Sonic The Hedgehog (TV Series)
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''Sonic the Hedgehog'' is an
animated television series An animated series, or a cartoon series, is a set of Animation, animated films with a common title, usually related to one another. These episodes typically share the same main heroes, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series ...
that aired from 1993 to 1994 based on
Sega is a Japanese video game company and subsidiary of Sega Sammy Holdings headquartered in Tokyo. It produces several List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises for arcade game, arcades and video game cons ...
's ''
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 ...
'' video game franchise. It was produced by DIC Productions,
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 ...
, and the
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
studio Reteitalia in association with
Telecinco Telecinco is a Spanish free-to-air television channel operated by Mediaset España. The channel was previously known as Tele 5, because it had first begun its experimental transmissions on 10 March 1989, and a year later, it was officially laun ...
, and is the second of DIC's ''Sonic'' cartoons, following ''
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 ...
''. To distinguish it from other ''Sonic'' media, fans commonly refer to the series as "Sonic SatAM", in reference to its Saturday morning timeslot. The show features a darker and more dramatic story than the lighter ''Adventures'', depicting Sonic and a band of
freedom fighter A freedom fighter is a person engaged in a struggle to achieve political freedom, particularly against an established government. The term is typically reserved for those who are actively involved in armed or otherwise violent rebellion. Termi ...
s battling to overthrow Dr. Robotnik, now a despotic dictator who conquered their home planet Mobius years ago, and rules it as a polluted industrial dystopia. The program aired for two seasons with a total of 26 episodes on ABC from September 18, 1993, to December 3, 1994, and continued in reruns until 1995. Despite its cancellation, a fan following has elevated the series to become a
cult hit A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The latter is often called a cult classic. A film, boo ...
. Some original characters of the series later appeared in the 1993 video game ''
Sonic Spinball ''Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball'', also known as ''Sonic Spinball'', is a 1993 pinball video game developed by Sega Technical Institute and published by Sega for the Sega Genesis. It is a spin-off of the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series. Players ...
''. The show also inspired the long-running ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' comic book series by
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 ...
.


Plot

Mad scientist Dr. Ivo Robotnik rules as dictator over the planet Mobius, having overthrown the city of Mobotropolis with his fleet of military robots, and converted it into a polluted industrial cityscape (Robotropolis), transforming nearly all of its animal citizens into robotic slaves using his Roboticizer machine. From the hidden woodland village of Knothole,
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 ...
and Princess Sally Acorn lead a team of Freedom Fighters in a rebellion against Robotnik's regime. Other group members include Sonic's best friend Tails, scientist Rotor the Walrus, Antoine Depardieu the Coyote, and half-roboticized Bunnie Rabbot. During the series, the heroes fight against Swat-Bots commanded by Robotnik and his resentful nephew Snively. Sonic collects Power Rings that temporarily boost his power, and uses them to restore free will to his roboticized Uncle Chuck, inventor of both the rings and the Roboticizer. Chuck acts as a spy among Robotnik's ranks. They find Sally's father King Acorn, who is imprisoned within the Void, alongside the evil sorcerer Ixis Naugus. They gain new allies including Dulcy the Dragon, Ari the Ram, and Lupe, leader of the elusive Wolf Pack. In the series finale, Robotnik builds a Doomsday Machine to annihilate all organic life on Mobius. The Freedom Fighters launch a full-scale counterattack, and Sonic and Sally use the Deep Power Stones to destroy his machine. Robotnik disappears amid the wreckage. The Freedom Fighters declare victory, with Sonic and Sally kissing. In a final scene, Snively survives and is accompanied by an unseen ally with red eyes, stated by writer Ben Hurst to be the evil sorcerer Naugus, who would have become the main antagonist if a third season were produced.


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 ...
(voiced by Jaleel White as his older self and Tahj Mowry as his younger self) is a blue hedgehog and the main
protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a ...
of the series. He is able to run at superhuman speed, and is the only Freedom Fighter capable of using magical rings called Power Rings. Sonic has an impatient and head-strong personality, but is also fearless, heroic, and well-meaning. He always mockingly refers to Robotnik as "Ro-butt-nik". * Princess Sally Alicia Acorn (voiced by
Kath Soucie Kath Soucie (, ). is an American voice actress, known for voicing Phil, Lil and their mother Betty DeVille in '' Rugrats'', Lola Bunny in the ''Looney Tunes'' franchise, Fifi La Fume and Li'l Sneezer in ''Tiny Toon Adventures'', Maddie Fent ...
as her older self and Lindsay Ridgeway as her younger self) is a chipmunk who is the rightful princess of Mobotropolis and Sonic's love interest. As strategist and leader of the Knothole Freedom Fighters, she is knowledgeable and the voice of reason. Sally tries to keep Sonic grounded. She is known for her compassion and master diplomacy. * Bunnie Rabbot (voiced by
Christine Cavanaugh Christine Josephine Cavanaugh (''née'' Sandberg; August 16, 1963 – December 22, 2014) was an American actress, who had a distinctive speaking style and provided the voice for a large range of cartoon characters. She was the original voices o ...
) is a Southern-accented rabbit. Half of her body was roboticized, leaving her left arm and both legs mechanical. She is skilled in martial arts and wants to be returned to normal. * Antoine "Ant" Depardieu (voiced by
Rob Paulsen Robert Frederick Paulsen III (born March 11, 1956) is an American voice actor and voice director, known for his roles in numerous animated television series and films. He received a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Pro ...
) is a French-accented coyote whose awkwardness often places the others in danger and gets him captured. He has some difficulty speaking English. He has romantic feelings for Princess Sally, and attempts to impress her. However, his selfishness hinders this goal. Sonic often teases Antoine over his shortcomings. * Rotor (voiced by Mark Ballou in Season 1 and Cam Brainard in Season 2) is a walrus and the mechanic of Knothole Village. He provides the Knothole Freedom Fighters with useful inventions, and accompanies them on infiltrations. * Tails (voiced by Bradley Pierce) is a young two-tailed fox who idolizes Sonic. While usually left behind in Knothole, he proves useful in deadly missions. * Nicole (voiced by
Kath Soucie Kath Soucie (, ). is an American voice actress, known for voicing Phil, Lil and their mother Betty DeVille in '' Rugrats'', Lola Bunny in the ''Looney Tunes'' franchise, Fifi La Fume and Li'l Sneezer in ''Tiny Toon Adventures'', Maddie Fent ...
) is a portable computer that Sally uses to hack into Robotnik's technology. Nicole speaks in a female monotone, and exhibits artificial intelligence. It is indicated that Sally received Nicole from her father. * Dulcy (voiced by
Cree Summer Cree Summer Francks (born July 7, 1969) is an American-Canadian actress and singer. She is best known for her extensive work in animation, voicing characters such as Elmyra Duff in ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' and related media, Susie Carmichael ...
) is a young dragon, who provides the Knothole Freedom Fighters with transportation. Sporting powerful lungs, Dulcy can blow enemies away and burn/freeze them with fire or ice breath. She has trouble landing, and often crashes mid-flight.


Villains

* Dr. Ivo Robotnik (voiced by
Jim Cummings James Jonah Cummings (born November 3, 1952) is an American voice actor. Beginning his career in the 1980s, he has appeared in over 400 titles. Cummings has frequently worked with the Walt Disney Company and Warner Bros., serving as the offic ...
) is an evil human
warlord Warlords are individuals who exercise military, Economy, economic, and Politics, political control over a region, often one State collapse, without a strong central or national government, typically through informal control over Militia, local ...
who seeks to cover Mobius in machinery and transform its population into robotic slaves by roboticizing them. He is chiefly opposed by the Knothole Freedom Fighters. Robotnik's obsession with destroying Sonic is often his downfall. In this version, his real first name is Julian, adopting the moniker "Robotnik" after his takeover. ** Snively (voiced by
Charlie Adler Charles Michael Adler (born October 2, 1956) is an American voice actor and voice director. He is known for his roles as Buster Bunny on ''Tiny Toon Adventures'', the Bigheads on ''Rocko's Modern Life'', Ickis on ''Aaahh!!! Real Monsters'', Doc ...
) is Robotnik's nephew and assistant. He is frequently abused by his uncle. As such, Snively hates Robotnik and plots behind his back. ** Cluck (vocal effects by
Frank Welker Franklin Wendell Welker (born March 12, 1946) is an American actor who specializes in voice acting. He began his career in the 1960s, and held around 850 film, television, and video game credits as of 2020, making him one of the most prolific v ...
) is a robotic chicken-like bird and the only creature Robotnik shows affection towards. ** Swat-Bots (voiced by
Jim Cummings James Jonah Cummings (born November 3, 1952) is an American voice actor. Beginning his career in the 1980s, he has appeared in over 400 titles. Cummings has frequently worked with the Walt Disney Company and Warner Bros., serving as the offic ...
and
Frank Welker Franklin Wendell Welker (born March 12, 1946) is an American actor who specializes in voice acting. He began his career in the 1960s, and held around 850 film, television, and video game credits as of 2020, making him one of the most prolific v ...
) are Robotnik's primary henchmen and foot soldiers. * Ixis Naugus (voiced by Michael Bell) is a powerful humanoid sorcerer of indeterminate species with bat-like ears, a rhinoceros horn on his head, a crustacean-like claw for a left hand, and a lizard-like tail. He resents his former associate Robotnik for betraying and imprisoning him within the Void. Naugus desires retribution, but he cannot escape without turning into crystal due to him being in the Void for too long as he can no longer exist outside the void.


Supporting

* Sir Charles "Chuck" Hedgehog (voiced by
William Windom William Windom may refer to: * William Windom (politician) (1827–1891), U.S. representative from Minnesota * William Windom (actor) (1923–2012), his great-grandson, American actor See also * William Windham (disambiguation) {{hndis, Wi ...
) is Sonic's uncle, and the inventor of the Roboticizer before Robotnik stole it. He was roboticized and made into one of Robotnik's slaves, until Sonic restored his free will. He serves as a spy for the Freedom Fighters. According to Robby London, he was named after the writer and animator,
Chuck Menville Charles David Menville (April 17, 1940 – June 15, 1992) was an American animator and writer for television. His credits included '' Batman: The Animated Series'', '' Land of the Lost'', ''The Real Ghostbusters'', ''The Smurfs'', '' Star Trek: ...
, who died in 1992. * Ari Ram (voiced by
Dorian Harewood Dorian Harewood (born August 6, 1950) is an American actor, best known for playing Jesse Owens in '' The Jesse Owens Story'' (1984), Det. Paul Strobber on '' Strike Force'' (1981–1982), and Rev. Morgan Hamilton in '' 7th Heaven'' (1996–2003 ...
) is a Freedom Fighter who worked as a double agent for Robotnik, only to be betrayed later and trapped in the Void. He is later rescued by Sonic and joins the Knothole Freedom Fighters. * King Acorn (voiced by
Tim Curry Timothy James Curry (born 19 April 1946) is an English actor and singer. He rose to prominence as Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the musical film '' The Rocky Horror Picture Show'' (1975), reprising the role he had originated in the 1973 London, 1974 L ...
) is the former king of Mobotropolis and Sally's father. He was banished to the Void during Robotnik's takeover, and like Naugus, cannot escape without turning into crystal due to prolonged exposure to the Void. But before returning to the Void, he gives Sally the list of all the Freedom Fighter groups in Mobius, telling her to find them, unify them under her banner and establish a Freedom Fighter network so they can be strong enough to overthrow Robotnik once and for all. * Lupe Wolf (voiced by Shari Belafonte) – Leader of the Wolfpack Freedom Fighters and one of the Knothole Freedom Fighters' allies in the fight against Robotnik.


Voice cast

* Jaleel White as
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 ...
** Tahj Mowry as Young Sonic *
Charlie Adler Charles Michael Adler (born October 2, 1956) is an American voice actor and voice director. He is known for his roles as Buster Bunny on ''Tiny Toon Adventures'', the Bigheads on ''Rocko's Modern Life'', Ickis on ''Aaahh!!! Real Monsters'', Doc ...
as Snively * Mark Ballou as Rotor Walrus (Season 1) * Cam Brainard as Rotor Walrus (Season 2) *
Christine Cavanaugh Christine Josephine Cavanaugh (''née'' Sandberg; August 16, 1963 – December 22, 2014) was an American actress, who had a distinctive speaking style and provided the voice for a large range of cartoon characters. She was the original voices o ...
as Bunnie Rabbot *
Jim Cummings James Jonah Cummings (born November 3, 1952) is an American voice actor. Beginning his career in the 1980s, he has appeared in over 400 titles. Cummings has frequently worked with the Walt Disney Company and Warner Bros., serving as the offic ...
as Dr. Julian Robotnik, Nasty Hyenas, Swat-Bots, additional voices *
Rob Paulsen Robert Frederick Paulsen III (born March 11, 1956) is an American voice actor and voice director, known for his roles in numerous animated television series and films. He received a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Pro ...
as Antoine Depardieu * Bradley Pierce as
Miles "Tails" Prower Miles "Tails" Prower is a character created by the Japanese game designer Yasushi Yamaguchi. He is a major character in Sega's ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' franchise. Tails is an anthropomorphic fox cub with two tails (hence his nickname) who serv ...
*
Kath Soucie Kath Soucie (, ). is an American voice actress, known for voicing Phil, Lil and their mother Betty DeVille in '' Rugrats'', Lola Bunny in the ''Looney Tunes'' franchise, Fifi La Fume and Li'l Sneezer in ''Tiny Toon Adventures'', Maddie Fent ...
as Princess Sally Acorn, Nicole *
Cree Summer Cree Summer Francks (born July 7, 1969) is an American-Canadian actress and singer. She is best known for her extensive work in animation, voicing characters such as Elmyra Duff in ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' and related media, Susie Carmichael ...
as Dulcy the Dragon *
Frank Welker Franklin Wendell Welker (born March 12, 1946) is an American actor who specializes in voice acting. He began his career in the 1960s, and held around 850 film, television, and video game credits as of 2020, making him one of the most prolific v ...
as Cluck, Swat-Bots, Muttski, Kraken, Terapods, additional voices *
William Windom William Windom may refer to: * William Windom (politician) (1827–1891), U.S. representative from Minnesota * William Windom (actor) (1923–2012), his great-grandson, American actor See also * William Windham (disambiguation) {{hndis, Wi ...
as Uncle Chuck * Shari Belafonte as Lupe Wolf * Michael Bell as Ixis Naugus * Crystal Cooke as Additional voices *
Tim Curry Timothy James Curry (born 19 April 1946) is an English actor and singer. He rose to prominence as Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the musical film '' The Rocky Horror Picture Show'' (1975), reprising the role he had originated in the 1973 London, 1974 L ...
as King Acorn, Keeper of the Time Stones * David Doyle as Cat, Additional voices * Dave Fennoy as Additional voices * Alaina Reed Hall as Nasty Hyenas *
Dorian Harewood Dorian Harewood (born August 6, 1950) is an American actor, best known for playing Jesse Owens in '' The Jesse Owens Story'' (1984), Det. Paul Strobber on '' Strike Force'' (1981–1982), and Rev. Morgan Hamilton in '' 7th Heaven'' (1996–2003 ...
as Ari Ram, additional voices * Gaile Heidemann as Additional voices * Dana Hill as Baby T * John Kassir as Additional voices *
Katie Leigh Katie Leigh is an American voice actress. She has voice acted in both television, film and occasionally video game roles. Career Katie Leigh is known for her voice roles such as Sunni Gummi in '' Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears'', Zuzu in ...
as Additional voices * Nancy Linari as Additional voices * Victor Love as Additional voices * Danny Mann as Additional voices *
Jason Marsden Jason Christopher Marsden (born January 3, 1975) is an American actor, director and producer, who has done numerous voice roles in animated films, as well as various television series and video games. He is best known for his voice roles as the ...
as Additional voices *
Hal Rayle Hal Rayle (born January 3, 1955) is an American voice actor. He has done many roles for both animated series and live action movies. Career Rayle has had a number of voice acting jobs over his career. Rayle's animated series roles include Miss P ...
as Additional voices * Lindsay Ridgeway as Young Princess Sally *
Charlie Schlatter Charlie Schlatter is an American actor who has appeared in several films and television series. He is best known for his role as Dr. Jesse Travis, the resident student of Dr. Mark Sloan (played by Dick Van Dyke) on the CBS series '' Diagnosis: ...
as Griff *
April Winchell April Terri Winchell (born January 4, 1960) is an American actress, writer, and radio host. Since 1996, she has been the voice of Clarabelle Cow. Early life Born on January 4, 1960, in Whitestone, New York, but raised in the Greater Los Angel ...
as Rosie, Ro-Becca, additional voices


Crew

* Marsha Gooodman - Casting director * Ginny McSwain - Casting director and voice director


Production

''Sonic the Hedgehog'' was created by DiC Animation City in association with
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 ...
, which produced a total of 26 episodes for its two-season run, and the Italian studio Reteitalia S.p.A., part of
Fininvest Finanziaria d'investimento Fininvest S.p.A., also known as Fininvest, is an Italian holding company controlled by the Berlusconi family and managed by Silvio Berlusconi's eldest daughter Marina Berlusconi. Structure The Fininvest group is com ...
company in association with
Telecinco Telecinco is a Spanish free-to-air television channel operated by Mediaset España. The channel was previously known as Tele 5, because it had first begun its experimental transmissions on 10 March 1989, and a year later, it was officially laun ...
. The show's animation was outsourced to the Korean studio Sae Rom Production and Spanish studio Milimetros. Pre-production stages of the show's first season (as well as the weekday syndicated show ''Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog'') were handled by Canadian Studio B (later known as DHX Media Vancouver). Before production began, Sega of America CEO
Tom Kalinske Thomas Kalinske (born July 17, 1944) is an American businessman who has worked for Mattel (1972–1987), Matchbox (1987-1990), Sega of America (1990–1996) and LeapFrog (1997–2006). At Mattel, Kalinske was credited with reviving the Barbie ...
and its newly appointed consumer products director Michealene Risley approached DiC Entertainment's CEO
Andy Heyward Andrew B. Heyward (born February 19, 1949) is an American media executive and animator who is currently CEO of Kartoon Studios, formerly known as Genius Brands International. He previously worked at defunct animation studio and production com ...
and the ABC network to produce a television show featuring Sonic. After being shown the character, Heyward agreed to make the show and was granted the license. According to Robby London, DiC originally made a deal to produce only the Saturday morning ''Sonic'' series for the ABC network, which was originally planned to air in the Fall of 1992. The cartoon was to be more light-hearted compared to the final product, as reflected by the episode "Heads or Tails", early promotional material found in Fleetway's ''Sonic the Comic'' and the early issues of Sonic the Hedgehog comics by Archie, which were based on the Saturday morning Sonic cartoon. However, DiC also wanted to expand the show and produce additional episodes for weekday syndication as well, similar to what DiC had previously done with ''
The Real Ghostbusters ''The Real Ghostbusters'' is an American animated television series, a spin-off and sequel of the 1984 comedy film ''Ghostbusters''. The series ran on ABC between September 13, 1986 and October 5, 1991, and was a joint production of DIC Enter ...
'', but
Mark Pedowitz Mark Pedowitz is an American entertainment executive. From 2011 to 2022, he was the president, and then chairman and CEO of The CW, after replacing the former president of entertainment Dawn Ostroff. During his time at The CW, Pedowitz oversaw al ...
, the then-senior vice president of business affairs and contracts at ABC, who expected the Sonic cartoon to air exclusively on ABC, rejected the idea, telling London "If you guys want to do syndication, be our guest, go with God, but you won’t be on our network." ABC would not agree to the deal until London came with a proposition that DiC would produce a separate, vastly different Sonic show for syndication instead, the result of which became ''
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 ...
''. Afterwards, ABC was at first willing to air only a single half-hour episode as a prime-time special scheduled to air in March 1993 (which would become the episode "Heads or Tails") before ultimately delaying it and including it as part of the show which ABC picked up again for a full season, this time airing in the Fall of 1993, alongside ''Adventures'' airing in syndication at the same time. During that time, the Saturday morning Sonic cartoon received a makeover and was made darker and more serious in order to distinguish itself from the syndicated Sonic cartoon. The show bible for the Saturday morning Sonic cartoon was written in February 1992 with the final revision made on March 10, 1993.


Episodes


Series overview


Season 1 (1993)


Season 2 (1994)


Broadcast and distribution


Initial run

The Saturday morning series differs from ''
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 ...
'', which premiered two weeks earlier and aired on weekdays in syndication. While ''Adventures'' is lighthearted and comical, ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' featured a comparatively complex plot and dramatic atmosphere. It explored unusual story concepts for animation, including losing loved ones to war and relationships focusing on young couples. While featuring a darker tone in comparison to ''Adventures'', the Saturday morning show's first season had an episodic structure and aired out of order, however the second season featured a story arc (which would've continued in the later seasons, had the show not been cancelled). At ABC's request, the second season included episodes devoted to humor, while darker and dramatic elements were reduced. Other changes in season two include Princess Sally donning a jacket, Dulcy the Dragon being added to the cast and Rotor receiving a new design. ABC also ended up, in some weeks, airing back-to-back episodes of this show during the 1st season, while in Season 2, each time slot for the show was for a single episode only.


Cancellation

While the second season ended on a
cliffhanger A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious situation, facing a difficult dilemma or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode of serialized fiction or bef ...
, a third season was planned, but before the production on it could start, the show was cancelled for a number of reasons. According to the show's second season head writer, Ben Hurst in an interview found in the 2007 complete series DVD set, as well as archived conversations with fans online from the late 1990s, the show was cancelled due to being pre-empted for sport events, competing in the same time slot as
FOX Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...
's popular ''
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers ''Mighty Power Rangers'' (''MMPR'') is an American superhero television series that premiered on August 28, 1993, on the Fox Kids programming block. It is the first entry of the ''Power Rangers'' franchise, and became a 1990s popular culture, ...
'' and most notably due to ABC (who at the time entered a limited partnership with DiC Entertainment before becoming its owner) being bought by
Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
and new people in charge coming in who weren't interested in renewing the show. At the same time Hurst also denied the rumored reason for the show's cancellation being DiC selling the show's animation cels during the show's run without telling Sega of America. This turned out to be not only true, but also the main reason for the show's cancellation. According to the agreements between DiC and Sega from 1991 and 1992, Sega of America was the sole owner of both the Saturday morning and the weekday syndicated shows, as well as their original characters, props, backgrounds, design sheets, storyboards, scripts, cels, music, animation footage, etc. DiC, by selling the show's animation cels, had breached their agreement, which led to Sega seeking legal action in 1995 and filing a prohibitory injunction on DiC, which would prevent them from continuing production on the show, thus ultimately ending the show's run.


Reruns, syndication and international distribution

After the program's initial run, it appeared on the
USA Network USA Network (or simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Media Group division of Comcast's NBCUniversal. It was launched in 1977 as Madison Square Garden Sports Network, one of the first national sports ...
's '' Action Extreme Team'' block from June 1997 to January 1998. ABC did not replicate this, replacing ''Sonic'' with reruns of ''
Free Willy ''Free Willy'' is a 1993 American Adventure film, adventure Drama (film and television), drama film, directed by Simon Wincer, produced by Lauren Shuler Donner and Jennie Lew Tugend, written by Keith A. Walker and Corey Blechman from a story by ...
''. ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' aired in Canada on the CTV Network, with a bonus summer run between June 10 and September 2, 1995. It has not been rerun on broadcast or cable television in Canada since its cancellation on CTV, but was present on the Shomi video-on-demand platform until its November 30, 2016, closure. In 2004, it started airing on Spacetoon TV in the
MENA The Middle East and North Africa (MENA), also referred to as West Asia and North Africa (WANA) or South West Asia and North Africa (SWANA), is a geographic region which comprises the Middle East (also called West Asia) and North Africa together ...
region until May 2015. All scenes with depicted romance have been censored due to federal laws in Saudi Arabia. From 1994 to 1996, it had a complete run on the UK television on ITV and Channel 4, In December 1994, the first season was broadcast in the
Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland, with a population of about 5.4 million. ...
on
RTÉ2 RTÉ2 (formerly branded as RTÉ 2 from 1978–88, Network 2 from 1988–97, N2 from 1997–2004 and RTÉ Two from 2004–14) is an Irish free-to-air television channel operated by public service broadcaster RTÉ. It was launched on 2 Novemb ...
. On September 2, 2016, reruns of the series began airing on
Starz Starz (stylized in all caps as STARZ; pronounced "stars") is an American pay television network owned by Starz Entertainment, and is the flagship property of Starz Inc. Launched in 1994 as a multiplex service of what is now Starz Encore, ...
. In September 2003, DIC revealed a new international package consisting of ''
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 ...
'', ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' and the ''Sonic Christmas Blast'' special, titled "Totally Sonic!". The package would also feature digitally re-mastered, color-enhanced versions of the shows with new contemporary music, as well as bonus director's cut "Secret Sonic" episodes. As of 2020, the show can be found on demand on
Pluto TV Pluto TV is an American free ad-supported streaming television service owned and operated by the Paramount Streaming division of Paramount Global. Founded by Tom Ryan (business executive), Tom Ryan, Ilya Pozin and Nick Grouf in 2013 and based in ...
on
Paramount+ Paramount+ (formerly known as CBS All Access in the United States and 10 All Access in Australia) is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, stream ...
, as well as
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
. On March 15, 2021, it began airing in Malaysia on TA-DAA!.


Home releases


In other media


Comics

Archie's ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' comic book was initially based on the Saturday morning cartoon. From its earliest issues, the book shared the characters and story premise established within it. However, the comic differed in that it featured humorous plots modeled after the weekday show. After writer
Ken Penders Kenneth W. Penders, II (born September 28, 1958) is an American comics artist and writer. Penders is known for his work on the Archie Comics series ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' and its ''Knuckles the Echidna'' spin-off, which he contributed to from ...
had the opportunity to view the Saturday morning program, the comic gradually became adventure-driven. The comic series shifted focus again after ABC cancelled ''Sonic the Hedgehog'', developing into a relationship-based
superhero A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...
story, and following a
reboot In computing, rebooting is the process by which a running computer system is restarted, either intentionally or unintentionally. Reboots can be either a cold reboot (alternatively known as a hard reboot) in which the power to the system is physi ...
, Archie's ''Sonic'' was primarily inspired by the
video game series This is a list of video game franchises, organized alphabetically. All entries include multiple video games, not counting ports or altered re-releases. 0–9 *''1080° Snowboarding'' *''1942'' *'' 3D Ultra Minigolf'' *'' 3-D Ultra Pinball'' *'' ...
. Nevertheless, the characters and locales from the Saturday morning cartoon remained prominent until the comic's cancellation in July 2017.


Video games

Several video games were intended to use elements from the TV series, although only one was completed. This was ''
Sonic Spinball ''Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball'', also known as ''Sonic Spinball'', is a 1993 pinball video game developed by Sega Technical Institute and published by Sega for the Sega Genesis. It is a spin-off of the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series. Players ...
'', released in 1993 for the
Sega Genesis The Sega Genesis, known as the outside North America, is a 16-bit Fourth generation of video game consoles, fourth generation home video game console developed and sold by Sega. It was Sega's third console and the successor to the Master Sys ...
. It contained characters from the show, including Princess Sally, Bunnie Rabbot, Rotor and Muttski. ''Spinball'' was commissioned due to ''
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is a 1994 platform game developed by Sega Technical Institute and published by Sega for the Sega Genesis. Like previous ''Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic'' games, players traverse side-scrolling levels while collecting Rings (Sonic the Hedgehog), ri ...
'' being pushed back from its intended 1993 release in the
holiday shopping season A holiday is a day or other period of time set aside for festivals or recreation. ''Public holidays'' are set by public authorities and vary by state or region. Religious holidays are set by religious organisations for their members and are ofte ...
to February 1994, with the game being developed in under a year. An 8-bit port of the game was also released for the
Master System The is an 8-bit Third generation of video game consoles, third-generation home video game console manufactured and developed by Sega. It was originally a remodeled export version of the Sega Mark III, the third iteration of the SG-1000 series ...
and
Game Gear The is an 8-bit Fourth generation of video game consoles, fourth-generation handheld game console released by Sega on October 6, 1990 in Japan, in April 1991 throughout North America and Europe, and in 1992 in Australia. The Game Gear primarily ...
due to the poor reception of '' Sonic Drift'' in Japan. Another video game tentatively titled ''Sonic-16'' was intended to be set in the same universe, with a prototype being created by
Sega Technical Institute Sega Technical Institute (STI) was an American video game developer owned by Sega. Founded by the Atari veteran Mark Cerny in 1990, STI sought to combine elite Japanese developers, including the Sonic Team programmer Yuji Naka and his team, wit ...
in November 1993. However,
Yuji Naka , credited in some games as YU2, is a Japanese video game designer and programmer. He is the co-creator of the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series and was the president of Sonic Team at Sega until his departure in 2006. Naka joined Sega in 1984 and w ...
and Sega management disliked the project, allgedly due to its slow-paced nature, and it was soon cancelled without any further development. Directly afterwards, the same team worked on ''Sonic Mars''; this would have featured Princess Sally and Bunnie Rabbot as playable characters. This project eventually evolved into '' Sonic X-treme'', which was cancelled in 1996 due to development difficulties.
Hackers A hacker is a person skilled in information technology who achieves goals and solves problems by non-standard means. The term has become associated in popular culture with a security hackersomeone with knowledge of bugs or exploits to break ...
also found within the data of the
arcade game An arcade game or coin-op game is a coin-operated entertainment machine typically installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are presented as primarily game of skill, games of skill and in ...
'' SegaSonic the Hedgehog'' (1993) a near-complete sprite sheet for the Robotnik design used in the cartoon, with it being speculated it was to be used in a scrapped English localization. In the North American Sonic CD manual, Amy Rose is identified as Princess Sally.


Revival attempts

The co-story editor of the show's second season, Ben Hurst, spent many years trying to revive the series through various media. He would go on to write for Sonic Underground, but due to the plot of the series already being set in stone by the time he, and his co-writer Pat Allee, came on board the series, they were unable to do so. Hurst would later state that, had he been brought on to the series first, he would've made it the third season of Sonic SatAM. He would also state that, if forced to include songs in the series, he would've either simply had it play over footage, or had Bunnie and Antoine (or Tails, according to his friend Allison Scharlemann), sing the songs. Hurst would later attend
San Diego Comic-Con San Diego Comic-Con is a comic book convention and multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California, at the San Diego Convention Center. Founded in 1970, originally showcasing primarily comic books and science fiction/fant ...
in August 1999, meeting the head writer of the Archie Sonic comics, Ken Penders. Ben expressed interest in wrapping up the SatAM story in a comic, with him eventually being offered a Sonic Super Special. However, Ben eventually decided to pass on this. Ken said the reasoning was that he passed because Archie's pay rates were much lower than that of animation writing. Although Ben would additionally state a while after this that it simply wouldn't have been possible to conclude the series in a single comic, and would need at least 17 to 20 issues to properly conclude the story. Ken's retellings of the story would also feature some contradictions, as in an earlier telling of these events, he stated Art Mawhinney, a storyboard artist for SatAM, would’ve been assigned to do the art for this Super Special. However, he would later on state that Patrick "Spaz" Spazinate was actually assigned to the pencils, with Ken likely having done the inking. After this, Hurst looked into other avenues for continuing the SatAM story, with him considering the idea of either reviving the series for a third and fourth season, before considering the idea of instead concluding the story in a film. He'd eventually have a meeting with DiC executive Robby London on February 29, 2000. Hurst learned quite a bit about the animation industry, and realized that reviving the series for more televised seasons simply did not seem viable. While he said direct to video was more likely, he felt the best bet was to attempt to conclude the SatAM story as a feature film. Robby London gave Hurst the number of a Sega executive. "My marketing strategy is simple: a great film could create an awakened interest in Sonic, breathe new life into the existing produced series and increase the marketing and merchandising possibilities for the little blue guy." Hurst would eventually call said the Sega executive, explaining his idea for a Sonic feature film to her, to which they had a very pleasant conversation, and she said she'd like to talk again. The next day, Archie Sonic writer Ken Penders gave him a call, alerted by his contact in their office that he was interested in getting a Sonic movie going. "I generously offered to include him in the effort and told him my strategy. Get SEGA to become invested in the idea by hiring us to interview their creative game designers, execs, etc and see if we could develop a story line that would fulfill the third season - and simultaneously give them creative ideas to develop new games. A win-win, situation." However, once he called Sega back, his contact's demeanor had completely changed; they angrily stated that Sega is paid to develop Sonic projects, rather than paying others to do so. Hurst theorized that Penders had told them about their strategy in a "less-than-flattering way". While this event caused Hurst to briefly give up on trying to revive the SatAM series, he would eventually start working on it again once more. During 2003, Hurst would start writing a story document for the conclusion film, and, according to him, he had dozens of notes with story ideas on them. In 2005, Hurst's best friend (and husband to his sister) was diagnosed with cancer, and was given only months to live. After a long talk with him about their long friendship, the topic of Sonic came up once again. "As we were discussing it, he reminded me that none of us know how long we will be allowed to stay here on earth. Then, he put his hand on my shoulder and informed me, ‘Ya gotta follow your dreams,’ and with a grin, he added, ‘Juice and jam time for both of us.’" With this discussion, Ben decided to try and revive the film project one more time. His last plan to get the SatAM movie out was to get a completely separate movie out, and then use his name on that movie to pitch the SatAM movie. Len Janson helped write the script, a film entitled "The Gift", loosely based on the story of "Le Pétomane". However, this attempt also failed, with him saying "I don't think it will ever sell. It would be a monster hit, but Hollywood Execs are scared to death of it." Hurst still never gave up hope, and apparently planned to try one more time, by gathering a group of fans together to make a presentation for Sega. However, this would not come to pass. Hurst would later die in August 2011, and his good friend, Allison Scharlemann, would release what she had of Ben Hurst's notes for the SatAM film. Allison would later share more details she remembered from her conversations with Ben on forums, the Ben Hurst memorial, and for "Ben’s Vision - The Lost Sonic SatAM Third Season/Film", a documentary which told the story of Ben Hurst's many revival attempts, and what was known of Ben Hurst's plans for the unmade film/season.


Team Sea3on

From 2019 onwards, a group of fans calling themselves 'Team Sea3on' spun out from the online "FUS" community ("Fans United for SatAM,") and began work on bringing a third season of the series to life, basing the plot lines on both Ben Hurst's original notes as well as the group's active
webcomic Webcomics (also known as online comics or Internet comics) are comics published on the internet, such as on a website or a mobile app. While many webcomics are published exclusively online, others are also published in magazines, newspapers, or ...
. The group are presently working within 'proper legal channels' to advance the project with Sega's awareness. The effort gained attention from the likes of
IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
. In April 2022, a full teaser trailer was uploaded to the group's YouTube channel, with a cover of the SatAM theme song "''Fastest Thing Alive''" by Johnny Gioeli of
Crush 40 Crush 40 is a Japanese-American hard rock band. The group consists of guitarist and composer Jun Senoue and principal vocalist Johnny Gioeli. Crush 40 is best known for producing most soundtracks for the Sonic The Hedgehog series in the 2000s. ...
.


Reception

''Sonic the Hedgehog'' ranked No. 9 for all of Saturday Morning with a 5.2 rating, an estimated 4.8 million viewers during its first season.
Ian Flynn James Ian Flynn (born May 31, 1982), also known by his Internet pen name Ian Potto, is an American-Canadian comic book writer. He was chief writer for Archie Comics's ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' since issue #160, after the departure of the previous chi ...
thought that ''Sonic the Hedgehog's'' story has too much attention on Princess Sally, giving Sonic the role of
deus ex machina ''Deus ex machina'' ( ; ; plural: ''dei ex machina''; 'God from the machine') is a plot device whereby a seemingly unsolvable problem in a story is suddenly or abruptly resolved by an unexpected and unlikely occurrence. Its function is general ...
to deal with every episode's conflict. Also, he noted the show's "90's eco-awareness". The first season received an approval rating of 40% on
review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews and ratings of products and services, such as films, books, video games, music, software, hardware, or cars. This system then stores the reviews to be used for supporting a website where user ...
website
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
, based on five reviews. 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 ...
'' gave it a positive review, saying that "the show pushed its cartoon animal characters to the most dramatic places they could go without venturing into self-parody. Over the course of the series, the characters dealt with loss, romance, and
death Death is the end of life; the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain a living organism. Death eventually and inevitably occurs in all organisms. The remains of a former organism normally begin to decompose sh ...
..The entire series successfully pulled off that sort of balancing act, and even 20 years later, it’s still a solid Saturday morning cartoon". Mark Bozon of ''
IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
'' criticized the show as dated, considering it "so bad, it's good." Writing for ''
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 ...
'', Todd Douglass Jr. remarked that ''Sonic'' didn't stand the test of time. Overall, he considered it to be of low quality, although he found the stories "Ultra Sonic" and "Blast to the Past" to be "the crème of the crop." Luke Owen of ''Flickering Myth'' felt ''Sonic'' aged better than is often supposed, praising its well-executed characterizations and treatment of war, although he considered Antoine to be "one of the worst characters committed to a cartoon series." ''
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 ...
'' listed the show as one of "the worst things to happen to Sonic." It criticized its plot and characters as "unwanted". '' The Escapist'' journalist Bob Chipman credited the series with providing a viably menacing take on Doctor Robotnik, and an engaging narrative. Bob Mackey of ''
USgamer Gamer Network Limited (formerly Eurogamer Network Limited) is a British digital media company based in London. Founded in 1999 by Rupert and Nick Loman, it owns brands—primarily editorial websites—relating to video game journalism and ot ...
'' wrote that the cartoon's writing didn't live up to its intriguing premise. In particular, he argued that the Antoine character perpetrated negative French stereotypes. ''Sonic'' co-creator
Naoto Ohshima (born February 26, 1964) is a Japanese video game designer and artist, best known for designing Sonic the Hedgehog and Dr. Eggman from Sega's ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' franchise. Although Yuji Naka made a tech demo around which ''Sonic'' gameplay ...
later stated that he is a fan of the series and its characters, and that he owns a promotional cel given to him by DiC Entertainment during the show's production.


Notes


References


External links


''Sonic the Hedgehog''
at the
Big Cartoon DataBase The Big Cartoon DataBase (or BCDB for short) was an online database of information about animated cartoons, animated feature films, animated television shows, and cartoon shorts. The BCDB project began in 1997 as a list of Disney animated f ...
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