Amazon.com: Nineties-era cartoon fans may remember that at one time, two animated series based on the ultra-popular Sega game character Sonic the Hedgehog sped across TV sets in 1993. This Sonic aired on Saturday mornings between '93-'95 and offered a slightly darker tone and more elaborate stories than its syndicated counterpart, The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog (1993 to present). Jaleel White (Urkel from Family Matters) provided the voice of Sonic for both series, but the similarities between the two shows essentially ended there; SatAM (as it was known to its small but loyal fanbase) followed the futuristic adventures of young Sonic and his band of Freedom Fighters (which included Bunnie Rabbot, Antoine, and other characters from the original games) as they attempted to foil the evil plans of mad scientist Dr. Robotnik, who had enslaved the city of Mobotropolis and turned its citizens into robots. Where The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog focused on the comic elements of the games, SatAM played more like a serial, with each week presenting a new dilemma for Sonic and his pals to overcome. Sadly, the Freedom Fighters' struggles only lasted for two seasons (though a third was reportedly plotted out), but fans can enjoy the entire 26-episode network run with this four-disc set, which includes a respectable amount of supplemental features. Chief among these are short interviews with White and series head writer Ben Hurst; a smattering of deleted and extended scenes are also included, as is a storyboard-to-screen comparison, a gallery of concept art, and a printable script for the series' pilot, "Heads or Tails." Devoted fans may also glimpse a reproduction of their own Sonic fan art on the set's case. -- Paul Gaita
Product Description: The compete series available for the first time ever on a 4-DVD box set!Sonic the Hedgehog (voiced by Family Matters' Jaleel White) super fast and irreverent leads a group of freedom fighters bent on restoring their planet's beauty and freeing its citizens from the tyranny of the evil Dr. Robotnik.The fusion of powerful storylines witty banter and a dark atmosphere made Sonic The Hedgehog--dubbed SatAM by its legions of fans--a favorite among youngsters and teens when it premiered on ABC in 1993. Inspired by the phenomenon that took the gaming world by storm Sonic The Hedgehog likewise broke through the barriers of what was expected of a Saturday morning cartoon.Now all 26 episodes are available in this action-packed collectors box set along with awesome bonus features!PROGRAM LISTING:Season OneDisc 1Heads Or Tails (Pilot)Sonic BoomSonic & SallyUltra SonicSonic & The Secret ScrollsSuper SonicSonic RacerBonus Features:Animated Opening Title Sequence (Early Storyboards)Printable Heads Or Tails Pilot ScriptDisc 2Harmonic SonicHooked On SonicsSonic's NightmareWarp SonicSub-SonicSonic Past CoolBonus Features:The Fastest Thing Alive: A Conversation With Jaleel WhiteSeason Two:Disc 3Game GuySonic ConversionNo BrainerBlast To The Past (Part 1)Blast To The Past (Part 2)Fed Up With Antoine/Ghost BustedDulcyBonus Features:Original DiC Concept Art GalleryDisc 4The VoidThe Odd Couple/Ro-BeccaCry Of The WolfDrood HengeSpyhogThe Doomsday ProjectBonus Features:Way Past Cool!: A Conversation With Sonic Writer Ben HurstStoryboard-to-Screen: The Doomsday ProjectDeleted & Extended SequencesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS UPC: 826663104240 Manufacturer No: D4D10424
Season 1 is iffy, Season 2 is Amazing Sonic the Hedgehog- The Complete Series
This is a 4-Disk DVD Set is for the original Sonic the Hedgehog Cartoon. Many people loved it in 1993 and 1994 when it was playing with Fox's Saturday Morning Line-up, along with the phenomenon known as the Power Rangers. The show was not given the respect it deserved and was often taken off the air so Fox could show Saturday morning sports. So, as a viewer you would not always get to see Sonic on Saturday. The Power Rangers would always be on...but that's a juggernaut that Fox felt safe with. Sonic ran two seasons, each of them being 13 episodes. The second season ended with a huge cliffhanger that I won't spoil, but Fox still cancelled the show.
Before I go on into the content, I'd like to say that I never watched this show as a kid. I thought this was a different Sonic, and ended up picking this up by mistake. So, I am a fanboy in no way at all. So, if you are someone who's never watched this series before, my review will most likely be a good view of things for you.
This cartoon was made before characters like Knuckles, Amy, and all those other Sonic characters were even made. The only ones in this series you'll probably know are Dr. Robotnik (Dr. Eggman), Sonic, and Tails. Sonic's homeland has been taken over by the maniacal tyrant Dr. Robotnik. He has a machine called the Robotizer that turns people into his robot slaves. He has also overrun the world with pollution. All of the world except the Great Forest and it's secret hideout for the Freedom Fighters, Knothole. I don't want to spoil too much about how it happened as it does that in an episode. Sonic and the Freedom Fighters are trying to stop Dr. Robotnik whatever way they can. The cartoon is really dark considering it's a Sonic cartoon.
The first two disks contain Season 1. Season 1 doesn't really stay on a strict storyline at all. They pretty much show random events that happen during the lives of the Freedom Fighters as they fight against Dr. Robotnik. Nothing really special except a few stand out episodes that don't consist of "Let's do this to Robotnik, one of us gets caught, Sonic saves us".
Disks 3 and 4 are amazing though. They contain Season 2, which was a truly touching season. It followed a storyline Project Doomsday. Robotnik was preparing something really evil and Sonic was trying to figure out what to do most of the season. For part of the season he is helping his robot uncle turn back into a human. In the series of two episodes, Sonic and Sally, his almost-girlfriend, go back in time and it is revealed what happened to the world. It's truly a great story with a really great final episode. It would've been great if they would've continued on with the series.
The Bonus features consist of storyboards, concept art, and deleted sequences. I'm not one of those people who like seeing the drawings, but luckily there were also two interviews that were really intriguing. There is one with Jaleel White (Family Matters), who did the voice of Sonic. Another is with Ben Hurst, who was a writer on the series. Both are really interesting and pretty long.
I can't give this 5 stars, mainly due to the first Season not being as interesting. I still suggest that any fan or non-fan pick this up and watch it. Also, whoever says the box art is bad is out of their mind. It's created out of Fan Art. It's not all the best, but the way it is put together like a collage is very cool looking.
sonic boom sonic boom this was great from start to finish a fun and action packed cartoon way better than sonic under ground. This was sweet the voice acting was great to but the sonic movie voice acting was bad but this was great a nice and fun cartoon the games was fun to exept for sonic 3D blast sonic spineball sonic racer and sonic fight both whack and boring but this was great.
A Squandered Potential I guess I should have learned my lesson: never judge a book by its cover. Or rather; never judge a cartoon show by its fanbase.
I can tell you right now, I so wanted to like this cartoon. But I just can't; I really can't. It's a very painful defeat to admit, because the commonly-dubbed SatAM is a cartoon show that had enormous potential; an interesting universe, colourful characters (at least for the most part), and one of the most serious and therefore gripping plots in recent tv animation. It is certainly a decent show based, however loosely, on a video game (even if it takes the setting somewhat liberally). But as little as that says, the show delivers even less. It is nowhere near as good as its large fanbase suggests. Indeed, it is a show with cons that, sadly, outweigh its pros.
The plot to SatAM is that Robotnik has managed to take over Mobius, or at least the capital city Mobotropolis, which he has turned into the robotic city Robotropolis. Along with his assistant Snivelly, he has captured and roboticised many citizens, including family members of our main cast. Sonic and his motley gathering of friends call themselves the "Freedom Fighters", operating from a secret base in Knothole Village to overthrow Robotnik one step at a time, often with the help of other groups of Freedom Fighters around Mobius. This premise inspired the long-running Sonic comics, but contrary to popular belief it was SatAM who came first. The adventures of the FF span two series, distinctly different in plot and atmosphere, a planned third one infamously cancelled by people at ABC who didn't like the show. The second season was almost solely written by Pat Allee and Ben Hurst, and as such that season is the more consistent one. If only it were as good as this suggests.
The character creation, I admit, is inspiring to a degee. Sonic, Tails and Robotnik are the only stable characters - Robotnik now very much uncanny, completely different from his video-game renders even today - but the rest are a colourful bunch. They are; princess Sally, a tenacious squirrel and Sonic's secret crush; Bunny Rabbot, a partly-roboticised rabbit with a delightful southern-U.S. accent; Antoine, a coyote who was once a member of the palace guard, his cowardice only outdone by his French-muddled English; and then my favourite, Rotor the walrus, an inventor who supplies the FF with all their gadgets (even if they are of varying use). Each character has a personality; Sally is the unofficial 'leader' (her super-computer Nicole an endless help to the FF), Rotor's awkward but always ready to help out his friends if just with a spot of advice, Antoine is desperate to prove his worth but his cowardice often renders this difficult, and then Bunny keeps them all together with her good nature. But the animation is a hit-and-miss affair. At times it's acceptable but nothing really outstanding; at times it's very stiff (unfortunately Sally alone is the culprit in most of that, the stiffest character of the bunch); and then sometimes it's fluid and pleasing to watch (this category mostly belongs to Rotor, in my book).
The voice acting is quite acceptable, though. Sonic is voiced by Family Matters' Jaleel White (and he would in fact voice all three main characters of "Sonic Underground"), and sadly he is rather annoying. Sally sounds serious but hardly ever natural. But then, on the other hand, Rotor's voice actor catches his personality very well, even though his voice took me some time to get used to, as I hear him speak in my head with a deeper voice than he does on the show. Bunny Rabbot's south-U.S. drawl is really heartwarming, and Antoine's arrogant but cowardly personality is perfectly captured by his voice actor (as well as his French accent). The only voice I truly dislike is that of Robotnik, whose manner of speech is creepy-sounding whispers and little else - his Sonic Underground voice actor would catch his personality better, in my book. Snivelly also sounds rather annoying, but then he's probably meant to be.
Of course, good animation and voice acting or no, plenty of animated shows have been decently-written and done justice to all their stable characters, and as such prevailed. But unfortunately, as for the latter, that is precisely where we hit a very serious problem with SatAM.
I have yet to hear of an animated show that as good as drops one of its main characters between seasons. But that is precisely what SatAM does to Rotor in Season 2. He's as good as absent for almost the entire running of that season! It's not as though he's dropped; but he just hardly ever appears; and it really stung because season 2 is otherwise where the plot thickens for real and the Freedom Fighters' fight with Robotnik begins to make some progress. Sonic and co. meet with other groups of Freedom Fighters, e.g. the ram Ari and the wolf Lupe; the events that led to Robotnik's takeover are touched upon; a final battle with Robotnik ensues; but still no Rotor. My frustration continued to grow until eventually I couldn't care about the next plot - I just wanted to shout "Where is Rotor?!" It is only in the godawful mini-episode Robecca where Rotor is even present for much of an episode, making it that season's only episode which I watch, generally. And that is saying something. The trouble is the writers' ignorance of him, making Sally too bright and therefore rendering Rotor obsolete. Interesting as the plots of that season were (far more than the first season's, anyway), to be a key character short kills the possibility of serious enjoyment of them. I was even ready to embrace the irritating 'new' Rotor (for he went through a change in design between seasons), just to HAVE HIM THERE! And what I can not forgive is when Rotor is left out of the final roar of celebration; a scene where all key characters are present, and many background ones. Everybody except Rotor. This is simply an inexcusable action to make, and I just can't find it in my heart to forgive the show for it. Any animated feature has a duty to its characters. To ignore a character without any explanation is a crime to all fans of that feature, and especially to the fans of that particular character. This is the show's most serious offense.
It should be noted that this last paragraph is exclusively aimed at season two. Season one commits no crimes in the character-dropping department; all characters are there, they interact, and Rotor's heart-warming personality is not absent. The problem is that the plots of season one have little to do with the subject at hand; they range everything from races against robots to underground reservoirs that Robotnik has polluted. There are a few when the plot is vital, however, such as when Sonic and co. try to rescue his roboticised uncle Chuck. But even though Robotnik is present for the majority of the season, the plot doesn't progress an inch. As a result, neither season feels like a concrete viewing; season one has all the character stability, season two has all the plot stability. Neither works without the other.
I am not sure if this explains everything that went wrong with the show, but the show's crew were constantly breathed down their necks by ABC and Sega. When Sonic cried in the third episode of season one, Sega went berserk and forbid them to have him cry again. And by the time of season two, the crew were ordered by ABC to introduce a character for the female audience to identify with... I ask you, in what way are Sally and Bunny NOT characters for the female audience to identify with?! The result is Dulcy the dragon, a character whom I wanted to throttle the thirty-eight time she crashed and proclaimed: "I'm up, Ma." And this is what they give us instead of Rotor!
SatAM has the reputation of being one of the best cartoons ever made. But I simply cannot agree. It really isn't. The premise is there but the execution is off. And dropping a key character is a SERIOUS crime to a cartoon's fanbase. Even worse, if that is possible, is Dulcy the dragon. So many things went wrong with the production of this show, I can hardly put my finger on one.
What went wrong? The dictations of ABC and Sega? The ignorance of Allee and Hurst? I guess I'll never know. But I'll tell you something; the Sonic comics are everything that this series hoped to be but failed, and so much more. And coming from a man who prefers animation over comics, this is a very painful statement to admit. SatAM ends up being a missed opportunity; never has a show I desperately wanted to love let me down this much. I can't say I miss it. If you are a fan of this show, however, and you don't share my problems with it, by all means get this set, as it will give you a good overview of the show. As for me... I still can't find it in my heart to forgive it.
And as for the cover design, Ken (Penders)... anybody who has seen your Sonic or Knuckles comics will see that you can do WAY better than that.
SatAM remains the best Sonic show out there. After all these years and many more great shows about Sonic the Hedgehog, this one is still the best. Why is that? Maybe it's because of the great cast of characters, including Jaleel White from "Family Matters" in the role of Sonic, and the wonderfully versatile Jim Cummings as the villain, Doctor Robotnik (known today as Dr. Eggman). Maybe it's because the show relies on the original characters from the comic books, and not some of the more recent characters from the newer games. It could be because of the dry wit and numerous puns that add humor to it. Perhaps it's because of the powerful underlying themes of freedom, justice, and friendship that give the story so much depth.
Whatever the reason, this is still the most enduring series in the Sonic franchise. A must-have for anyone, Sonic fan or not.
Great item for the fans out there I got this item for a friend for his birthday. He's big on being nostalgic about his childhood and this was his number one favorite show. Now that he has it again, it's all he talks about.
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