Sonic Underground

***Sonic Underground*** (French: Sonic Le Rebelle) is an animated series co-produced by DIC Productions L.P. (which was owned by Disney at the time) and Les Studios Tex S.A.R.L. It is the third Sonic the Hedgehog animated series, and also the last one produced by DiC; it follows a main plot separate from all other Sonic the Hedgehog media, where Sonic had two siblings, Sonia and Manic, that were collectively part of a royal family who were forced to separate from their mother, Queen Aleena, upon Robotnik's takeover of Mobius due to a prophecy told by the Oracle of Delphius. This is similar to *Sonic SatAM*, except darker and dramatic elements are cut down as arranged by Standards and Practices at the time. It first aired in France from 6 January to 23 May 1999 on TF1, and then premiered in the United Kingdom on 2 May 1999 on ITV and finally in the United States in the syndicated children’s block BKN Kids II on 30 August 1999 and ended on 22 October 1999. The show ran only for one season consisting of forty episodes. It was the first Sonic the Hedgehog television series to be sold on the iTunes Store.

This incarnation had not been well-liked, mostly by older *Sonic* fans of the 1993 series for its milder themes. Like the 1993 series, this is also left as a cliffhanger, resulting Sonic and his siblings have yet to reunite with Queen Aleena.

## Development

Sonic Underground was originally produced to help gain interest in the Dreamcast.
It is often claimed that SEGA contacted DiC Entertainment to make a new Sonic cartoon, which would help gain interest in buying their new console, the Dreamcast. Sonic Underground started production in early 1997, around the same time the development of both the Dreamcast and Sonic Adventure had started. The show bible was written as early as March 1997. The show was publicly announced as early as December 1997.

When the show was in development, two episodes per week were produced, and the writers felt that they were not given enough time to "tie everything together" in the plot, being limited to a three-part "Origins" saga for coherency. DiC used cattle calls to generate episode plots. Periodically, about twenty unaffiliated writers were brought into the studios to learn about the established characters and brainstorm possible plots for episodes, after which about one or two would be selected.

While it was once believed that 65 episodes were made of which only 40 aired, Ben Hurst, a main writer from *Sonic the Hedgehog* (dubbed SatAM by fans), who was also involved in Sonic Underground's production, stated in a chat at the Sonic Amateur Games Expo 2008 that only 40 were conceived and produced. The results involving Sonic and his siblings reuniting with Queen Aleena have since been incomplete, leaving the audience completely unsure since its cancellation.

## Trivia

* This is the second animated appearance of Knuckles. The first being the 1996 OVA anime movie.
	+ This is the only DIC cartoon that features Knuckles.

* Similar to the changes made for *Super Mario World* because of the new rule for children's television that was made at the time, concepts in this show completely differs from the original 1993 Saturday morning series due to stricter guidelines via Standards and Practices, such as darker themes are reduced and devoted to humor and show tunes, every female characters (including Sonia) are given a "dress" code, depicted ongoing intimacy is cut to mild romantic interactions, and Garry Chalk replaces Jim Cummings as Dr. Robotnik due to Cummings made Robotnik sounded too frightening for younger viewers.
* Sonic, Manic, and Sonia are all voiced by Jaleel White.
* This is the only *Sonic* cartoon not to feature Tails.
* This is the second *Sonic* cartoon that was syndicated on a Disney-themed channel, which aired on Disney XD in 2012. The first being *Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog*, which aired on Toon Disney between 1998 and 2002.
* This, along with *Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog*, are the only *Sonic* cartoons that have been reissued on box set DVDs after DHX bought rights to most DIC cartoons since 2012.
* To date, this is the final American *Sonic* cartoon made.

## Reception

*Sonic Underground* received mixed to negative reviews: it was criticized for its complex plot and large amount of differences from the games, although some critics have defined the music as catchy. David Cornelius of DVD Talk said, "While many Sonic fans did not take too well to all the changes, preferring the original 'Sonic' cartoon to this stranger, sometimes darker, sometimes sillier incarnation, the series did win a small but loyal cult following. I fall more on the side of disappointment - for all the cleverness that went into crafting an all-new backstory, the episodes themselves are uninspired - but acknowledge the simple fact that it scores well with its target audience." GamesRadar called the show as one of "the absolute worst Sonic moments", criticizing the extra characters and the complex plot. Patrick Lee of The A.V. Club panned the series, calling it one of the most artistic failures to ever end up on television and "the result of several unrelated ideas forcibly squashed into one project". Comedian Chris Hardwick commented on the show's theme song, composed by Mike Piccirillo, claiming that "that guy sounds like he's trying to win his exwife back." Susan Arendt of Wired said "The songs are actually kind of catchy in a Saturday morning cartoon kind of way, but the band thing still seems a bit out of place, especially when the instruments turn into weapons." Emily Ashby of Common Sense Media said "Sonic Underground has some good things to offer kids, but only if they're ready for the complexities of its story" criticizing its complex plot but complimenting its low violence and ability to entertain children.