Sonic Underground
Encyclopedia
Sonic Underground is an animated series that follows the adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog
and his siblings, Sonia and Manic. The cartoon follows a main plot similar to, but heavily reconcepted from, main plot of Sonic the Hedgehog: The Animated Series
. The plots are executed using a much less serious format, and the show is aimed at a younger audience than the entire family. The sub-plots of Sonic Underground revolve around the positive-development of younger viewers. The series ran for one forty episode season, and was canceled before any major plots could be resolved.
) Queen Aleena, the kind and fair ruler of Mobius, was overthrown by Dr. Robotnik and his robotic armies. Robotnik seized control of the planet and forced her into hiding. To preserve the dynasty, Queen Aleena separated and hid her three children: Sonic, Manic and Sonia after the Oracle of Delphius told her of a prophecy: one day they would reunite with their mother to form the Council of Four, overthrow Robotnik, and become the rightful rulers of Mobius once more. (Sonia is the only girl among the children) Meanwhile, Dr. Robotnik did his best to set up an autocratic
government, and legally "roboticized"
anyone who stood against him, and forced the nobles into paying large amounts of money to him as tribute.
When Sonic, Manic and Sonia grew up, the Oracle of Delphius revealed the prophecy to them: So Sonic, Manic and Sonia decided to go on a quest, searching throughout Mobius for Queen Aleena. Dr. Robotnik, with the assistance of the bounty hunters Sleet and Dingo, tries constantly to capture the royal family and prevent the prophecy from being fulfilled.
The three siblings have powerful medallions that can change into musical instruments, that are also weapons when the triplets are in perfect harmony with each other. Sonic's medallion is an electric guitar
. Sonia's medallion is a keyboard
that functions as a smoke machine, Manic's medallion is a drumset that can be used as an "earth controller" with cymbals that can deflect laserfire. All of the medallions can be used as laser guns. The three use the amulets not only to fight Robotnik's forces but to also as instruments for their underground (illegal) rock band
, Sonic Underground.
, who was also involved in the making of Sonic Underground, revealed that only 40 were actually produced.
and Sonic Underground are two Sonic cartoons that are falsely assumed to be very similar. They have many conceptual similarities, however, the execution of the two series cannot be more different. Like most Sonic cartoons/anime both share a large number of aspects that were never in any of the Sonic games. Sonic Underground is focused on musical expression, and like Sonic X
, the show has many episodes which attempt to teach children social skills. (This is harmed somewhat through Manic's stealing and Sonia's desires for luxury, though they both are seen experiencing consequences for such things. Sonic often intervenes when Manic steals)
Though the concept of Freedom Fighters was included in Underground, they were not the Freedom Fighters as seen in Sonic the Hedgehog. The differences include: Robotnik has left most of the Mobian people unroboticised, leaving multiple cities, a poor underclass, and an aristocracy. Also, many of the minor characters were not easily recognizable as being based on Earth animals, instead appearing far more alien. Queen Alenna and King Maximillian Acorn from Sonic the Hedgehog have very similar backstories.
Jaleel White
, who had previously voiced Sonic in both earlier cartoons, provided the voices for Sonic, Manic and Sonia.
(which at the time was owned by The Walt Disney Company
), who previously made the TV shows Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog
, and the immensely successful Sonic the Hedgehog: The Animated Series
, to make the new Sonic cartoon. Sonic Underground ran for one season in 1999 on UPN.
While it was believed for a while that 65 episodes were made of which only 40 aired, Ben Hurst, a main writer from Sonic the Hedgehog: The Animated Series (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 produced.
Currently (As of 2009), reruns of Sonic Underground are airing on Firestone Communications
' Sorpresa
, a Hispanic
children's station (Channel 850 on Time Warner Cable
) in the United States. All of the audio has been translated into Spanish. In the United Kingdom, it airs on Pop, which has also aired Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog. Between 2005 and 2006, it was aired also aired on ITV2
on the Action Stations! block
Sonic Underground is currently available on Netflix
instant streaming
.
, which was cancelled for reasons regarding to Sonic's arrogant behaviour. Sonic Underground is much lighter in tone.
Shout! Factory
has released the complete series on DVD in Region 1 in two volume sets. Volume 1, which was entitled simply Sonic Underground, was released on December 18, 2007. It contains the first 20 episodes of the show on three discs; a bonus fourth disc is an audio CD containing eight songs from the series, including the opening theme. The fourth episode is missing from volume 1, but was placed on volume 2. It is an NTSC release. (Visit Sonic Underground.) Sonic Underground: Volume 2 was released on June 17, 2008 featuring the remaining 20 episodes.
Six volumes of this series have been released in Australia, containing 4 episodes each.
Animation Station released a Sonic Underground DVD called Dr. Robotnik's Revenge, containing 3 episodes; it has since been reissued by NCircle Entertainment
in a value line for $6.99. On December 18, 2007, NCircle Entertainment
released more DVDs of this show called Queen Aleena Chronicles, Sonic to the Rescue, and Secrets of the Chaos Emerald. There were also episodes from the show in the Sonic Christmas Blast DVD.
Sonic the Hedgehog (character)
, trademarked Sonic The Hedgehog, is a video game character and the main protagonist of the Sonic video game series released by Sega, as well as in numerous spin-off comics, cartoons, and a feature film. The first game was released on June 23, 1991, to provide Sega with a mascot to rival Nintendo's...
and his siblings, Sonia and Manic. The cartoon follows a main plot similar to, but heavily reconcepted from, main plot of Sonic the Hedgehog: The Animated Series
Sonic the Hedgehog (TV series)
Sonic the Hedgehog: The Animated Series is an American animated series produced by DIC Entertainment with the partnership of Sega of America and was based on the Sonic the...
. The plots are executed using a much less serious format, and the show is aimed at a younger audience than the entire family. The sub-plots of Sonic Underground revolve around the positive-development of younger viewers. The series ran for one forty episode season, and was canceled before any major plots could be resolved.
Plot
The show takes place on a planet called Mobius. (unrelated to the Mobius in Sonic the Hedgehog: The Animated SeriesSonic the Hedgehog (TV series)
Sonic the Hedgehog: The Animated Series is an American animated series produced by DIC Entertainment with the partnership of Sega of America and was based on the Sonic the...
) Queen Aleena, the kind and fair ruler of Mobius, was overthrown by Dr. Robotnik and his robotic armies. Robotnik seized control of the planet and forced her into hiding. To preserve the dynasty, Queen Aleena separated and hid her three children: Sonic, Manic and Sonia after the Oracle of Delphius told her of a prophecy: one day they would reunite with their mother to form the Council of Four, overthrow Robotnik, and become the rightful rulers of Mobius once more. (Sonia is the only girl among the children) Meanwhile, Dr. Robotnik did his best to set up an autocratic
Autocracy
An autocracy is a form of government in which one person is the supreme power within the state. It is derived from the Greek : and , and may be translated as "one who rules by himself". It is distinct from oligarchy and democracy...
government, and legally "roboticized"
Sonic the Hedgehog (TV series)
Sonic the Hedgehog: The Animated Series is an American animated series produced by DIC Entertainment with the partnership of Sega of America and was based on the Sonic the...
anyone who stood against him, and forced the nobles into paying large amounts of money to him as tribute.
When Sonic, Manic and Sonia grew up, the Oracle of Delphius revealed the prophecy to them: So Sonic, Manic and Sonia decided to go on a quest, searching throughout Mobius for Queen Aleena. Dr. Robotnik, with the assistance of the bounty hunters Sleet and Dingo, tries constantly to capture the royal family and prevent the prophecy from being fulfilled.
The three siblings have powerful medallions that can change into musical instruments, that are also weapons when the triplets are in perfect harmony with each other. Sonic's medallion is an electric guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
. Sonia's medallion is a keyboard
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
that functions as a smoke machine, Manic's medallion is a drumset that can be used as an "earth controller" with cymbals that can deflect laserfire. All of the medallions can be used as laser guns. The three use the amulets not only to fight Robotnik's forces but to also as instruments for their underground (illegal) rock band
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
, Sonic Underground.
Main characters
- Sonic The Hedgehog: The world's fastest hedgehog and leader of the Sonic Underground. He is the lead singer of Sonic Underground. His medallion's string is red. As fast as the speed of sound, Sonic can easily outrun danger. He is a big fan of chili dogs. He also has AquaphobiaAquaphobiaAquaphobia is an abnormal and persistent fear of water. Aquaphobia is a specific phobia that involves a level of fear that is beyond the patient's control or that may interfere with daily life. People suffer aquaphobia in many ways and may experience it even though they realize the water in an...
, being terrified of water as he cannot swim. Sonic wears anti-gravityAnti-gravityAnti-gravity is the idea of creating a place or object that is free from the force of gravity. It does not refer to the lack of weight under gravity experienced in free fall or orbit, or to balancing the force of gravity with some other force, such as electromagnetism or aerodynamic lift...
sneakers that allow him to hover over the ground while running. His voice was provided by Jaleel WhiteJaleel WhiteJaleel Ahmad White is an American actor and screenwriter. He is best known for his role as Steve Urkel from Family Matters and voicing the character of Sonic the Hedgehog and other characters for Sonic the Hedgehog media....
, and his singing voice was provided by Sam VincentSamuel VincentSamuel Vincent is a Canadian voice actor who works with the Ocean Productions based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He was born in North Vancouver, British Columbia.-Biography:...
. - Sonia the Hedgehog: The only female 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 gymnasticsGymnasticsGymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...
and karateKarateis a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...
, and possesses superhuman strengthSuperhuman strengthSuperhuman strength, also called superstrength, super-strength, or super strength, is an ability commonly employed in fiction. It is the ability for a character to be stronger than humanly possible...
, a photographic memory, and the ability to spin in a cyclonic manner similar to the Tasmanian DevilTasmanian Devil (Looney Tunes)The Tasmanian Devil, often referred to as Taz, is an animated cartoon character featured in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes series of cartoons. The character appeared in only five shorts before Warner Bros...
and Espio the ChameleonEspio the Chameleonis a fictional character in Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog video game series and media franchise. He was created for the game Knuckles' Chaotix and his subtle color changing demonstrated the technical capabilities of the Sega 32X console. The character is a 16-year-old anthropomorphic purple chameleon...
. Her medallion's string is yellow. Sonia has a pink motorcycle which can travel as fast as Sonic (it was destroyed in the 36th episode). Sonia develops an attraction towards Knuckles during the Flying Fortress saga of the series. She was also played by Jaleel WhiteJaleel WhiteJaleel Ahmad White is an American actor and screenwriter. He is best known for his role as Steve Urkel from Family Matters and voicing the character of Sonic the Hedgehog and other characters for Sonic the Hedgehog media....
. Her singing voice was provided by Stevie Vallance. - Manic the Hedgehog: Manic is a cool and calculating hedgehog and 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. Manic is the drummer of the Sonic Underground. His medallion hides his drums, which can cause earthquakes; the Oracle of Delphius claims that his drums are the most powerful instruments of the three. His medallion's string is blue. Like Sonic and Sonia, he was voiced by Jaleel WhiteJaleel WhiteJaleel Ahmad White is an American actor and screenwriter. He is best known for his role as Steve Urkel from Family Matters and voicing the character of Sonic the Hedgehog and other characters for Sonic the Hedgehog media....
. His singing voice was done by Tyley Ross.
Secondary characters
- Queen Aleena Hedgehog: 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 (And narrates the end of the episode "Tangled Webs").
- Knuckles the EchidnaKnuckles the EchidnaKnuckles the Echidna is a video game character of the Sonic the Hedgehog game series, including spin-off games and comics. His first appearance was in Sonic the Hedgehog 3, released in 1994 to introduce a new rival for Sonic. He was presented as an antagonist who was tricked by Dr. Eggman into...
: The guardian of the Master Emerald and the Floating Island. He is very protective of his island home, and has set many traps about the island. He has a pet dinosaur called Chomps. 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 was voiced by Ian James CorlettIan James CorlettIan James Corlett is a Canadian animation voice artist, writer, and musician. He is the creator of Studio B Productions' animated series Being Ian and Yvon of the Yukon....
, who had previously done the voice of Coconuts in The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog. - Oracle of Delphius: An odd, wart-covered, reptilian anteater in a cloak. 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.
- Bartleby: A posh minkMinkThere are two living species referred to as "mink": the European Mink and the American Mink. The extinct Sea Mink is related to the American Mink, but was much larger. All three species are dark-colored, semi-aquatic, carnivorous mammals of the family Mustelidae, which also includes the weasels and...
who is one of Robotropolis' richest aristocrats. Bartleby is Sonia's former fiancé. He dislikes her brothers and works as an agent for Robotnik. He speaks with an upper-class English accent. The combination of his accent, pompous behavior, and vast wealth makes it possible that he is a stereotype of upper-class English People. - Cyrus: Cyrus is a lionLionThe lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...
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. His voice was also provided by Ian James CorlettIan James CorlettIan James Corlett is a Canadian animation voice artist, writer, and musician. He is the creator of Studio B Productions' animated series Being Ian and Yvon of the Yukon....
who also voiced Coconuts in The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog.
Villains
- Dr. Julian Ivo Robotnik: Robotnik is the ruler of Mobius, having conquered it with his army of SWATbots. Robotnik lives in Robotropolis. He captures Freedom Fighters and roboticizes them, making them into robotic servants. Robotnik's primary minions are Sleet and Dingo. Robotnik is morbidly obese, and has great trouble standing on unstable ground. (Example: when Manic's drums are causing their signature earthquakes. Robotnik will bounce around like a ball in that circumstance) His voice was provided by Gary ChalkGary Chalk (actor)Gary Chalk is an English-born Canadian actor, tri-national US-Canadian-UK citizen and voice artist. He has lend hit voice in over 30 animated television series and has been in films such as The Fly II and Freddy vs. Jason....
who voiced Grounder on Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog. - Sleet: 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 Sleet wishes. Sleet may seem to be a serious villain at first, but he is always failing his missions and only rarely succeeds. He appears to get away from being roboticized no matter how angry he makes Robotnik. Sleet is constantly being crushed by Dingo and is usually the one who suffers the most from their combined failures. Sleet was voiced by Maurice LaMarcheMaurice LaMarcheMaurice LaMarche is an Emmy Award winning Canadian-American voice actor and former stand up comedian. He is best known for his voicework in Futurama as Kif Kroker, as Egon Spengler in The Real Ghostbusters, Verminous Skumm and Duke Nukem in Captain Planet and the Planeteers, Big Bob Pataki in Hey...
and spoke in a Peter LorrePeter LorrePeter Lorre was an Austrian-American actor frequently typecast as a sinister foreigner.He caused an international sensation in 1931 with his portrayal of a serial killer who preys on little girls in the German film M...
-like voice. - DingoDingoThe Australian Dingo or Warrigal is a free-roaming wild dog unique to the continent of Australia, mainly found in the outback. Its original ancestors are thought to have arrived with humans from southeast Asia thousands of years ago, when dogs were still relatively undomesticated and closer to...
: One of Robotnik's canine bounty hunters. Dingo is a huge, ludicrously muscle-bound blonde canid with an Australian accent. He is partially roboticised (his hands and his left leg from the knee down), which is never explained. Dingo has a relentless crush on Sonia, but remains fiercely loyal to his partner, Sleet. Dingo was voiced by Peter Wilds.
Episode list
The Sonic Underground series was thought be composed of 65 episodes, until 2008, when Ben Hurst, the secondary writer of Sonic the Hedgehog: The Animated SeriesSonic the Hedgehog (TV series)
Sonic the Hedgehog: The Animated Series is an American animated series produced by DIC Entertainment with the partnership of Sega of America and was based on the Sonic the...
, who was also involved in the making of Sonic Underground, revealed that only 40 were actually produced.
Voice cast
- Jaleel WhiteJaleel WhiteJaleel Ahmad White is an American actor and screenwriter. He is best known for his role as Steve Urkel from Family Matters and voicing the character of Sonic the Hedgehog and other characters for Sonic the Hedgehog media....
(Sonic, Sonia, Manic) - Maurice LaMarcheMaurice LaMarcheMaurice LaMarche is an Emmy Award winning Canadian-American voice actor and former stand up comedian. He is best known for his voicework in Futurama as Kif Kroker, as Egon Spengler in The Real Ghostbusters, Verminous Skumm and Duke Nukem in Captain Planet and the Planeteers, Big Bob Pataki in Hey...
(Sleet, Athair) - Gary ChalkGary Chalk (actor)Gary Chalk is an English-born Canadian actor, tri-national US-Canadian-UK citizen and voice artist. He has lend hit voice in over 30 animated television series and has been in films such as The Fly II and Freddy vs. Jason....
(Doctor Robotnik) - Gail Webster (Queen Aleena Hedgehog)
- Peter Wilds (Dingo)
- Ian James CorlettIan James CorlettIan James Corlett is a Canadian animation voice artist, writer, and musician. He is the creator of Studio B Productions' animated series Being Ian and Yvon of the Yukon....
(Knuckles the Echidna, Cyrus) - Samuel VincentSamuel VincentSamuel Vincent is a Canadian voice actor who works with the Ocean Productions based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He was born in North Vancouver, British Columbia.-Biography:...
(Sonic's singing voice) - Louise VallanceLouise VallanceStevie Vallance, born Stephanie Louise Vallance on September 8, 1958 and also known as Louise Vallance, is a Canadian television actor, voice actor, stage performer, voice director and singer...
(Sonia's singing voice) - Tyley Ross (Manic's singing voice)
Additional voices
- Kathleen BarrKathleen BarrKathleen Barr is a Canadian voice actress. She is also the sister of Professor Mark Lyle Barr at Saint Mary's University in Halifax, Nova Scotia.-Filmography:...
- Brian DrummondBrian DrummondBrian Drummond is a Canadian actor. He also serves on the board of directors for the New Westminster-based Urban Academy along with his wife, Laura Drummond, also a voice artist. He and his wife serve as vice-president and president, respectively.- Career :Drummond was born in Salmon Arm, British...
- Merrilyn GannMerrilyn GannMerrilyn Gann is a Canadian actress most notable for her role as Rose Abbott on The WB's Everwood. She was also most recently seen portraying The German Chancellor in the apocalyptic doomsday film 2012.- Filmography :...
- Tabitha St. GermainTabitha St. GermainTabitha St. Germain is a Canadian stage actress. She has made the transition from stage work to voice work, and has since become one of the core female voice actresses working with Ocean Productions in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.- Anime :* .hack//Roots - Asta, Nazo Grunty* Black Lagoon -...
- Phil HayesPhil HayesPhillip Lee Hayes is an English cricketer. Hayes is a left-handed batsman who bowls leg break. He was born in Bolton, Greater Manchester and educated at Bury College....
- Matt HillMatt HillMatthew "Matt" Hill is a Canadian voice actor. He is known for several roles, including Kevin Keene/Captain N in Captain N: The Game Master, Kira Yamato in Gundam Seed and Gundam Seed Destiny, Ed in Ed, Edd n Eddy, Raphael in Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation, Ryo Sanada in Ronin Warriors and Artha...
- Adrian Hughes
- Terry KlassenTerry KlassenTerry Klassen is a Canadian voice actor and voice director in Vancouver, British Columbia. He co-created Yvon of the Yukon. He is the voice director for shows including Martha Speaks, "Johnny Test", "George of the Jungle", "Ed, Edd n Eddy", several "Barbie" movies, "Transformers", "CardCaptors",...
- Blu MankumaBlu MankumaBlu Mankuma is an American actor. He has appeared in numerous Canadian and American productions filmed in Canada.Mankuma was born in Seattle, Washington...
Robotisized People - Lee TockarLee TockarLee William Tockar is a Canadian voice actor and visual artist who works for several studios in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He is also a writer of children's literature, a musician, sculptor, illustrator and collected painter...
Comparisons and Contrasts with other Sonic animated series
Sonic the Hedgehog: The Animated SeriesSonic the Hedgehog (TV series)
Sonic the Hedgehog: The Animated Series is an American animated series produced by DIC Entertainment with the partnership of Sega of America and was based on the Sonic the...
and Sonic Underground are two Sonic cartoons that are falsely assumed to be very similar. They have many conceptual similarities, however, the execution of the two series cannot be more different. Like most Sonic cartoons/anime both share a large number of aspects that were never in any of the Sonic games. Sonic Underground is focused on musical expression, and like Sonic X
Sonic X
is an anime series based on the Sonic the Hedgehog video game series. It was produced in Japan by TMS Entertainment with the partnership of Sega and was created by Sonic Team and Sonic Project. In the United States, 4Kids currently owns and manages copyright and branding of the series.- Series 1 ...
, the show has many episodes which attempt to teach children social skills. (This is harmed somewhat through Manic's stealing and Sonia's desires for luxury, though they both are seen experiencing consequences for such things. Sonic often intervenes when Manic steals)
Though the concept of Freedom Fighters was included in Underground, they were not the Freedom Fighters as seen in Sonic the Hedgehog. The differences include: Robotnik has left most of the Mobian people unroboticised, leaving multiple cities, a poor underclass, and an aristocracy. Also, many of the minor characters were not easily recognizable as being based on Earth animals, instead appearing far more alien. Queen Alenna and King Maximillian Acorn from Sonic the Hedgehog have very similar backstories.
Jaleel White
Jaleel White
Jaleel Ahmad White is an American actor and screenwriter. He is best known for his role as Steve Urkel from Family Matters and voicing the character of Sonic the Hedgehog and other characters for Sonic the Hedgehog media....
, who had previously voiced Sonic in both earlier cartoons, provided the voices for Sonic, Manic and Sonia.
Program history
During the run up to the launch of the Dreamcast, Sega began to heavily advertise all its greater products. For Sonic the Hedgehog, Sega contacted DiC EntertainmentDiC Entertainment
DIC Entertainment was an international film and television production company. In addition to animated television shows such as Ulysses 31 , Inspector Gadget , The Littles , The Real Ghostbusters , Captain Planet and the Planeteers , and the first two seasons of the English adaptation of...
(which at the time was owned by The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
), who previously made the TV shows Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog
Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog
The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog is an American animated series that was first broadcast in September 1993, and only for one season...
, and the immensely successful Sonic the Hedgehog: The Animated Series
Sonic the Hedgehog (TV series)
Sonic the Hedgehog: The Animated Series is an American animated series produced by DIC Entertainment with the partnership of Sega of America and was based on the Sonic the...
, to make the new Sonic cartoon. Sonic Underground ran for one season in 1999 on UPN.
While it was believed for a while that 65 episodes were made of which only 40 aired, Ben Hurst, a main writer from Sonic the Hedgehog: The Animated Series (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 produced.
Currently (As of 2009), reruns of Sonic Underground are airing on Firestone Communications
Firestone Communications
Firestone Communications is a media and communications Company based in Fort Worth, Texas. The company provides satellite uplink services for television network and programming distribution, and production facilities and services for television and video production.Firestone also owns ¡Sorpresa!...
' Sorpresa
Sorpresa
¡Sorpresa! TV is an American Spanish-language children's television channel. The channel is currently available on Cablevision, Charter Communications, Comcast, Cox Communications, Time Warner Cable, Verizon FiOS and member systems of the National Cable TV Cooperative...
, a Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
children's station (Channel 850 on Time Warner Cable
Time Warner Cable
Time Warner Cable is an American cable television company that operates in 28 states and has 31 operating divisions...
) in the United States. All of the audio has been translated into Spanish. In the United Kingdom, it airs on Pop, which has also aired Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog. Between 2005 and 2006, it was aired also aired on ITV2
ITV2
ITV2 is a 24 hour, free-to-air entertainment television channel in the United Kingdom owned by ITV Digital Channels Ltd, a division of ITV plc. It was launched on 7 December 1998, and is available on digital television via satellite, cable, IPTV and terrestrial platforms. The channel has the...
on the Action Stations! block
Sonic Underground is currently available on Netflix
Netflix
Netflix, Inc., is an American provider of on-demand internet streaming media in the United States, Canada, and Latin America and flat rate DVD-by-mail in the United States. The company was established in 1997 and is headquartered in Los Gatos, California...
instant streaming
Streaming media
Streaming media is multimedia that is constantly received by and presented to an end-user while being delivered by a streaming provider.The term "presented" is used in this article in a general sense that includes audio or video playback. The name refers to the delivery method of the medium rather...
.
Pre Production
Sonic Underground was a reconcept beta of Sonic the Hedgehog: The Animated SeriesSonic the Hedgehog (TV series)
Sonic the Hedgehog: The Animated Series is an American animated series produced by DIC Entertainment with the partnership of Sega of America and was based on the Sonic the...
, which was cancelled for reasons regarding to Sonic's arrogant behaviour. Sonic Underground is much lighter in tone.
DVD releases
The complete Sonic Underground series, comprising all 40 episodes on 10 DVDs, was released by Anchor Bay in the UK, compatible only with region 2 players. Sonic Underground, by Anchor Bay. The entire series was re-released by Delta (The same company who released the box sets of Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog) onto a 4 disc DVD set with a 5th DVD containing bonus features. Like the other Sonic DVD box sets released by Delta, it is Region 0.Shout! Factory
Shout! Factory
Shout! Factory is an entertainment company founded in 2003 that was started by Richard Foos , Bob Emmer and Garson Foos initially as a specialty music label...
has released the complete series on DVD in Region 1 in two volume sets. Volume 1, which was entitled simply Sonic Underground, was released on December 18, 2007. It contains the first 20 episodes of the show on three discs; a bonus fourth disc is an audio CD containing eight songs from the series, including the opening theme. The fourth episode is missing from volume 1, but was placed on volume 2. It is an NTSC release. (Visit Sonic Underground.) Sonic Underground: Volume 2 was released on June 17, 2008 featuring the remaining 20 episodes.
Six volumes of this series have been released in Australia, containing 4 episodes each.
Animation Station released a Sonic Underground DVD called Dr. Robotnik's Revenge, containing 3 episodes; it has since been reissued by NCircle Entertainment
NCircle Entertainment
NCircle Entertainment is an entertainment content distributor that specializes in children's programming.NCircle Entertainment is a division of Alliance Entertainment Corporation , which is the largest single source of home entertainment....
in a value line for $6.99. On December 18, 2007, NCircle Entertainment
NCircle Entertainment
NCircle Entertainment is an entertainment content distributor that specializes in children's programming.NCircle Entertainment is a division of Alliance Entertainment Corporation , which is the largest single source of home entertainment....
released more DVDs of this show called Queen Aleena Chronicles, Sonic to the Rescue, and Secrets of the Chaos Emerald. There were also episodes from the show in the Sonic Christmas Blast DVD.
External links
- Sonic Underground at Cookie Jar Entertainment
- 20 years of Sonic the Hedgehog at bbc.co.uk