| Sonic SatAM (Kelothan's Universe) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Action Science fantasy |
| Based on | Sonic the Hedgehog by Yuji Naka Naoto Ohshima Hirokazu Yasuhara |
| Directed by | John Grusd [1] Dick Sebast [2] Ron Myrick [3] Ben Hurst [4] Ken Penders [5] |
| Voices of | Jaleel White Charlie Adler Mark Ballou [6] Cam Brainard [3] Christine Cavanaugh Jim Cummings Bradley Pierce Rob Paulsen Kath Soucie Cree Summer Frank Welker William Windom Phil Lamar Cam Clarke |
| Theme music composer | Noisy Neighbors Michael Tavera |
| Opening theme | "The Fastest Thing Alive" |
| Composer(s) | Michael Tavera[6] Matt Muhoberac [4] John Zuker [4] |
| Country of origin | United States Italy |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 52 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Andy Heyward Robby London |
| Producer(s) | John Grusd [1] Dick Sebast [2] Ron Myrick [3] Len Janson [7] |
| Editor(s) | Mark A. McNally Sue Odjakjian CK Horness |
| Running time | 20–22 minutes |
| Production company(s) | DIC Productions, L.P.[8] Sega of America Reteitalia [9] Games Animation [4] |
| Distributor | ABC Distribution Company (1993-1994) MTV Networks (1994-????) |
| Release | |
| Original channel | ABC (U.S.) [9] Nickelodeon [4] Italia 1 (Italy) |
| Audio format | Stereo |
| Original release | September 18, 1993 – December 29, 1995 |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog Sonic Underground |
Sonic the Hedgehog (Italian: Sonic) is an American-Italian animated television series based on the video game series of the same name. It was story edited by Len Janson and produced by DIC Productions, L.P., Sega of America, Inc., the Italian studio Reteitalia S.p.A. in association with Telecinco (during the first two seasons), and Nickelodeon's Games Animation (During the final two).It is the second of DiC's Sonic cartoons, following Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog. It features a more dramatic and dark story than the lighter Adventures series, depicting Sonic as a member of a band of freedom fighters battling to overthrow Doctor Robotnik. To distinguish it from other Sonic the Hedgehog media, the series is commonly referred to by fans as "SatAM", in reference to its Saturday morning time-slot.
Plot[]
The series takes place on Mobius, a planet mostly populated by anthropomorphic animals. The Kingdom of Acorn, based within the city of Mobotropolis, was at war with the Kingdom of Leonis. The King recruited a human scientist, Julian, to build war machines to end the war with a victory. However, during peacetime, Julian and his nephew Snively launched a coup d'état against the kingdom. The King is banished to another dimension, the Void, and the citizens are captured and transformed into robot slaves, through a machine called the Roboticizer. Julian renames himself as Dr. Robotnik, now the ruthless dictator of Mobius. Mobotropolis is renamed Robotropolis, a polluted, industrial cityscape.
Robotnik finds himself at odds with a small collective group called the Freedom Fighters, who operate out of the hidden woodland village Knothole. They are led by Sonic the Hedgehog and Princess Sally Acorn, the King's presumed sole heir. Other members include Sonic's best friend Miles "Tails" Prower, computer genius Rotor the Walrus, "French" coyote Antoine Depardieu, half-roboticized Bunnie Rabbot, and Dulcy the Dragon. They act as a rebellion against Robotnik's regime. Sonic uses the Power Rings to gain a temporary boost in power. Both the rings and the Roboticizer were designed by Sonic's uncle Chuck, one of the victims (and in fact, inventor) of the machine.
Early on in the series, Sonic uses a Power Ring to restore Uncle Chuck's free will in his mechanical body. Chuck decides to act as a spy for the Freedom Fighters, operating from within the city. He is eventually discovered by Robotnik in the second season, and escapes to Knothole. Sally searches for her father during the series. He is found alive within the Void, shared with a sorcerer, Naugus, who was also imprisoned within the dimension by Robotnik. Naugus attempts to escape the Void, but both he and the King discover their bodies turn to crystal whilst back on Mobius, and are forced to return to their prison. The heroes gain other allies, including Ari the Ram, and Lupe, leader of the elusive wolf pack.
In the series' first two-part episode, "Blast to the Past", Sonic and Sally use the Time Stones to travel back in time, in an attempt to prevent Robotnik's planned takeover. They fail, but manage to get their younger selves to the safety of Knothole, with help from Sally's nanny Rosie Woodchuck. In the season finale, Robotnik builds the Doomsday Project to destroy the population. The Freedom Fighters launch a full scale attack against Robotnik, with Sonic and Sally destroying the Doomsday Project with the power of the Deep Power Stones. Robotnik is presumed dead, and the Freedom Fighters declare victory, with Sonic and Sally kissing.
The third season sees Snively briefly taking over Robotnik's position. His attempts quickly fail in the process and Snively is forced to release Naugus (whose eyes were seen behind Snively at the end of Season 2), The King, and Robotnik from the Void. Naugus overthrows Snively as the main villain with Robotnik serving as his lackey, while Naugus uses The King as bait to lure the Freedom Fighters into a trap. Snively, reduced to nothing, temporarily joins the Freedom Fighters, only to betray them and be foiled by Antoine. Also joining the Freedom Fighters is the mysterious Guardian of the Chaos Emerald, Knuckles, who even makes a brief attempt for Sally's heart.Furthermore, Tails matures and plays a much larger role as an official member of the Freedom Fighters, even showing a bit of a rebellious side and saves Knothole Village from a major disaster. Meantime, Dulcy comes into her full powers.
Naugus eventually reveals his plan, to revive his ancient society of Sorcerers, the Order of Ixis! To prevent the Freedom Fighters from stopping him, he locks them in the Void, they escape, with the device Robotnik used to cure him, Naugus, and The King. The King manages to trap himself and Naugus back in the Void, enabling Robotnik to regain control. The final two episodes, however, are origin tales, told by NICOLE. Robotnik and Snively were originally from Earth (Mobius' past) and in the year 2200, attempted to take over the space colony they were living in. Inadvertently destroying it instead, Robotnik and Snively narrowly escape with their lives, and were somehow sent into the distant future where they return to Earth, only to find it had became Mobius. Thinking that he was superior to the sentient animals that inhabited the planet, Robotnik set about to conquer it in any way he could.
Meanwhile, NICOLE's origin comes to light: She was originally a child lynx, a genius, and a close friend with the princess. She was forcibly downloaded into a satellite, her hand held form being an extension it. Gaining untold power, she set up a chain of events to keep herself from enslaving everyone, eventually resulting in her consciousness being sealed and Sally being given to her, where she named her after her dead friend, unaware they were one and the same.Nicole's true consciousness would eventually be jolted “awake” by Sonic’s annoying questions and she would share her tragic past with the Freedom Fighters. Nicole attempted to seal herself off again and erase this event, but the Fighters convince her to let them keep their memories before she reverted back to her computerized self.
Season four focuses on a new arrival, Sally's brother, Elias. Believed dead in an airship accident, he had actually been raised by a tribe of foxes, and joined the Freedom Fighters to find his father. Eventually, they free The King, but not before Nicole's satellite is critically damaged. Using the combined power of the Chaos Emerald and the Deep Power Stones, Nicole is not only saved, but actually restored to her orginal self, except older. The show ends as The King rallies the Freedom Fighters. Robotnik angrily tells Snively to ready his final plan, Operation Endgame. The show's story was concluded in the film Sonic the Hedgehog: Operation Endgame.
Characters[]
Knothole Freedom Fighters[]
- Sonic (the) Hedgehog (voiced by Jaleel White as a young man, Tahj Mowry as a boy) – Sonic is the main protagonist of the series. He is able to run at superhuman speed, and is the only freedom fighter capable of using magical rings called Power Rings. Sonic has an impatient and head-strong personality, but is also fearless, heroic, and well-meaning. He always mockingly refers to Robotnik as "Ro-butt-nik".
- Princess Sally Acorn (voiced by Kath Soucie as a young woman, Dana Hill as a girl) – A chipmunk who is the rightful princess of Mobotropolis and Sonic's love interest. As a strategist for the Knothole Freedom Fighters, she is knowledgeable and the voice of reason. However, Sally tries to keep Sonic grounded.
- Bunnie Rabbot (voiced by Christine Cavanaugh) – A rabbit with a southern accent. Half of her body was roboticized, leaving her left arm and both legs mechanical. She is skilled in martial arts, and desires to be returned to normal.
- Antoine "Ant" Depardieu (voiced by Rob Paulsen) – A coyote with a French accent whose awkwardness often places the others in danger and gets him captured. He has some difficulty speaking English. He has unrequited romantic feelings for Princess Sally, and attempts to impress her. However, his selfishness hinders this goal. Sonic often teases Antoine over his shortcomings.
- Rotor (voiced by Mark Ballou in Seasons 1, 3 and 4, Cam Brainard in season 2) – A walrus, and the mechanic of Knothole Village. He provides the Knothole Freedom Fighters with useful inventions, and accompanies them on infiltrations.
- Tails (voiced by Bradley Pierce) – A young fox who idolizes Sonic. While usually left behind in Knothole, he proves useful in deadly missions.
- Nicole (voiced by Kath Soucie as her computer self and Tara Strong[10] as her real self) – A portable computer that Sally uses to hack into Robotnik's technology. Nicole speaks in a female monotone, and exhibits artificial intelligence. It is indicated that Sally received Nicole from her father.
- Dulcy (voiced by Cree Summer) – A young dragon, who provides the Knothole Freedom Fighters with transportation. Sporting powerful lungs, Dulcy can blow enemies away and freeze them with ice breath. She has trouble landing, and often crashes mid-flight. She was introduced in Season 2.
- Knuckles (voiced by Phil Lamar) – The guardian of the Chaos Emerald, of which there is only one in this continuity. Speaking with an African accent, Knuckles joined the group to protect the Chaos Emerald. While their he breifly atempted of love triangle with Sonic and Sally, though he eventually conceided to Sonic. He was introduced in Season 3.
- Prince Elias Acorn (voiced by Cam Clarke) – The long lost older brother of Sally. Losing his mother in an airship crash, he was stranded in the Great Forest, where he was raised by a tribe of foxes. He eventually found out about his heritage and joined the Freedom Fighters. Initially intending to regain his heir status, he eventually realizes he's not cut out for the job, and enters a relationship with Meghan.
Villains[]
- Dr. Julian Robotnik (voiced by Jim Cummings) – A warlord who seeks to cover Mobius in machinery and transform its population into robotic slaves by roboticizing them. He is chiefly opposed by the Knothole Freedom Fighters. Robotnik's obsession with destroying Sonic is often his downfall. In this version, his real first name is Julian, adopting the moniker "Robotnik" after his takeover.
- Cluck (vocal effects provided by Frank Welker) – A robotic chicken, and the only creature Robotnik shows affection towards.
- Snively (voiced by Charlie Adler) – Robotnik's assistant and nephew. He is constantly abused by his uncle. As such, Snively hates Robotnik and plots behind his back.
- Swat-Bots (voiced by Jim Cummings and Frank Welker) – Robotnik's primary henchmen and foot soldiers.
- Naugus (voiced by Michael Bell) – A powerful sorcerer, who resents Robotnik for imprisoning him within the Void. He desires retribution, but he cannot escape without crystallizing.
- Metal Sonic – A robot clone of Sonic, designed to destroy him. Totalled in their last encounter, but Robotnik promised to fix it.
Recurring[]
- Sir Charles "Chuck" Hedgehog (voiced by William Windom) – Sonic's uncle, and the inventor of the Roboticizer before Robotnik stole it. He was roboticized and made into one of Robotnik's slaves, until Sonic restored his memory. He serves as a spy for the Freedom Fighters. According to Robby London, he was named after the writer and animator, Chuck Menville, who passed away in 1992.
- Ari Ram (voiced by Dorian Harewood) – A Freedom Fighter who worked as a double agent for Robotnik, only to be betrayed later and trapped in the Void.
- King Acorn (voiced by Tim Curry) – The former king of Mobotropolis and Sally's father. He was banished to the Void during Robotnik's takeover, and like Naugus, cannot escape without crystallizing.
- Lupe Wolf (voiced by Shari Belafonte) – Leader of the Wolfpack Freedom Fighters, and one of the Knothole Freedom Fighters' allies in the fight against Robotnik.
- Meghan (Voiced by Tress MacNellie) – A young widow. Eventually enter a relationship with Elias.
Production[]
Sonic the Hedgehog was created by DiC Animation City in association with Sega of America, which produced a total of 52 episodes over four seasons. After two season, ABC, the original broadcaster, cancelled the show. Nickelodeon, however, renewed the show for two more seasons and a movie, beginning what would be known as "the Sega-Nickelodeon Alliance". The ABC seasons were produced with the Italian studio Reteitalia S.p.A., part of Fininvest company, in association with Spanish network Telecinco, with animaiton being outsourced to the Korean studio Sae Rom Production, with the exception of the opening sequence which was animated by the Spanish studio Milimetros. The Nickodeon seasons were co-produced with Games Animation, with Sega's TMS handling the animation. Before production began, Sega of America CEO Tom Kalinske and its newly appointed consumer products director Michelane Risley approached the ABC network to produce two television shows featuring the character and licensed them to DiC. According to Robby London, DiC originally made a deal to produce only the Saturday morning Sonic series for the ABC network. The cartoon was originally planned to be more light-hearted compared to the final product, as reflected by its pilot episode and the early issues of Sonic the Hedgehog comics by Archie, which were based on the Saturday morning Sonic cartoon. However, DiC also wanted to go further and produce additional episodes for weekday syndication as well, similar to what DiC has previously done with The Real Ghostbusters, but Mark Pedowitz, the then-senior vice president of business affairs and contracts at ABC, who expected the Sonic cartoon to air exclusively on ABC, rejected the idea, telling London "If you guys want to do syndication, be our guest, go with God, but you won’t be on our network." ABC would not agree to the deal until London came with a proposition that DiC would produce a separate, vastly different Sonic show for syndication instead, the end result of which became Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog. As a result, the Saturday morning Sonic cartoon was made darker and more serious in order to distinguish itself from the syndicated Sonic cartoon. The show bible for the Saturday morning Sonic cartoon was written in February 1992 with the final revision made on March 10, 1993.
Japanese Release[]
In 1996, the television show aired in Japan, under the name Freedom Fighter Sonic (
Voice cast[]
| Character | Japanese dub actor |
|---|---|
| Sonic the Hedgehog (ソニック・ザ・ヘッジホッグ Sonikku za Hejjihoggu) | Masami Kikuchi |
| Miles "Tails" Prower (マイルス・「テイルス」・パウアー Mairusu "Teirusu" Pauā) | Hekiru Shiina |
| Knuckles the Echidna (ナックルズ・ザ・エキドゥナ Nakkuruzu za Ekiduna) | Yasunori Matsumoto |
| Dr. Eggman (ドクター・エッグマン Dokutā Egguman, Dr. Robotnik) | Junpei Takiguchi |
| Princess Sally Acorn (サリー・エイコーン |
Akiko Yajima |
| Nicole (ニコル Nikoru) | Megumi Hayashibara |
| Lupe the Wolf (ルーペ・ザ・ウルフ Rūpe za Urufu) | |
| Meghan (メガン Megan) | |
| Antoine Depardieu (アーントワーン・デパルディウ Āntowān Deparudiu) | Tomokazu Seki |
| Bunnie Rabbot (バニー・ラボット Banī Rabotto) | Sachiko Kojima |
| Rotor the Walrus (ローター・ザ・ウォールラス Rōtā za Uōrurasu) | Jun'ichi Kanemaru |
| Snively (スナイブリ Sunaiburi) | Shoichiro Akaboshi |
| The King ( |
Kōichi Yamadera |
| Prince Elias (エライアス | |
| Naugus (ナグス Nagusu) | Kaoru Shinoda |
| Uncle Chuck (チャックおじさん Chakku ojisan) | Tōru Ōhira |
Themes[]
- OP: Freedom Fighter Sonic (自由戦士ソニック Jiyū Senshi Sonikku)
- Songwriters: Yukinojo Mori, MEGUMI
- Singers: Hironobu Kageyama, Megumi Hayashibara
- ED: Run (走れ Hashire)
- Songwriter: MEGUMI
- Singer: Megumi Hayashbara