For the group, see Sonic Underground (group).

Sonic Underground (Sonic le Rebelle in French) is an American-French animated television series based on the Sonic the Hedgehog series, produced by DiC Entertainment. The show follows the adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog and his siblings: the pink-hued sister, Sonia, and the green-hued brother, Manic as they go on a quest to search for their mother, Queen Aleena Hedgehog, in order to fulfill the prophecy of the Council of Four told by the Oracle of Delphius. Sonic Underground bears little relation to other continuities in the series (including previous animated series, as well as the video games and comics), and shares only three established characters and one established location.

One season, forty episodes aired with no payoff. Ben Hurst, a notable writer from the Sonic the Hedgehog television show, who was also involved in Sonic Underground's production, stated in a SAGE chat that only forty were produced. According to Hong Ying, the animation studio who animated Sonic Underground list forty episodes which is the complete series. In addition, according to Hurst himself, Sonic Underground was in his opinion, a perfect opportunity for the revival of Sonic the Hedgehog (SatAM), but that opportunity was not seized by those in power at the time.^[2]

Sonic Underground takes place on Mobius, similar to the Sonic the Hedgehog (SatAM) television series, but with notable differences. Elements that are not included in Sonic Underground but were present in Sonic the Hedgehog include Snively, Power Rings, Knothole Village, and the Freedom Fighters. Though the Freedom Fighters were included, many of the characters in the Freedom Fighter group that were in Sonic the Hedgehog are completely left out (including Tails). Another difference with the Freedom Fighter group is that Freedom Fighters 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 de-roboticized, leaving multiple cities, a poor underclass and an aristocracy for the heroes to interact with.

Jaleel White provided the speaking voices for all three siblings (whereas they are voiced by different voice actors when they are singing, as opposed to the previous cartoons in which he sang in his Sonic voice). 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 forty songs spread over the series as featured music videos. Each of these songs were composed by Jean-Michel Guirao and Mike Piccirillo.

Plot[]

Sonic, Sonia, and Manic are the children of Queen Aleena, the rightful ruler of Mobius and are pursued relentlessly by Doctor Robotnik and his bumbling bounty hunters sidekicks, Sleet and Dingo. As infants, the siblings were separated and placed in hiding to fulfill a prophecy made by the Oracle of Delphius (a spoof on the Oracle of Delphi of Ancient Greece) that the triplets would grow up to find their estranged mother, overthrow Robotnik and take their places once more as Mobius' rightful rulers.

The three siblings possess enchanted medallions that transform not only into musical instruments, but also into weapons:

• Sonic: electric guitar and laser rifle.
• Sonia: keyboard and laser rifle.
• Manic: drum kit which has the ability to control seismic activity (triggering earthquakes, rockslides, etc.).

Aside from doing battle with Robotnik, with their medallions in instrument form, the trio perform as their underground rock band, the Sonic Underground.

Program history[]

During the build-up to the launch of the Dreamcast, Sega began heavily advertising their major franchises. For Sonic, they contacted DiC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Disney at the time, 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 was canceled before it was finished, running for only one season, 1999 to 2000. Since then, the show can be found in syndication on a few channels.

It also aired on the UK channel POP at various times. POP has aired all three DiC produced Sonic animated series. Spanish channel ¡Sorpresa! also aired Sonic Underground in Spanish in the United States. CITV also transmitted the show. In October 2010, American channel This TV announced they would air the series alongside Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog as part of its Sunday morning lineup.

Sonic Underground began airing on Disney XD on 11 June 2012, but was later taken off the schedule on 14 September 2012, it later returned for a week on 10 December 2012, but was replaced on 14 December 2012 with Kick Buttowski: Suburbian Daredevil.

Characters[]

Main[]

• Sonic the Hedgehog: The world's fastest hedgehog and the leader of the Sonic Underground. Sonic has two sets of guardians, a couple who were captured by Robotnik and their house set ablaze and his Uncle Chuck. In this story, he has a brother and sister (to the right) and is known to be a prince. He is the lead singer, his medallion transforming into a laser-blasting electric guitar (which can act as a bass sometimes). As fast as the speed of sound, Sonic can easily outrun and outsmart Robotnik's forces. He is a big fan of chili dogs (just like in SatAM and AoSTH) and is rarely far from a chili 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 a cruel, spoiled fat hedgehog from eating so many chili dogs and had banned music on the planet. Sonic makes extensive use of catchphrases in his dialogue, including: "Way past cool," "Bummer Majores!", "It's juice and jam time!", and "Let's do it to it!"
• Sonia the Hedgehog: The only female member of the Sonic Underground, Sonic and Manic's sister. Unlike Sonic and Manic, she was raised by an aristocratic foster family, and she hates getting dirty. She is great at gymnastics and karate. Her medallion can transform into a laser-blasting keyboard. Sonia has a pink motorbike to try and keep up with Sonic. Sonia develops an attraction towards Knuckles at the Flying Fortress saga of the series. Some fans consider Sonia to be a clone of Amy Rose, minus the attraction Amy feels for Sonic. In an alternate reality, Sonia and her brothers are rulers of Mobius, but she likes fashion and finery, not wanting to rule and having to deal with Mobius' problems.
• Manic the Hedgehog: A member of the Sonic Underground, he was also 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; he has been under mind control, becoming Robotnik's spy, nearly roboticized (but was freed), put to sleep, and hypnotized (for a short while). 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 and he also made lots of taxes. In the Flying Fortress saga at the end, Manic's drum kit is destroyed by Dingo when he is a chaos monster.
• Queen Aleena: Sonic, Sonia, 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. She often appears during the episodes, usually to provide guidance or a helping hand, and provides the opening narration at the start of each episode.
• Knuckles the Echidna: The guardian of the Chaos Emerald and the Floating 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 that 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, probably due to the fact that the Chaos Emeralds weren't well established in the series and adding the Master Emerald would cause confusion. He has a crush on Sonia.
• Athair: Knuckles' great-grandfather. He gives Knuckles advice.
• Doctor Robotnik: The evil ruler of Mobius, having conquered 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 Manic's drums causing earthquakes) he bounces about much like a ball. In an alternate reality, Robotnik is the leader of the Freedom Fighters and was rather nice and kind.
• 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 may seem to be a serious villain but he is always failing at missions, only succeeding sometimes. Sleet is constantly being crushed by Dingo and is usually the one who suffers. He does however appear to get away from being roboticized no matter how angry he makes Robotnik.
• 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 (such as a chili dog cart or carpet). In the Flying Fortress saga, Dingo breaks a Chaos Emerald which transforms him into an enormous out-of-control beast that threatens to destroy Mobius, but eventually reverts to normal (crushing Robotnik in the process).
• The Oracle of Delphius: An odd, warty, reptilian anteater in a cloak. The Oracle prophesied that upon Robotnik's invasion of 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 chili dogs.
• Bartleby MontClair: 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 the head 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.
• Lionel: Cyrus' father who was roboticized. Only seen twice in the series.
• Trevor: A mouse who is an old friend of Sonic and resembles a hippie. He is easily captured, but is just as easily freed. Only seen about once or twice.
• 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, Trevor, Renée and Bartleby.

Other[]

The Freedom Fighters play a large significant role in Sonic Underground, opposing Dr. Robotnik's evil reign over Mobius. The leaders are Sonic and his siblings. Cyrus is the head technician, and Trevor is somewhat of an assistant. Other notable members are Knuckles, Queen Aleena and the Oracle. Below is a list of other one-time characters; many are Freedom Fighters.

• Chuck: Sonic's uncle, originally hailing from the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series published by Archie Comics and the Sonic the Hedgehog television series. Like in the comics and cartoon, he is roboticized. He doesn't appear to be Sonic's biological uncle this time around, as he was known to Sonic as "Uncle" through his adopted parents.
• Lady Windermere: Sonia's foster mother. She was roboticized.
• Farrell: An odd insect-like creature who was Manic's foster father. He was a clever thief who showed Manic the ropes, but he too was later roboticized.
• Argus: Queen Aleena's bodyguard. He was captured and roboticized.
• Mayor Winniham: A horse who is the Mayor of Mobodoon, the Sonic Underground's hometown.
• Mindy LaTour: Mindy is Sonia's old friend and a fashionista. Her father is Mr. LaTour.
• Mr. LaTour: Father of Mindy, of whom he is very protective. He was forced to create robotic watches for Robotnik.
• Agent N: A robot built by Robotnik to guard the watch factory.
• Max: A pickpocket who leads a small group of thieves. After helping the Sonic Underground, he and his posse are given homes. He plays the drums like Manic.
• Allegra: One of Max's gang members who plays the violin.
• Captain Squeege: A sea sponge who is the captain of the Queen Aleena ferry.
• Moby Deep: A giant whale mistaken for a sea monster, this being a parody of Moby Dick.
• Raphi Hajani: A desert dwelling dog who lives in the city of Tashistan with his mother, father and grandmother. His best friend, Sonia, momentarily loses her memory. He is roboticized in the legs.
• 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.
• Bellok: 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 humorous.
• Rudy: A lizard who leads a desert team of Freedom Fighters.
• Chomps: Knuckles' pet dinosaur. He tries to eat Sleet and Dingo but instead eats their hologram projector. Only seen in "Friend or Foe?".
• Mantu: The son of the chief of the Speedster Island tribe. He did not like how his father sold the island.
• Chief: The chief of the Speedster Island tribe. He sells the island to Robotnik.
• 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 (and looks and sounds like Sonic). Like Sonic, he adores music.
• Hothep: The guard of Aman's tomb.
• Titus: A scientist who 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.
• Renée: The leader of the Resistance in Anez.
• ART: A learning robot built by Robotnik. ART stands for "Artificial Robot of Technology," and he was capable of learning and evolving into more formidable forms. He betrayed Robotnik and joined Sonic Underground. ART was sadly crushed when Sleet activated a shrinking room in Robotnik's base.
• Vince: A black-market salesman. Manic sells an orb to him before realizing it is a bomb, but by the time they get there, Vince has sold it to Bartleby. Vince ends up getting roboticized by Sleet.

Episode list[]

Main article: List of Sonic Underground episodes

Cast[]

Singing cast[]

Reception[]

Sonic Underground has been met with mostly negative reviews. David Cornelius of DVD Talk said that "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."^[3] GamesRadar described the show as one of "the absolute worst Sonic moments".^[4]

Archie Comics epilogue[]

Due to the show's cancellation, the storyline of Sonic Underground remained unresolved. However, the staff at Archie Comics had considered finishing the storyline. While the then-current writer of the Sonic the Hedgehog comic serise, Ian Flynn, thought that perhaps making a new Sonic Underground story that could wrap up where the original series left off was an interesting idea, he felt he would be "stepping on the original creatives' toes," and that the story probably would not see the light of day for at least two years if he was even allowed to do it.^[5]

It was revealed at New York Comic Con 2012 that Sonic Universe #50 was intended to be the official epilogue of the Sonic Underground series, with a preview cover to the issue being released. However, the issue instead featured a plotline starring Metal Sonic, while the epilogue got cancelled.

Ian Flynn stated in early 2013 that material from Sonic Underground is "off-limits."^[6] During the Sonic Lost World First Play Marathon, Flynn explained that this was the reason the epilogue had been put on hold.^[7] He later stated the epilogue's story would be featured in Lost Hedgehog Tales, a written document compiling Sonic comic material that will no longer be used, thus seemingly confirming that the epilogue is no longer a possibility.^[8] In July 2017, Sega announced its partnership with Archie Comics to be over, transferring the comic rights to IDW Publishing, marking the cancellation of the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series and thus precluding the chance to have a Sonic Underground epilogue published by the company.^[9]

Despite this, over the years, the show has gained some popularity. Some attempts have been made by fans to finish and/or continue the series, an example being Archie Sonic Online, which released a conclusion comic based on the cancelled one planned for Sonic Universe #50.

LCD game[]

Main article: Sonic Underground (LCD game)

An LCD game based on the Sonic Underground television series was made and released in 2000. The game has the same plot as in the show, but with a few new added features and plot variations.

Home video and digital releases[]

In the United States, the show has seen many DVD releases. Sonic Underground: The Complete Series was released on DVD on 25 July, 2023 by NCircle Entertainment.

DVD[]

• Shout! Factory:
• Sonic Underground: Volume 1
• Sonic Underground: Volume 2
• NCircle Entertainment:
  • Band on the Run
  • Dr. Robotnik's Revenge
  • Legend Has It
  • Ready, Aim, Sonic!
  • The Queen Aleena Chronicles
  • Secrets of the Chaos Emerald
  • Sonic to the Rescue
  • Sonic Underground: The Complete Series

Trivia[]

• Sonic Underground is the first animated adaption of the Sonic series to have animation done digitally.
• The original premise of Sonic Underground was based on the British English legend of Robin Hood, according to early production documents and the LCD Tiger Electronics game. However, this was scrapped in favor of generic royalty for an unknown reason.
• This is the first Sonic television series to feature Knuckles the Echidna and the only one not to feature Miles "Tails" Prower.
  • This was also Knuckles' only appearance in a Sonic television show produced by DiC Entertainment.
    • However, Knuckles was planned to appear in the unmade third season of the Sonic the Hedgehog television series. ^{[citation needed]}
  • Coincidentally, neither character was shown with the other in any of the three animated series produced by DiC, although both were portrayed as close allies/friends of Sonic.
• It is the only Sonic television series to show a relative of Knuckles: his great-grandfather Athair.
• This is the first Sonic series animation to be made in France, the second being Sonic Boom.
• Unlike the Sonic the Hedgehog television show, which took place in the year 3235 (with Robotnik taking over Mobius in the year 3224), the years that Sonic Underground take place in are never mentioned at all, though several historical events and Mobius having equivalents to many real world ancient civilizations are presented.
• Rather than be in love with royalty like in the Sonic the Hedgehog television series, Sonic is royalty, the crown prince and heir to the throne of Mobius that will one day be crowned its King.
• A notable difference between Sonic Underground and the Sonic the Hedgehog television series is Robotnik's choice of law enforcement in the two continuities. While both versions featured Swatbots as Robotnik's grunt troops, their designs differed by a mile and more. The SatAM Swatbots also all looked identical, while the Underground Swatbots had two different head designs.
• According to the Oracle's prophecy, the triplets someday will meet with their mother, and will join forces to defeat Robotnik and return everything to normal. This never happened in any episode.
• The siblings' father was never mentioned nor was he even given a character design or a voice actor. He was however planned to appear in the show but ended up ultimately scrapped for unknown reasons. He was the rightful king of Mobius before Doctor Robotnik deposed him and his queen. The French theme song of the show also implied that there was no king at the time that Sonic and his siblings were born, which could mean that he either went away from court, was imprisoned, roboticized, or killed.
• According to an early production document, Robotnik was going to have a thin twin brother named Grotty (short for "grotesque").^[10]
• According to an early production document^[11], both Robotnik's two sidekicks Scratch and Grounder from the Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog television series were planned to make a return, either replacing (or perhaps accompanying) Sleet and Dingo. While the document refers to them as "Robotnik's dumb-bots", it's unknown whether their backstories as to their creation would have been altered (i.e. be Mobians that were subjected to roboticization). Its unknown why all of this was scrapped from the final version. Their voice actors Phil Hayes and Garry Chalk however returned for voicing characters such as the latter playing Robotnik, and the former playing Bartleby MontClair.
• This show digitally retraced some artworks with some changes, from other Sonic works such as Robotnik's SatAM artwork and Knuckles' artwork being that of one of his iconic American Sonic & Knuckles illustrations by Greg Martin.
• In the episode "Sleepers", Manic's voice is a little deeper than normal, whereas in the episode "Wedding Bell Blues," Sonic's voice was more high-pitched than normal. In "To Catch a Queen," Manic's voice sounded more like Sonic's as he commented on parts he was stealing for an invention. Sonic's pronunciation of "Sonia" also differed throughout the series. All of these were probably oversights by Jaleel White, who voiced all three siblings and their Hamarapian ancestor Aman-Rapi.

• The Sonic the Hedgehog comic series published by Archie Comics considers Sonic Underground as an alternate universe version of Sonic, and has made one appearance in the series, in Sonic Super Special #10.
  • According to writer Ken Penders, Sega initially requested for content from Sonic Underground to be integrated directly into the series' storyline in Mobius Prime. However, due to the inherent differences between Sonic Underground and the Sonic the Hedgehog television series (from which major aspects of the comic were derived), a compromise was made, and the Sonic Underground content was contained to its own dimension in the comic multiverse.^[12]
• 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 which first appeared in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 along with Knuckles.
• The sanctuary at the end of episode 20, "Three Hedgehogs and a Baby," has been compared to Knothole Village from the Sonic the Hedgehog television series. According to the model sheets, it either was intended to be Knothole Village or, perhaps, a similar but separate location altogether (as one of the locations is Rotor's house/workshop).
• There are several animation errors that always occur, such as when Medallions are missing, Manic has his earrings on his right ear, Manic's fanny-pack is missing, and gloves or arms are in a different color, Robotniks pants are colored red as opposed to black. There have also been perspective issues.
• In the episode, "The Big Melt," when Manic comes out of the water and coughs, it is in Sonic's voice, and in "Beginnings" and "Haircraft in Space," one can see Sonic's mouth move to Sonia's voice, and vice versa. As aforementioned, these were possibly oversights by Jaleel White.
• The medallion strings are in different colors. Sonic has a red string (matching his shoes), Sonia has a yellow string, and Manic has a blue string.
• The series was streamed on Netflix, but the episodes are completely out of order on Netflix and from episodes 27-40 the title screen for the episodes and the end credits are in French. As of 31 October 2013, Sonic Underground had been removed from Netflix. In 2014, Sonic Underground returned to the platform, but was removed again on 2 January 2018.
• When Jaleel White voiced Sonic, his voice sounds lower pitched compared to his other two previous portrayals. This is due to White maturing. It is the voice that Jaleel to this day uses for Sonic.
• This is the last Sonic television show to feature Jaleel White as the voice of Sonic.
• This series coincidentally has Sonic in a band similar the scrapped element for the first Sonic game where Sonic originally was going to be in a rock band.
• This was the final Sonic cartoon to be produced by DiC before the company's dissolution.
• Due to the series being cancelled, it's never been revealed if Sonic and his siblings reunited with their mother, fulfill the prophecy from the Oracle, and restored peace on Mobius, or if Robotnik defeated and roboticized/killed them as it's implied that Robotnik's defeat in the final episode was not permanent just like in much of the other episodes proceeding the series finale.
  • The triplets were, however, supposed to finally reunite with their mother in the final episode, which would fulfill the Oracle's prophecy, defeat Robotnik, and restore everything to normal.^{[citation needed]}
  • However, in the Archie Comics continuity, the Sonic Underground reality is implied to be one of the realities destroyed by the Super Genesis Wave which likely means its inhabitants were all most likely killed, including Sonic and his Siblings, even Robotnik. But this is all highly likely exclusive in the Archie Sonic universe; while Sonic Underground itself is canon to Archie, there is nothing to imply that the same goes with the inverse.
• This was the final Sonic cartoon to be produced in 20th century.

Videos[]

• Opening
• Commercial

International videos[]

• DE
• ES
• FR
• HU
• PL
• PT
• RO
• RU
• VLCA
• ZH-CN

• Intro (ES)
• Intro (MX)

• Intro (PT, Nacional Filmes)
• Intro (PT, KidsCo)
• Intro (BR)

References[]

Sonic Underground episode list

• Episode 1-20
• Episode 21-40

Beginnings

To Catch a Queen

Mobodoon

The Price of Freedom

Underground Masquerade

Tangled Webs

The Deepest Fear

Who Do You Think You Are

The Last Resort

Come Out Wherever You Are

Winner Fakes All

A Hedgehog's Home is Her Castle

Artifact

Bug!

Sonic Tonic

Friend or Foe?

Head Games

When in Rome...

The Jewel of the Crown

Three Hedgehogs and a Baby

Dunes Day

Mummy Dearest

Hedgehog in the Iron Mask

Six is a Crowd

Flying Fortress

Wedding Bell Blues

No Hedgehog is an Island

Getting to Know You

New Echidna in Town

Harmony or Something

Country Crisis

Haircraft in Space

Healer

Sonia's Choice

The Big Melt

Sleepers

Bartleby the Prisoner

The Art of Destruction

The Pendant

Virtual Danger