हेजहॉग सोनिक

This show came out a short time after the other Sonic cartoon. That one was on at the same time as Animaniacs and seeing how I hated it so much, I had no reason at all to watch. Then I hear of this new one, and see that it looks a lot different. After one episode I was hooked. The theme song was great and it was a very cool look at Sonic's world. Man, I wish that the video games were based on the characters on this show. It would've been much more interesting. I liked most of them. Bunnie Rabbot, Princess Sally, Tails, Rotor, Dulcy, Arrie, Uncle Chuck, and (believe it or not) Antoine. I see a lot of people here didn't like him, but heck, he's the comic relief. A lot of shows need comic relief. This was, up to last year, my favorite show based on a video game (Pokemon has now taken its place), but I wish it would've succeeded. I hated the fact that it was off the air right when things were really getting interesting between Sonic and Sally. What cruel fate for such a worthy show.

In the 1990s, there was a cool little cliche permeating Saturday morning action cartoons: dystopian future resistance group against megalomaniac and his legions of disposable troops. It started as episodes in ongoing cartoons where the main characters get shunted into a bad future but soon it became the premise that entire shows were built on. One of such shows was SONIC THE HEDGEHOG.

Deviating entirely from the video game source materials, this Saturday morning cartoon had the titular Super speedster join a resistance group led by one Princess Sally. The evil doctor Robotic has taken over the kingdom of Mobotropolis (renamed Robotropolis) and has turned most of its anthronorphic animal populace into subservient robots. Episodes typically involve incursions into the mechanized city or exploring the often deadly countryside for some means to defeat the machine empire and return its people back to normal.

Operating out of the secluded Knothole village, the resistance is a collection of characters with unique and sometimes exaggerated personalities. Aside from the childlike twin tailed fox named Tails, Sonic's best pal from the games, the others are original characters which would occasionally get an episode focused on their development, and them overcoming whatever personality shortcomings they may have whether it's An arrogant one learning humility, an aloof one learning to count on friends or the trusting one learning to be more discerning.

The episodes may seem formulaic after a while but a few of the standout ones do contain a fair amount of tragedy and are surprisingly dark for a kids cartoon. And that's where Sonic himself becomes a bit of a problem.

The stakes are dire, the situation is grim, but here comes Sonic with his "totally radicool" speech style, ever ready with an unfunny quip or cringe pun. His fast talking comical overconfidence stands as a stark contrast to the bleak atmosphere of the plot. A skilled writer could have written his jokey demeanour as a coping mechanism to deal with tragedies he has faced. But alas, it is just passed off as Sonic being Sonic.

The series gets better when it has Princess Sally front and centre. She is a leader, an emotionally vulnerable individual dealing with the loss of her family and kingdom but having to present a strong front to her followers. She is the one reining in Sonic's wild side to get things done; the burden of leadership and the hopes of an entire world weighing down on her petite shoulders.

Another great character for me is Doctor Robotnik. This is not the bombastic boisterous baddie from the games. This guy means business. His rotund character design is offset by inhuman demonic looking eyes and a voice oozing with menace that elevates him from funny fatty to a truly devious devil.

On the quality side of things the animation is more consistent than its sister series ADVENTURES OF SONIC THE HEDGEHOG. There are cool visuals like the polluted dystopia of Robotropolis or the mysterious wilds of mobius, as well as moments of standout animation. Generally it is a tad better than typical outsourced Cartoons of its time but still no where near the level of detail as Japanese anime.

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG saw a bit of changes after the first 13 episodes giving us slight design tweaks, stories that were less dark and Robotnik lost some of his menace. By the time it was cancelled after 26 episodes, quality had dipped to the point of repeating or looping past animation to pad out the run time. At very least it ended on a satisfactory though rushed and cheesy conclusion (power of love saves the day) leaving enough teases to spawn an entire franchise continuing in comic form.

Considering the time period of its debut, and its contemporaries catering to the same pre teen target demographic , SONIC THE HEDGEHOG is above average. It lacks the clever scripting of the BEAST WARS, the solid character development in various DC Animated series or the quality control of the Disney cartoons, but it is certainly a better cartoon based off a video game than the likes of Legend of Zelda or Double dragon.

The standout episodes especially the two parter taking place in the past hit all the right pointers for engaging animated stories while the episodes in between feel like mediocre run of the mill filler held up purely by the characters and cast.

I've be a fan of Sonic the Hedgehog ever since SEGA released the games for the Mega Drive in the early 1990s. I have the games (Sonic Mega Collection) for the PlayStation 2 now. I still remember this version of Sonic the Hedgehog, I remember getting up every Sunday morning at 8am to watch this show (here in the UK, it was shown a day later than in the USA).

I also remember the previous show, Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, I have to say I like it as well. But looking back, I'd have to say I liked the other version better. Sonic the Hedgehog or SatAM as it is known, was darker in tone, this is what really stood out to me, that and excellent story and animation.

The voice actors really made the characters come to life, in my opinion, Jaleel White is Sonic the Hedgehog. Kath Soucie did a great job as Princess Sally, and Sally's computer, Nicole. And, how can we forget Jim Cummings as Dr Robotnik and Charles Adler as Snively. I think Jim Cummings just gave Robotnik as voice which sounded really evil, the version of Robotnik in this show was better as far as both design and voice are concerned. And I think both Jim Cummings and Charles Adler were excellent, they really seemed to become the characters they were playing, especially Jim Cummings, as I said Jaleel White, I'd have to say the same thing about Jim Cummings: He is Dr Robotnik.

This version of Sonic the Hedgehog had everything, action, adventure, comedy, emotion... and imagination. The on-going plot/storyline, which began at the end of Season 1, made Season 2 all that better. It was also a fair distance away from the Sega games, with little or no reference to them, except the episode: Gameguy. The show was more driven by plot and character development.

Season 1 of Sonic the Hedgehog was good but it's Second Season turn the show into a cult classic, with it's huge development in it's characters and the on-going plot/storyline, which continued with each episode.

It's ashame that this version of Sonic the Hedgehog was cancelled. Season Two's finale: "The Doomsday Project was a true classic. The cliffhanger ending was great, and would have been a good lead into Season 3... but it wasn't to be.

Will this show ever return to our TV screens, that is uncertain and in doubt. But you never know what could happen, if Biker Mice from Mars can make a return after being cancelled for ten years (it return this year). Biker Mice from Mars started at the same time as Sonic, but was cancelled in 1996, a year after Sonic. Who knows, if Biker Mice... is returning, maybe this shows that there is still hope for Sonic the Hedgehog to return. Let's hope so.

Please Bring Back Sonic the Hedgehog!! I miss it, and there are still Sonic the Hedgehog fans out there, who, like me, would also love to see it make a welcome return to our TV screens

We have here, a bitter war of words between people who like this show and peolpe who like the other one, Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog.

I have to place myself in this camp. SatAM Sonic is brilliant. Great plots, a working set of characters with fantstic depth (a remarkable effort, given most of them have no SEGA backstory), and pitched at the right level. Not patronising. At just the right distance from the games.

I am told I should "lighten up" about the other show - it is suggested that one is more appropriate for children.

My little brother was under 10 when both these shows came on. We were taping both. Within _one month_, he was fast-forwarding through the "dumb ones" in order to get to SatAM.

But look out for "Sonic X" coming later this year.

I rest my case.

Yeah, I prefer this version over the other; I watched both at about the same age (of ten or so), loved one, really couldn't stand the other.

The other one just strikes me as kind of pathetic. Only two of the Sonic characters appear in it, for one thing; the plots are often predictable and annoying in their simplicity (the 'parents' episode, for example); there are a lot of little puzzling details that interrupt the action (how is an ice cube a good choice for rafting a lava river?); and Robotnik is a whiny wimp, not a credible evil genius.

The backgrounds and some of the characters are almost Hanna-Barbera-esque in their minimalism and rapid repetition, which some like but I think is out of place for Sonic. This version has more varied characters, really well-drawn environments and animation, and a storyline which is occasionally frightening. Overall, one of these is trying to be a cute comedy, without many story background details; and one is a long science-fiction story divided into parts.

The problem with trying to make something 'cute' is that it often ends up pretty simplistic. Kids' entertainment doesn't need to be mindless, and in my opinion shouldn't be. I think the newer version presents more of a challenge to the young viewer (the plots are trickier, there are more background details between episodes, and, yeah, as I said there are some moments which are kind of scary).