movies/tv Sonic The Hedgehog- The Movie

[Trixie the Greatest 131]

Sonic The Hedgehog:  The Movie

 

Anime Review

 

1994

 

ADV

 

Two Episodes back to back

 

Action/Comedy/OAV

 

VHS/DVD

 

 

ADV released the Sonic OAV in an era when Sonic the Hedgehog's popularity has peaked during the mid-90s with the Sega Genesis/Megadrive 16 Bit titles and the cult classic Sonic CD which the OAV is loosely adapted from. There has already been  two american cartoon shows shown in the US, Adventures of Sonic the HEdgehog which aired daily and Sonic the Hedgehog, which was shown every Saturday.  While Adventures received a lukewarm welcome by fans, the Saturday Morning adaptation (SatAM as dubbed by said fans) was the most memorable adaptation which has inspired even a comic book series.  As for the AOV, just like Sonic CD, it came and went by, with only a handful of its fans taking notice in a time when the Internet was yet to be mainstream and so was Anime in America.  It did indeed gather a cult following, which some stating it has been much better Anime adaptation than even the most current incarnation Sonic X could ever hope to be.

 

The story opens with a glimpse of Hyper Metal Sonic, whose design is that of Sonic CD's Metal Sonic and one character that has become a prominent threat in the current Sonic series. After the intro is set, we catch Sonic and Tails enjoying a summer holiday on the Land of the Sky, which floats above on what is known as the Land of Darkness, both worlds within the same planet known as Planet Freedom.  When an emisary of the President comes to ask for hep, Sonic and Tails fly on their biplane to the President's castle, where Robotnik awaits with an ambush.  Before Sonic is ready to spinball him out of the way, Robotnik casually nabs the President's daughter Sara (who resembles an Anime catgirl), advising him not to do anything foolish.  Robotnik then explains that he has been forced out of his lair, Robotropolis by a new evil entity known as Metal Robotnik, and that has turned his robot generator out of control, compromising the planet's safety.  While Sonic doesn't entirely buy into this story, he agrees to investigate as Sara's request and a promise of marrying him if he does so.  

 

Sonic and Tails crash land on the Land of Darkness, and travel to a desolated city resembling New York in ruins, with no explanation of what said place is exactly.  A curious revelation that Tails is deeply affraid of lightning resurfaces as Sonic confronts Metal Robotnik for the first time.  Just when Metal Robotnik is about to get the upper hand, Knuclkes makes his entrance and aids Sonic to destroy him, paving the way to Robotropolis.  After shutting down the robot generator, Sonic becomes trapped within an energy field and Metal Robotnik emerges again, albeit damaged.  Tails mentions the possibility of being a ghost as it crumbles, revealing Robotnik and Sara coming out of the rubble.  Robotnik explains that it was all a ruse and let Sonic believe he was about to rescue the planet with the real reason being that he needed his DNA coding to awaken Hyper Metal Sonic, who comes alive and confronts Sonic in a deadly match outside Robotropolis.  Sonic loses and is sent back down the Land of Darkness while Robotnk escapes with Sara taking her to the polar ice cap which is in danger of being destroyed, taking the Land of the Sky along with it.  While Knuckles and Tails repair the Biplane, they get an urgent message from the President asking for Sonic's help, although at the time they don't know where he is.  Tails configures a locator, zoning on Sonic's presence and finds him, then takes him and Knucles to the ice caps to confront both Robotnik and Hyper Metal Sonic one final time.

 

Sonic eventually defeats Hyper Metal Sonic, and tries to save him before it slides off into a crater filled with lava.  Metal Sonic refuses said help as he tells Sonic there is only one real Sonic, and willingly lets himself be destroyed by the lava below.  The OAV ends with Sonic being chased by the rest of the cast, including Robotnik, before the credits roll.

 

Although Jaleel White did not voiced Sonic in the English dub of the OAV, the VA used has his own charm for the hog with attitude, and his personality is quite similar to the one from the SatAM version, Tails and Knuckles each have their unusual voices, but not in a negative way.  Many elements which are similar with SatAM include Sonic living in his own planet, but instead of Mobius its called Freedom, which is the theme used in SatAM.  Although the earth-like city found in the OAV may hint that it could be Earth itself, the two episode series never admits nor denies said assumption.

 

Robotnik himself has his own wacky megolomaniac charm, not unlike the version in Adventures of and a lot more likeable than in Sonic X as Dr. Eggman.  The one character that is missing and could incorporate into a fauthful Sonic CD adaptation would be Amy Rose, who is also not mentioned and it seems to have Sara in her stead. 

 

There has been some versions of the OAV where it has been censored.  In the original version Sonic seems to be flipping off Metal Robotnik in a scene while in the second episode Tails accidentally gropes Sara after falling from his Biplane destroyed by Robotnik.  Sara however, doesn't seem to notice or even mind at this.  Sara herself is much too forgettable as the girl in love of the hero in the series.  She is personality wise no different than Amy Rose in Sonic X, save that she doesn't necesarily use a piko hammer to deal with Hyper Metal Sonic at some point.  

 

All in all a unique entrance to the Sonic animated series as a spinoff that could be considered a paralel world sort of thing, one much more enjoyable than what Sonic Underground ever was.  It seems that the two OAV parter might've been in fact a pilot of sorts, and probably Sonic Team was to produce more.  However with no word from said company or even ADV which released it in the US, this has to come seen as a try out to see if fans would welcome it into the Anime mainstream.

 

Would this then be a prototype to what Sonic X eventually became?  Not sure in the least, but the OAV is much enjoyable than X in all aspects.

 

B

[Kazuki Fuse 534]

Love this movie, got it on DVD for $5 from a Value Village, its a classic for sure. Also, the japanese version of Sonic X is actually pretty good. 4kids can fuck off.