Sonic the Hedgehogis about to race into theaters this weekend for the iconic Sega character’s first big-screen adventure. But Sonic & Co. have been streaking across the small screen in various animated adaptations since 1993. The character and his franchise has enjoyed nearly 30 years of success after the 1991 debut of the speedster in his title video game. Those three decades have seen numerous iterations of Sonic’s design, voice acting, storytelling tone, mythology, and animation styles, some better than others and all a part of the canon. But is there a best among the bunch?
We revisited nearly 30 years ofSonic the Hedgehogto suss out the merits of all five animated series. Some are more slapsticky while others are more semi-serious and action-focused. Some embrace elements of mythology, like the importance of the Rings andwhether or not Sonic can really swim. All of them featureDoctor Ivo “Eggman” Robotnik in one form or another, and nearly all of them feature a “sexy” character for some reason (thoughSally Acorn,Breezie the Hedgehog, andRouge the Batdo make for creative Furry / cosplay options.)
Here are all the titles, in case you weren’t familiar with them all, in the order they were released; our ranking (from worst to first) follows afterwards, and remember that your mileage (per hour) may vary:
5) The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog
Hyper hedgehog Sonic and his cohort Miles “Tails” Prower defend the planet Mobius against Dr. Robotnik and his evil schemes in this animated series.
If you like yourSonicon the manic, slapstick, and silly side, then this might be the animated series for you … but it is definitely not for me. TheLooney Tunes-like take on the material made for a bunch of high-speed hijinks with sparse, sketchy animation provided by an international foursome of studios: China’s Suzhou/Rainbow Animation, Taiwan’s Hong Ying Animation, Korea’s Sae Rom Production, and Japan’s Tokyo Movie Shinsha, all produced by DiC Animation City through a licensing deal from Sega. Even with all that talent, the show looks rather rough. It did, however, give usJaleel Whiteas the wise-cracking Sonic, which is the only plus in this piece for me.
AoStHwas more episodic than not, and that was by design. Each standalone episode was just produced for laughs rather than anything grander. That’s fine, but it didn’t tap into the character’s mythology like later shows managed to do. (And don’t even get me started on the"Sonic Says" PSAs; simpler times.) If you like this version and didn’t get enough in the series' 65 syndicated episodes. there’s also the Christmas special / planned promotional tie-in,Sonic’s Christmas Blast.
4) Sonic Underground
Sonic, Manic and Sonia must fight Dr. Robotnik and his two sidekicks, Sleet and Dingo and the SWAT Bots, with the aid of their metal medallions and bring peace to Mobius and find mother!
Though this last series of the 20th Century dug into a new mythology created from whole cloth, it stands apart from the rest of the franchise because of this storytelling decision. (Oh and it definitely features the (chili) cheesiest theme song.) The story opts for not one but three hedgehog heroes. The planet Mobius' ruling hedgehog, Queen Aleena, had three triplets: Sonic, Manic, and Sonia. Here’s how she introduces the conflict:
There was a time when Robotropolis was beautiful. It was then a peaceful city known as “Mobotropolis”. But just after my children were born, the evil Doctor Robotnik used his technology… to turn our world… into a place of terror. As the source of Robotnik’s money, the aristocrats were left to play, while our people were roboticized… and became slaves. Our royal family was outlawed, a price placed on our heads. Then, the Oracle of Delphius revealed the prophecy to me:
“Some day, you will reunite with your children to become the Council of Four… and overthrow Robotnik. But there is a price, Your Highness.”
For the prophecy to be fulfilled, I had to give up my babies.
Sounds pretty dark, right? But the story about prophecy and planetary coups and heroic siblings rising to battle their oppressor and reunite with their mother is, somehow, almost as silly asAdventures. Sonic is still Sonic, mostly, while brother Manic is a kleptomaniac and sister Sonia is just kind of a stereotypical “Female” character. How silly is it? Well, there’s very little focus on actual action sequences, super-speed, or mythology at all, and the trio occasionally breaks into a musical number to bring the story to a grinding halt.
There are 40 episodes to enjoy here, and the voice acting smooths out a bit over time (though it starts a little rough, even with White returning to voice Sonic). And while the animation itself is a little more action-focused than slapstick-centered, courtesy of DIC Productions and its French subsidiary Les Studios Tex, the plot doesn’t keep pace.Sonic Undergroundis only slightly better than the worst of the bunch here, but if you likedAoStHfor its comic appeal, this one might be worth checking out.
3) Sonic Boom
It’s a Sonic you haven’t seen before — an ensemble comedy that pokes fun at action-adventure storytelling, but still manages to deliver plenty of adrenaline. Think malfunctioning giant tech-monsters, bizarre inventions, evil interns, and ridiculous conversations at high speeds. Our blue dude is the star of the show. But wherever he goes and whatever he’s up against, Sonic is aided by his sidekick, Tails, and his friends Knuckles, Amy, and Sticks and, of course, attacked by his arch nemesis, Dr. Eggman. The series is set in a wide-open world, where most of the characters live in and around an unnamed village. Just over the horizon is a vast landscape filled with beaches, jungles, mountains, undersea civilizations, cloud cities, frozen lakes, and more!
I had high hopes for this most recent take onSonic, especially since Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy Rose, and Sticks bring a fresh look to the franchise with a CG design and high-def presentation. The series also had supervision from Sonic Team headTakashi Iizukawho crafted it more for Western audiences after the previousSonic Xhad, perhaps, leaned too far in the Eastern anime direction. It was a product of Sega of America, Inc. and Technicolor Animation Productions, and was mostly seen in the States on Cartoon Network before moving to Boomerang. But is all that pedigree a good indication of a solid series?
For starters, there’s no real theme song to speak of, something that was a strength of previous series (as did most cartoons before the 2010s, which is when people lost the entirety of their attention span, apparently). This makes more sense when you consider that the two seasons consisted of 52 11-minute segments; short, silly, episodic adventures featuring a cast of both new and familiar characters. The CG characters do take some getting used to; basically, this design looks like the movie’s first version of Sonic while the current design in the movie is closer to the classic Sonic.
The series tries to keep the franchise’s balance of action and comedy but leans way too far into the comedy direction for me. The speed of Sonic is on display early, which I appreciate, but it doesn’t seem to last throughout the series itself; it’s a bug instead of a feature, which is an odd decision. So despite the solid voice cast (Roger Craig Smith,Colleen Villard,Travis Willingham,Cindy Robinson,Nika Futterman, andMike Pollock) and a story that hasmoments of progressive social attitudes,Sonic Boomisn’t my speed. Bummer.
2) Sonic X
A malfunction sends Sonic the Hedgehog to Earth where he meets Chris, who helps collect Chaos Emeralds so Sonic and friends can go home.
I honestly was not expecting to enjoySonic Xas much as I did. But from the unique anime stylings, a story and tone that feels like a spiritual sequel to the originalSonicseries, and a blending of Mobius and Earth in the storyline,Sonic Xalmost edged out the original series for my top ranking. (I honestly went back and forth on these two a number of times.)
From TMS Entertainment and Hajime Kamegaki’s direction, the series has seen quite the international tour. It began on TV Tokyo with a 52-episode run, followed by 26 additional episodes seen in Western territories. The 4Kids Entertainment localization was criticized for its heavy-handed editing (though arguably cutting out the more sexual scenes was a good move for the kids cartoon) but it also broughtJason Griffithinto the role of Sonic, keeping the familiar wisecracking style that the iconic cartoon character became known for. (If you watch on Hulu, you can choose between the dub or original version with subtitles!) Other than that,Sonic Xsets itself apart.
This series has the best animation of the bunch, an amped-up action-focused version of the ‘93 series with plenty of explosions, gunfire, exciting music, and a showcase of Sonic’s speed to set things off. Arguably, this theme song is either the best or second-best (at least here in the States). This is also the first time since the ‘93 series we see some decent ring mythology built into the story early on, too. Even the bots get an upgrade as some well-designed mecha monstrosities, bringing even more anime flavor to the proceedings.
The only place thatSonic Xfalters a bit is in its pacing; it’s still faster than the 90s series by far, but it’s slowed down a bit by the introduction of various Earth-based human organizations (the police force, the S Team, etc.). What’s more interesting are the relationships between Sonic & Co. and the kids they meet on Earth. Chris Thorndyke not only gives viewers a character to more specifically identify with (not that we really needed one for earlierSonicstories), he plays an important part in the plot. They work together to recover the Chaos Emeralds and get Sonic and his pals back home. And while the human characters may not be the most dynamic, the fan-favorite Sonic franchise creations show up by the bucket-load in this series. It was a very close race for the top spot, butSonic Xneeded to go faster, faster, fasterfasterfaster to catch up to …
1) Sonic the Hedgehog
In a post-apocalyptic and dystopian future, all life has been challenged by oppression and tyranny, as the evil Dr. Robotnik is on the verge of controlling Mobius.
The OG. The Cream (the Rabbit) of the Crop. The Best of the Best.
If you, like me, have been waiting for a more action-focusedSonic, this is the series for you! It’s tied for the oldest series of the bunch and is, oddly, a product of the same production companies asAoStH, but it stands heads and Tails (sorry) above that sillier series. (Oh and it clearly has what’s arguably the best theme song of the bunch, just edging outSonic X, in my humble opinion.)
Anchored by Jaleel White andKathSoucie’s voice acting, the titular series sees Sonic and Princess Sally Acorn leading a band of freedom fighters in a rebellious battle against Dr. Robotnik (whose a very Dr. Claw-like villain in this version, which I love). The darker, more serious take on the material actually explores an interesting mythology in which a master of war machines overthrows the Kingdom of Acorn on the planet Mobius. Sonic, leading the insurgency that’s populated by many and varied characters, has the benefit of not just super-speed but power rings that boost his natural abilities in order to take down Robotnik and his minions. Comedy takes a back seat pretty much throughout the two seasons and the too few 26 episodes. But while our heroes are (spoiler alert) victorious in the end, the series ends with a cliffhanger of sorts promising more adventures to come in a third season … which never happened. That’s a bummer. But hopefullySonic the Hedgehogdoes well in theaters and inspires yet another animated iteration to come, whatever that may be!
Sonic the Hedgehogreally does deliver an action-packedSonicstory that’s above and beyond the others in this list, and it’s worth giving it another look ahead of the big-screen adventure this weekend. But you certainly have your own opinion, so be sure to let us know what you think the bestSonicis!
