Sonic Underground
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Sonic Underground is an American animated television series that follows the adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog and his siblings, pink hedgehog Sonia and green-hued Manic. Sonic Underground bears little relation to the often convoluted Sonic universe (including previous animated series, as well as Sonic comics and games), and shared few established characters.
There were originally 65 episodes produced. Of those episodes, only 40 were released. Ben Hurst, a notable writer from the Sonic the Hedgehog television show (dubbed "SatAM" by fans), was involved in Sonic Underground's production. Sonic Underground takes place on Mobius, similar to SatAM, but with notable differences. Elements that are not included in Sonic Underground but were present in SatAM include Snively, power rings, Knothole Village, and the Freedom Fighters (including Tails). Though there is reference to a Freedom Fighter group, it is not the same group as in SatAM. The key differences are that the Sonic Underground do not remain in one Knothole-like refuge but instead travel around Mobius to battle Robotnik's forces on a global scale; and that Robotnik has left most of the Mobian people un-Roboticised, leaving multiple cities, a poor underclass and an aristocracy for the heroes to interact with.
Jaleel White provided the voices for all three siblings. The main theme was composed by Robbie London and Mike Piccirillo. The musical underscore was composed by Jean-Michel Guirao and Mike Piccirillo. The series featured 40 songs spread over the series as featured music videos. Each of these songs were composed by Mike Piccirillo.
Sonic, Sonia, and Manic are the children of Queen Aleena Hedgehog. They are chased by Doctor Robotnik and his bumbling bounty hunter sidekicks, Sleet and Dingo. The reason that he is chasing the three is because of a prophecy made by the Oracle of Delphius (a spoof of the Oracle of Delphi of Ancient Greece) - saying that the Queen's three children will one day find their mother, overthrow Robotnik, and together become the rulers of Mobius again.
The three siblings have powerful medallions that not only change into musical instruments but also into weapons when the triplets are in perfect harmony with each other. Sonic's medallion is an electric guitar/gun, Sonia's medallion is a keyboard/gun, and Manic's medallion is a drumset/Earth controller. The three use the amulets not only to fight Robotnik's forces but to also have instruments for their underground rock band, Sonic Underground.
Contents
Program history
During the run up to the launch of the Sega Dreamcast, Sega began heavy advertised of all their big products. For Sonic, they contacted DiC, who previously made both TV shows Sonic the Hedgehog and Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, to make a new Sonic cartoon. Due to low popularity, Sonic Underground ran for only one season, 1998 to 1999. Since then, the show can now be found in syndication on a few channels, including UPN at 8 AM. It is now also airing on the UK Channel "POP" at various times. POP has now aired all three DiC produced Sonic animated series. According to DiC, Sonic Underground will be part of their upcoming Saturday Morining block on CBS this fall.Characters
- Sonic the Hedgehog: The world's fastest hedgehog and leader of the Sonic Underground. He is the lead singer, his medallion transforming into a laser-blasting electric guitar. As fast as the speed of sound, Sonic can easily outrun and outsmart Robotnik's forces. He is a big fan of chilli dogs and is rarely far from a chilli dog stand. He is terrified of water as he cannot swim. In an alternate reality, Sonic and his siblings were the rulers of Mobius, but Sonic was an obese hedgehog from eating so many chilli dogs, and had banned music on the planet. Sonic's most-used phrases in the series include "It's juice and jam time!" and "Let's do it to it!" He was voiced by Jaleel White.
- Sonia the Hedgehog: The female member of the Sonic Underground and Sonic's sister. Unlike Sonic and Manic, she was raised by an aristocratic foster family, and she hates getting dirty. Her medallion can transform into a laser-blasting keyboard. Sonia has a motorbike to go as fast as Sonic. Sonia develops an attraction towards Knuckles at the end of the series. Some fans consider Sonia to be a clone of Amy Rose. In an alternate reality, Sonia and her brothers are rulers of Mobius, but she likes fashion. She was also played by Jaleel White. Her singing voice was done by Louise Valliance.
- Manic the Hedgehog: A cool and calculating hedgehog who was raised by thieves, unlike his siblings. Manic became an expert thief and eventually met his siblings, who disapprove of him stealing. Manic is the drummer of Sonic Underground, his medallion hiding his drums, which can cause earthquakes. Manic is the most often captured of the siblings and was once put under mind control, becoming Robotnik's spy. In an alternate reality, Manic and his siblings are rulers of Mobius, but he took away everyone's money for his own greed and enjoyment. In the last episode, Manic's drum kit is destroyed by Dingo when he is a giant monster. Like the above, he was voiced by Jaleel White.
- Queen Aleena Hedgehog: Sonic's, Sonia's, and Manic's mother. She had to give them up in order for the prophecy to work. She now is on the run from her own children, until the time is right. Aleena has many allies, including the Oracle of Delphius and Knuckles.
- Knuckles the Echidna: The guardian of the Master Emerald and Angel 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 he must stay on the island, in order to play his part in the freedom of Mobius. In the series, the Master Emerald has been changed to a Chaos Emerald. He was played by Ian James Corlett. His voice sounds similar to that of a 11-year-old, instead of his 16-year-old voice (Sonic OVA) (Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie in the U.S.) or even his much deeper 30-year-old-esque voice depicted in Sonic X.
- Dr. Robotnik: Robotnik is the ruler of Mobius, after conquering it with his army of SWATbots. Robotnik lives in Robotropolis where he captures Freedom Fighters and roboticizes them into his robotic servants. Robotnik's main minions are Sleet and Dingo. Robotnik's round shape doesn't help him stand up straight and when standing on unstable ground, (such as that of an earthquake) causing him to bounce about much like a volley ball. His voice was done by Gary Chalk who played 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 voice like that of Igor and has a morphing device that can transform Dingo into anything he wishes. Sleet's voice was done by Maurice LaMarche.
- Dingo: One of Robotnik's canine bounty hunters. Dingo is a huge, muscle-bound dingo who has a relentless crush on Sonia. Sleet has a morphing device which can morph Dingo into anything he chooses (e.g. a chilli dog cart, a carpet, or even a woman!) In the finale, Dingo breaks a Chaos Emerald which transforms him into an enormous out-of-control beast that threatens to destroy Mobius, but eventually reverts back to normal.
- The Oracle of Delphius: An odd, warty, reptilian anteater in a cloak. The Oracle prophecised 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 chilli dogs.
- Bartleby: A posh mink who is one of Robotropolis' richest aristocrats. Bartleby is Sonia's former fiancé, who dislikes her brothers and works as an agent for Robotnik. Eventually, Bartleby flees from Robotnik and joins the Freedom Fighters.
- Cyrus: Cyrus is a lion and a technician in the Freedom Fighters. He is an old friend of Sonic. In his first appearance he was working as a spy for Robotnik but later quit. Cyrus has appeared several times afterwards. His father was roboticized. His voice was also done by Ian James Cortlett.
- Trevor: A mouse who is an old friend of Sonic Underground and resembles a hippy. He is easily captured, but is also equally as easily freed.
- The Freedom Fighters: The Freedom Fighters play an important role in the show as Robotnik's opposition. Notable members include Sonic, Sonia, Manic, Knuckles, Queen Aleena, The Oracle of Delphius, Cyrus, and Trevor.
Other Characters
The Freedom Fighters plays a large significant role in Sonic Underground, opposing Dr. Robotnik's evil reign over Mobius. The leaders are the Sonic Siblings. Cyrus is the head technician, with Trevor as his somewhat assistant. Other notable members are Knuckles, Queen Aleena and the Oracle. Below is a list of other one-time characters, many are Freedom Fighters.- Uncle Chuck: Sonic's uncle from the Archie Comics and the original SatAM series. Like in the comics and the cartoon, he is roboticized. (He doesn't appear to be Sonic's biological uncle, as he was known to Sonic as "Uncle" through his adopted parents)
- Lady Windimire: Sonia's foster mother. She was roboticized.
- Ferrel: An odd insect-like creature who was Manic's foster father. He was a thief, but he too was roboticized.
- Argus: Queen Aleena's body guard. He was captured and roboticized.
- Mayor Winniham: A horse who is the mayor of Mobodoon, the Sonic Underground band's hometown.
- Mindy LaTour and Mr. LaTour: Mindy is Sonia's old friend and a fashionist. Her voice (talking and singing) was done by Louise Valliance. Her father is very protective of her. He was forced to create robotic watches for Robotnik.
- Max: A pickpocket who leads a small group of thieves. After helping the Sonic Underground, he and his posse are given homes.
- Captain Squeege: A sea sponge who is the captain of the Queen Aleena ferry.
- Moby Deep: A giant whale mistaken for a sea monster. A parody of Moby Dick.
- Raphi: A desert dweller who lives in the city of Mobia with his mother, father and grandmother. He befriends Sonia while she momentarily loses her memory. He is half roboticized.
- Stripes: A tiger who lives in Lake Valley. He has a crush on Sonia, but originally was a spy for Robotnik only to protect his home.
- Speed-Bot: A roboticized chimera-like robot made up of some of the fastest creatures on Mobius. Used by Robotnik in a race to capture Sonic.
- Berlock: An elderly vampire bat who is the caretaker of Worst Castle, which is supposedly Sonia's ancestral home. He has a pet owl called Hooter. He cannot stand loud noises and is very humourous. His famous quote is "I am Berlock, the castle caretaker."
- Chomper: Knuckles' pet dinosaur. He tries to eat Sleet and Dingo but instead eats their hologram projector.
- Mantu: The chief of the Speedster Island tribe.
- Ifyoucan: The tribe leader of a desert clan. He has actually been half-roboticized and hides his mechanical limbs.
- Aman-Rapi: A deceased pharaoh who is Sonic's ancestor. Like Sonic, he adores music.
- Do-Bot: A robotic hairdresser who hypnotises her patrons into revealing secrets to her which are sent to Robotnik via a cassette tape.
- Titus: A scientist who has built a De-Roboticizer. It is revealed it is a fake and it is made into a Roboticizer. Titus falls into it and is roboticized.
- Queen Sauna: An ancient queen who resembles Sonia. She is worshipped by penguins.
- A.R.T.: A learning robot built by Robotnik. He betrayed Robotnik and joined Sonic Underground. ART was sadly crushed when Sleet activated a shrinking room in Robotnik's base.
Episode list
Note: It is not fully known what the exact ordering of episode listing is. Though the closest to official episode list (the version used here) is taken from the Anchor Bay Sonic Underground DVD boxset.
- Wedding Bell Blues - When Tomorrow Comes
- To Catch a Queen - Have You Got The 411?
- Mobodoon - I've Found My Home
- The Price of Freedom - Money Can't Buy
- Underground Masquerade - Let The Good Times Roll
- Tangled Webs - The Children Light The Way
- The Deepest Fear - Face Your Fear
- Who Do You Think You Are - We Need To Be Free
- The Last Resort - Listen To Your Heart
- Come Out Wherever You Are - Society Girl
- Winner Fakes All - Built For Speed
- A Hedgehog's Home is Her Castle - Let's Do It To It
- Artifact - You Can't Own Everything
- Bug! - Never Give Up
- Sonic Tonic - (I Wish I Was) The Fastest Thing Alive
- Friend or Foe - Not Always What They Seem
- Head Games - Take A Chance
- When in Rome - When There's A Will, There's A Way
- The Jewel in the Crown - The Cosmic Dance
- Three Hedgehogs and a Baby - Being A Kid Is Cool
- Dunesday - True Blue Friend
- Mummy Dearest - We Are Sonic Underground (Egyptian version)
- The Hedgehog in the Iron Mask - Part Of The Problem
- Six is a Crowd - I Can Do That For You
- Flying Fortress* - No One Is An Island
- Beginnings** - Someday
- No Hedgehog is an Island* - Learn To Overcome
- Getting to Know You** - Working Together In Harmony
- New Echidna in Town* - The Mobius Song
- Harmony or Something** - We're All In This Together
- Country Crisis - How You Play the Game
- Haircraft in Space - Don't Be a Backstabber
- Healer - We're the Sonic Underground (rock version)
- Sonia's Choice - Never Easy
- The Big Melt - Fun in the Sun
- Sleepers - Have it All
- Bartleby the Prisoner - Justice Callin'
- The Art of Destruction - The Sound of Freedom
- The Pendant - Liberty Rocks!
- Virtual Danger - Don't Let Your Guard Down
Trivia
- This cartoon was originally made in France and titled Sonic Le Rebel.
- This is the first American Sonic series to feature Knuckles and also to not feature Tails.
- It is also the only show to feature a relative of Knuckles': his great-grandfather Athair, who was voiced by Sean Connery.
- Something of a casting coup for the program, this was the first TV guest appearance Connery had made playing a character (as opposed to playing himself) since 1956.
- The Archie Sonic comics consider Sonic Underground as an alternate universe version of Sonic, and has made one appearance in the series, in Sonic Super Special #10.
- There are only a few references to the games, including a circular floating fortress that resembles the Death Egg, a large Freedom Fighter-eating spaceship called Predator which closely resembles the Egg Carrier, and Floating Island (Now known as Angel Island) which first appeared in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 along with Knuckles.
- In the first episode "Beginnings" just at the beginning there is a stature that strongly resembles King Acorn from the SatAM series.
- Dingo is evidently not very smart and very literal minded. (Sleet: Go in and help the metal head. Dingo: Eh, You mean, through the door there? Sleet: No, through the wall, genius. Dingo: Okey-Dokey. [Dingo runs through the wall])
- Episode nine of Sonic Underground is titled, The Last Resort. Coincidentally, the ninth episode of the English version of Sonic X is also titled The Last Resort.
- If you exchange Sonia and Manic's first 3 letters around you get Sonic Mania, probably a coincidence...
See also
External links
- [Sonic Underground] at the Big Cartoon DataBase
- ''[Suneet.com-] - Doesn't have all the episodes, but has information on Sonic Underground
[[ Edit ]]
Features of Sonic the Hedgehog series
| Emerald/Ring | Chaos Control | Chaos Emerald | Master Emerald | Rings | Special Zone | Star Posts |
| Locations | Planet (Little) | Angel Island (Hidden Palace) | South Island | Westside Island | Mystic Ruins | Central City | Station Square | Space Colony ARK | Egg Quarters | Tiny Chao Garden | Knothole | Mobotropolis | Nameless Zone | Shanazar | Special Zone |
| Vehicles | The Tornado | Extreme Gear | Egg Carrier | Dr. Eggman's vehicles |
| Other | Aliens | Badniks (E-Series Robots) | Echidnas | Eclipse Cannon | Eggman Empire | Roboticizer (Roboticization) | Sonic Team |
| Spin offs | Manga | AoStH (episodes) (Blast) | Sonic the Comic | SatAM (episodes) | Archie | | Underground | Sonic X (episodes) (comic) (game) |
| Fan-related | KiStH | | Sonic Robo Blast 2 | Hedgehog Heaven | The Sonic Center |
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