and subsidiary of Sega Sammy Holdings headquartered in Tokyo. It produces several multi-million-selling game franchises for arcades and consoles, including ''Sonic the Hedgehog'', '' Angry Birds'', '' Phan ...
CEO Shoichiro Irimajiri contacted DIC CEO Andy Heyward to make a new Sonic cartoon, which would help gain interest in buying their new console, the
Dreamcast The is the final home video game console manufactured by Sega. It was released in Japan on November 27, 1998, in North America on September 9, 1999 and in Europe on October 14, 1999. It was the first sixth-generation video game console, prec ...
. ''Sonic Underground'' started production in early 1997, around the same time the development of both the Dreamcast and ''
Sonic Adventure is a 1998 platform game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega for the Dreamcast. It was the first main ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' game to feature 3D gameplay. It follows Sonic the Hedgehog (character), Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Pr ...
'' had started. The show bible was written as early as March 1997. The show was publicly announced as early as December 1997. When the show was in development, two episodes per week were produced, and the writers felt that they were not given enough time to "tie everything together" in the plot, being limited to a three-part "Origins" saga for coherency. DIC used
cattle call An audition is a sample performance by an actor, singer, musician, dancer or other performer. It typically involves the performer displaying their talent through a previously memorized and rehearsed solo piece or by performing a work or piece giv ...
s to generate episode plots. Periodically, about twenty unaffiliated writers were brought into the studios to learn about the established characters and brainstorm possible plots for episodes, after which about one or two would be selected. According to Mike Piccirillo, when he was writing songs for the show, there were no storyboards done yet, so he could only work off of the scripts, which often said what moral or lesson the song should be about in each episode. The show's animation was outsourced to the Taiwanese animation studio
Hong Ying Animation Hong Ying Animation Co., Ltd. () is a Chinese-Taiwanese animation studio founded in 1986. The studio has worked on several American and other foreign cartoons. Works Hong Ying animated, inked, and/or painted for the following TV shows: * '' A ...
with the storyboards and main title animation done in Madrid, Spain by Milimetros, S.A. (also responsible for the animation in the Saturday morning Sonic the Hedgehog cartoon and some of the storyboards in ''
Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog ''Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog'' is an American animated television series. It is based on the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' video game series, produced by Sega of America, DIC Animation City, Bohbot Entertainment and the Italian studio Reteital ...
''), pre-production services provided by Le Studio Ellipse, layout services by Arles Animation and video and audio post-production services by Les Studios de Saint-Ouen. According to Robby London, Sega of Japan had an active role in the approval process for ''Sonic Underground'', going so far as to force DiC to reanimate the characters with five fingers instead of the usual four due to the Japanese association of four fingers with the
yakuza , also known as , are members of transnational organized crime syndicates originating in Japan. The Japanese police and media (by request of the police) call them , while the yakuza call themselves . The English equivalent for the term ''yak ...
. While it was once believed that 65 episodes were made of which only 40 aired, Ben Hurst, a main writer from ''
Sonic the Hedgehog is a video game series and media franchise created by the Japanese developers Yuji Naka, Naoto Ohshima, and Hirokazu Yasuhara for Sega. The franchise follows Sonic the Hedgehog (character), Sonic, an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who battle ...
'' (dubbed ''SatAM'' by fans), who was also involved in ''Sonic Undergrounds production, stated in a chat at the Sonic Amateur Games Expo 2008 that only 40 were planned to be produced from the beginning.


Airing and broadcast


France

''Sonic Underground'' first premiered in France on 6 January 1999 and aired on
TF1 TF1 (; standing for ''Télévision Française 1'') is a French commercial television network owned by TF1 Group, controlled by the Bouygues conglomerate. TF1's average market share of 24% makes it the most popular domestic network. TF1 is part ...
on the ''TF! Jeunesse'' block on Wednesdays and Sundays.


United Kingdom

The show made its English premiere in the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
on 2 May 1999, airing on ITV's
GMTV GMTV (an initialism for Good Morning Television), now legally known as ''ITV Breakfast, ITV Breakfast Broadcasting Limited'', was the name of the national ITV (TV network), ITV breakfast television contractor/licensee, broadcasting in the Uni ...
strand, on the Disney-produced block Diggit, which was programmed by the show's distributor Buena Vista International Television and had also aired other programmes produced by DIC Entertainment at the time. ITV aired the first 18 episodes of the series on Sunday mornings before the series was removed from the Diggit schedule. In 2005, DIC pre-sold the series to GMTV, and so the series reran on
ITV2 ITV2 is a Television in the United Kingdom, British free-to-air television channel owned by ITV Digital Channels, a division of ITV plc. It was launched on 7 December 1998. For a number of years, it had the largest audience share after the fiv ...
in 2005 as part of the GMTV2 Kids strand. By 2006, alongside the other Sonic cartoons, the series began to air on Pop, and by 2012, was airing on its sister channel Kix!


North America

In February 1998, it was announced that
Bohbot Entertainment Bohbot Entertainment was an American advertising and marketing company specializing in the children's market founded in 1985, and had traded under various different names over the years. The company produced and distributed programming under thei ...
had acquired the North American broadcast rights to the series to air on their BKN syndicated strand. More information was revealed in January 1999. The series premiered in the country on 30 August 1999 as one of two "new" shows added to the newly-launched BKN Kids II block, where the series aired on weekday mornings at 6:00 AM Central Time., and ran until 22 October 1999. The series also aired on the Sci-Fi Channel which BKN also had a broadcast deal with at the time, however, the episodes that were supposed to air on Fridays were skipped because ''
Double Dragon is a beat 'em up video game series originally developed and published by Technōs Japan. It began with the release of the arcade game '' Double Dragon'' in 1987. The series features twin martial artists, Billy and Jimmy Lee, as they fight again ...
'' and later ''
King Arthur and the Knights of Justice ''King Arthur and the Knights of Justice'' is an animated series produced by Golden Films, C&D ( Créativité et Développement), and Bohbot Entertainment and created by Diane Eskenazi and Avi Arad, who also served as executive producers. The ...
'' were airing instead, therefore only 32 of the 40 ''Sonic Underground'' episodes aired on that channel. In 2004, the show returned to syndicated television stations on weekends as part of the DIC Kids Network E/I strand. It, alongside fellow DIC series '' Mummies Alive!'' were the only two programs on the strand to not fulfill E/I requirements. On 19 January 2006, CBS announced a multi-year deal with DIC to broadcast some of their shows on the "CBS's Secret Saturday Morning Slumber Party" segment, including ''Sonic Underground'', however, the block would not end up running the show in the end. In 2009, reruns of ''Sonic Underground'' aired on Firestone Communications' Sorpresa, a
Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
children's station (Channel 850 on
Time Warner Cable Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC was an American cable television company. Before it was acquired by Charter Communications on May 18, 2016, it was ranked the second largest cable company in the United States by revenue behind only Comcast, o ...
) in the United States, broadcasting the audio-dubbed Latin Spanish dub. Re-runs of the series aired on
Disney XD Disney XD is an American pay television television channel, channel owned by the Disney Branded Television and Disney Entertainment units of The Walt Disney Company. The channel is aimed primarily at older children ages six to eleven years old ...
starting 11 June 2012 and ending on 14 December 2012. This marked the second time a ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' cartoon has aired on a Disney-themed channel, with the first being ''
Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog ''Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog'' is an American animated television series. It is based on the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' video game series, produced by Sega of America, DIC Animation City, Bohbot Entertainment and the Italian studio Reteital ...
'' on
Toon Disney Toon Disney was an American multinational pay television channel owned by Disney Branded Television, a subsidiary of Disney-ABC Television Group. The channel's target audience was children aged 7–11, and older children and adolescents aged 8� ...
(the predecessor of Disney XD) from 1998 to 2002. The series aired in Canada on
Teletoon Cartoon Network (formerly Teletoon) is a Canadian English-language discretionary specialty channel owned by Corus Entertainment. The channel primarily broadcasts animated series aimed at children and teenagers. It was launched on October 17 ...
.


Other regions

In Australia, ''Sonic Underground'' premiered on The
Seven Network Seven Network (stylised 7Network, and commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is an Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, ...
during ''
The Big Breakfast ''The Big Breakfast'' is a British breakfast light entertainment television programme that was broadcast on Channel 4 from 1992 to 2002, and as a revival from 2021 to 2022. The show had various presenters, starting with Chris Evans (presenter), ...
'' in 1999. The show was broadcast by
KidsCo KidsCo was an international children's television channel active from 2007 until 2014. It was a joint venture between Corus Entertainment, DIC Entertainment (later part of Cookie Jar Group) and NBCUniversal whose content was mainly commission ...
in regions the channel broadcast from. In Poland the show aired on TV Puls 2 as a part of the ''Junior TV'' block.


Home media


United States

In the United States, Sterling Entertainment released a VHS/DVD titled "Dr. Robotnik's Revenge" in July 2003, containing three episodes, and a bonus ''
Super Mario Bros. is a 1985 Platformer, platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). It is the successor to the 1983 arcade game ''Mario Bros.'' and the first game in the ''Super Mario'' series. It was origi ...
'' episode on the DVD release. It was re-released by NCircle Entertainment in March 2007 without the bonus Mario episode. The Sterling versions of the '' Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3'' "King Koopa Katastrophe" and ''
The Legend of Zelda is a media franchise, video game series created by the Japanese game designers Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka. It is primarily developed and published by Nintendo; some portable installments and re-releases have been outsourced to Flags ...
'' "Ganon's Evil Tower" DVDs also included 1 and 2 episodes respectively as DVD bonuses which the NCircle reissues of both releases excluded. Sterling Entertainment's VHS/DVD release of '' Sonic Christmas Blast'' also included 3 episodes (2 on the VHS).
Shout! Factory Shout! Factory, LLC, doing business as Shout! Studios (formerly doing business as Shout! Factory, its current legal name), is an American home video and music distributor founded in 2002 as Retropolis Entertainment. Its video releases, issued i ...
and Vivendi Entertainment have released the complete series on DVD in Region 1 (NTSC) in two volume sets. Volume 1, simply entitled ''Sonic Underground'', was released on 18 December 2007. It contains the first 20 episodes of the show on three discs, with disc three also including interviews with DIC's Robby London, Mike Piccirillo, an opening title animatic, and concept art. A bonus fourth disc is an audio CD containing eight songs from the series, including the opening theme. ''Sonic Underground: Volume 2'' was released on 17 June 2008, featuring the remaining 20 episodes and another bonus audio CD featuring eight more songs from the series. From 2007 until 2010, NCircle Entertainment released several single-release DVDs containing four episodes each: NCircle also re-released Volumes 1 and 2 in 2013 and 2017, respectively. On 25 July 2023, they released the complete series as a four disc set.


United Kingdom

In 2004, Anchor Bay UK obtained rights to distribute several DIC cartoons, including ''Sonic Underground'' on home video. The first two volumes were released on 31 May 2004 while the next two were released on 16 August 2004. There were plans for the remaining six volumes to be released separately, but they were instead released in a 10-DVD boxset in October 2004. In July 2005, Avenue Entertainment released two budget DVDs containing two episodes each. Delta Home Entertainment released the complete series again on DVD in June 2008 as a 4-disc set, with the fifth DVD containing the bonus features from the Shout! Factory DVD boxset. Delta Home Entertainment also released the four discs separately, with Disc 1 and 2 being released as "Beginnings" and "Who Do You Think You Are" in August 2008, and Discs 3 and 4 being released as "When in Rome" and "Country Crisis" in September 2008.


Reception

''Sonic Underground'' received mixed reviews: it was criticized for its complex plot and large amount of differences from the games, although some critics have defined the music as catchy. David Cornelius of
DVD Talk DVD Talk is a home video news and review website launched in 1999 by Geoffrey Kleinman. History Kleinman founded the site in January 1999 in Beaverton, Oregon. Besides news and reviews, it features information on hidden DVD features known as ...
said, "While many Sonic fans did not take too well to all the changes, preferring the original 'Sonic' cartoon to this stranger, sometimes darker, sometimes sillier incarnation, the series did win a small but loyal cult following. I fall more on the side of disappointment - for all the cleverness that went into crafting an all-new backstory, the episodes themselves are uninspired - but acknowledge the simple fact that it scores well with its target audience."
GamesRadar ''GamesRadar+'' (formerly ''GamesRadar'') is an entertainment website for video game-related news, previews, and reviews. It is owned by Future plc. In late 2014, Future Publishing-owned sites ''Total Film'', '' SFX'', '' Edge'' and ''Computer ...
called the show as one of "the absolute worst Sonic moments", criticizing the extra characters and the complex plot. Patrick Lee of ''
The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was created in ...
'' panned the series, calling it one of the most artistic failures to ever end up on television and "the result of several unrelated ideas forcibly squashed into one project". Comedian
Chris Hardwick Christopher Ryan Hardwick (born November 23, 1971) is an American comedian, actor, television and podcast host, writer, and producer. He hosted '' Talking Dead'', an hourlong aftershow on AMC affiliated with the network's zombie drama series '' ...
commented on the show's
theme song Theme music is a musical composition which is often written specifically for radio programming, television shows, video games, or films and is usually played during the title sequence, opening credits, closing credits, and in some instances at ...
, composed by Mike Piccirillo, claiming that "that guy sounds like he's trying to win his exwife back." Susan Arendt of
Wired Wired may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * ''Wired'' (Jeff Beck album), 1976 * ''Wired'' (Hugh Cornwell album), 1993 * ''Wired'' (Mallory Knox album), 2017 * "Wired", a song by Prism from their album '' Beat Street'' * "Wired ...
said "The songs are actually kind of catchy in a Saturday morning cartoon kind of way, but the band thing still seems a bit out of place, especially when the instruments turn into weapons." Emily Ashby of
Common Sense Media Common Sense Media (CSM) is an American nonprofit organization that reviews and provides ratings for media and technology with the goal of providing information on their suitability for children.
said "''Sonic Underground'' has some good things to offer kids, but only if they're ready for the complexities of its story" criticizing its complex plot but complimenting its low violence and ability to entertain children.


Other media

The ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' comic from
Archie Comics Archie Comic Publications, Inc. (often referred to simply as Archie Comics) is an American comic book publisher headquartered in the village of Pelham, New York. The company's many titles feature the fictional teenagers Archie Andrews, Jug ...
featured a story in one of its special issues in which the ''Sonic Underground'' continuity was featured. According to the comics' plot, the reality in which ''Sonic Underground'' takes place is one of many parallel universes that share elements with Sonic's own. In the story, Sonic Prime—hailing from the main universe in the comic series—joins forces with his counterpart and siblings to stop Dr. Robotnik, who has managed to assemble a monstrous battle machine known as the Giant Borg. Robotnik obtained the pieces for this machine due to being mistaken for one of his own counterparts by Evil Sonic, an evil counterpart of Sonic's who later came to be known as Scourge the Hedgehog. The ''
Sonic Universe ''Sonic Universe'' is an American comic book series that was published by Archie Comics in association with Sega, based on the latter's ''Sonic the Hedgehog''. It is a spin-off (media), spin-off of the comic book series of the Sonic the Hedgehog ...
'' spin-off comic was originally scheduled to feature an epilogue to the unfinished ''Sonic Underground'' for its 50th issue. However, for unknown reasons this was replaced with a story focusing on one of Sonic's long-running enemies, Metal Sonic. The Underground Epilogue was put on hold indefinitely, due to Sega not permitting the show be featured in the comics. However, in 2013, during the events of ''Sonic & Mega Man: Worlds Collide'' by Archie Comics, Sonic Prime's multiverse ceased to exist when Dr. Eggman launched the Super Genesis Wave in conjunction with Dr. Wily, causing the Prime Zone to be irreversibly rewritten and the multiverse to collapse in on itself, destroying most prior known realities, including the ''Sonic Underground'' reality, and wiping all the inhabitants there away from existence, including all the characters within ''Sonic Underground'' there as well.


References


External links

* at
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* {{Portal bar, Television, Animation, United States, France, 1990s 1990s American animated television series 1990s American children's television series 1990s American comic science fiction television series 1990s French animated television series 1999 American animated television series debuts 1999 American television series endings 1999 French television series debuts 1999 French television series endings American children's animated action television series American children's animated adventure television series American children's animated comic science fiction television series American children's animated science fantasy television series American children's animated musical television series Animated musical groups Animated series based on Sonic the Hedgehog Animated television series about hedgehogs Animated television series about siblings Fictional musical groups First-run syndicated animated television series French children's animated action television series French children's animated adventure television series French children's animated comic science fiction television series French children's animated science fantasy television series French children's animated musical television series Television series by DIC Entertainment French-language television shows American English-language television shows French-language television in the United States Television series about queens