Sonic the Hedgehog - Super Sonic (1993)

A taste of the golden past!

I remember back in 1993 when I used to wake up at 8 in the morning on Saturdays to watch this masterpiece of a show. I knew off hand that the voice cast was made up of some of the best actors and actresses in the day, and even still (Jaleel White, Kath Soucie, Christene Cavanaugh, Rob Paulson, Jim Cummings... BEST... ROBOTNIK... EVER, and Charles Adler as that whiney Snively), how the sceneries were always brilliantly and beautifully painted (from the serene, lush beauty of Knothole, to the desolate, bleak, and polluted expance of Robotropolis, to the magnificent bird's-eye-view of the mountains in "Sonic and the Secret Scrolls"), the well-thought out music... and, of course, how all those elements put together, along with good plots, made a solid show.

Sadly, they only give you a small portion of episodes, and though way they made the menus was highly dissapointing (I know they tried to aim it toward kids, but having Inspector Gadget instruct you how to work the menu seemed, unecessary, at best), it gladfully doesn't deter the nostalgic feeling I have every time I watch these episodes.

Now... if DIC REALLY want to make some money, maybe they should play it smart and make a box-set collection for both Seasons 1 and 2, probably making a new set for them from scratch (instead of using the previous format they used with this DVD)... I mean, they've recently done it with the Super Mario Bros. Super Show, AND the Zelda series.

This show need to be justified for its excellence! DIC, please make a box-set for this show, wherever you are. August 31, 2006

DVD is EDITED And key episodes previously released on VHS were omitted

Buy the Hooked on Sonics, Sonic Racer, and Super Sonic VHS tapes at a yard sale for fifty cents instead of this DVD. You'd get more for your money than buying this Super Sonic compilation DVD... minus the Secret Scrolls episode.

Amazon has apparently discontinued selling this Sonic DVD. It's such a shame that the anime Sonic X gets several DVD releases a year, and we SatAM fans get THIS. Simply put, this compilation DVD isn't as good as many think it is. It's EDITED and also omits the following episodes previously released on VHS: Hooked On Sonics and Warped Sonic. These two episodes were among my favorite SatAM episodes from the first season and yet they were inexplicably left out. February 13, 2006

A Pop Culture Icon At His Best

1993 might as well have been called the "Year of the Hedgehog." After all, it was that year that Sonic made the complete transition from popular video game character to pop culture icon. A countless amount of spin-off merchandise was released.

Among all other things was the airing of two completely different "Sonic" cartoons, one that ran on weekdays, the other on Saturday Mornings. The former was a silly light-hearted affair while the latter took the "blue blur" and placed him in a much darker atmosphere. Popularly dubbed the "SatAM" by fans, the series finally saw DVD release in 2002. It told the story of Sonic and a brave band of Freedom Fighters led by Princess Sally struggling to free their home planet of Mobius from the clutches of the mad dictator Dr. Robotnik. In addition to above-average animation for its day, the show boasted a talented voice cast that included "Family Matters" star Jaleel White and VA legend Jim Cummings. As Sonic, White provided a great sense of energy and enthusiasm, arguably fitting the role just as well as Errol Flynn fit Robin Hood. Cummings provided a compelling and, at times, chilling portrayal as the cyborg villain Robotnik and made some of the best contributions to the series. The episodes included in the "Super Sonic" dvd include "Super Sonic," "Sonic & Sally, "Sonic Racer," "Sonic Boom" and "Sonic & the Secret Scrolls."

Super Sonic- Sonic and Robotnik race against each other to steal a computer of magic spells; a fairly simple episode than nonetheless depicts the hedgehog at his absolute best.
4/4

Sonic & Sally- Robotnik attempts to infiltrate the Freedom Fighters with a robotic Princess Sally; an outstanding episode due to its action and its heart. 4/4

Sonic Racer- Robotnik holds a speed contest as a means of trapping Sonic; another simple episode that is still highly enjoyable due to its action-oriented nature. 4/4

Sonic Boom- Princess Sally seeks out her father, the rightful ruler of Mobius; an okay episode that raises questions handled much better during the second season. 2.5/4

Sonic & the Secret Scrolls- The Freedom Fighters seek out the scrolls of the title; a fun escapist episode that nonetheless brings up plot points that were later abandoned over the course of the series. 3/4

This feature-length "SatAM" DVD is very likely the closest to a movie that fans of the series will get. And forget Urkel, this Jaleel White vehicle represents the former star's best work yet. November 25, 2005

Best Show Ever!!!

This was the greatest show ever! It kinda followed the sonic the hedgehog comics, which is a big plus because I love the comics and have read all of them. This show was the best show to ever run on tv and the best sonic show too. I would spend $100 on this show if I had to! Sadly, at the end of Season 2 of this show, on the very last episode, the show ended at a huge cliffhanger, it left millions of fans and people wondering and crying. The show ended with Robotniks' sidekick, Snively, comeing back alive after Sonic destryoed the doomsday operation with Sally's help, he came out of what I think was an escape pod or something and had an evil look on his face and an evil laughter. He came out of the shadows and said he was now going to be the villain since Robotnik was gone and shouted that he would be able to suceed with help, and that he wasn't alone, then two red eyes appeared in the shadows after Snively said that, then...the show ended. No one ever got to find out what happened to Sonic, the never got to see what happened to Snively and what he was going to do, they never got to see whos eyes were in the shadows behind Snively. The show was over. People to this day years later are still trying to save the show. You can help too. If many people start buying this dvd or this original Sonic the Hedgehog cartoon, known to many as "SatAM"(Saturday Morning Cartoon Show), sega may still bring back the show, but it is going to take alot of people. You could try searching around the internet for places trying to save the show and maybe just one day all the sad sonic fans can see what happenes to thier favorite blue hedgehog. It would also be nice if they could turn the third season of this show into a movie and release it. I would buy it for sure! Anyway, if you like she show it would mean alot if you tryed to help/save it. It may be years later after the show is long been canceled, but you can never give up or quit. I still post flyers for the show everynow and then, and buy doing that, I hope that at least one person will buy the show. I join websites like 4kids.tv and go to remind everyone of the old canceled Sonic the Hedgehog(SatAM) show and see if anyone will help. I would love to see this show again and I hope that someone who can really help reads this! Also, sorry for the long review. August 28, 2005

3/4 Past Cool...

One of the prime decades of Saturday morning cartoon shows was definitely during the mid-90s. After turning in the laborious week at school, it was fun to kick back and watch some kick-butt cartoons. With classic series like "The Tick", "Animaniacs", "Batman: The Animated Series", old-school Looney Tunes shorts, and others, I was happy as a clam. But perhaps my most favorite cartoon was the crown jewel of ABC Saturday Morning. Sonic was my Tupac Shakur, for lack of a better comparison. His intrigue and unbeatable cool ate up many an hour of my time playing his games, and the fact that he had the fly-est cartoon on air, and a pretty good comic book, was just icing on the cake.

Now, ten years later, in this age of smaller, faster, and cooler stuff, I had a mid-teen crisis, and decided to purchase this on DVD. However, unlike a lot of cartoons that you see where you go, "I can't believe I liked this crap!" (Power Rangers, anyone?), I was really surprised by how well this series has aged. Sonic fans, this is your daydream come true, and new converts to the Blue Blur, I strongly suggest you check this out.

You wonder why I say "daydream"; don't get me wrong, these episodes are great, but they're first season episodes. In this cartoon's 2-season history (again, thank u Power Rangers), the second season was where the storyline got meatier and the writing was better. It would be nice for DiC to release this show in a complete season box set, what with the solid following it's developed on the Internet, but that's kind of nitpicking, really. This is still a great introduction to a fabulous cartoon.

One of the strongest traits about this show was its characters. Yeah, it was based on a video game, but that didn't matter. The guys who made this were given a whole sandbox courtesy of the dudes at Sega to tweak and fatten up the Blue Blur's history and mystery. With a complex storyline heavily influenced by "Star Wars", "Lord of the Rings", and even "Batman: The Animated Series", "Sonic" presented something totally new and immersive to a traditionally mediocre genre. You can really feel for the struggle of the Freedom Fighters, that is, if humanoid animal characters don't bother you.

I feel kind of sorry for Jaleel White because of his Urkel reputation. He's got a good knack for voice acting providing the voice for Sonic, and even though the dialogue is occasionally cheesy, particularly in the episode "Super Sonic", he manages to make Sonic a full 3D character. Getting back to "Super Sonic", I can almost sense the nerd behind the line "My computer he comes to steal!" Kath Soucie, who provides the voice of the pragmatic and beautiful leader Princess Sally Acorn, proves why she's one of the most sought-after talents in the voice acting business, and Christine Cavanaugh delivers an oh-so-charming performance as the gorgeous southern gal Bunnie Rabbot, who serves as Sally's loyal friend and as a subliminal message about overcoming physical disabilities. The only character who annoys me is Tails, because of his querulous, Anakin Skywalker-like attitude. But Jim Cummings, the guy who voices Robotnik, delivers with a brilliant perfomance, creating a great contrast between the Teddy Roosevelt video game Robotnik and his ominous, formidable SatAM villain.

Overall, this is a solid, nostalgic collection, although the promotional trailers for DiC are annoying, and PLEASE, WHY DOES INSPECTOR GADGET HAVE TO BE THE MENU HELP?! Go Go Goaway! Plus, the series isn't perfect. There is some childish dialogue and although the animation is good, the voice timing isn't the best by a long shot. However, it matters not. This is the best "Sonic" cartoon you can find, and if you're feeling nostalgic for animation, check this out. Welcome back, Sonic. You were kinda missed.

FINAL SCORE-8.5/10

PS-answer all the questions right in the pretty lousy game, and you get a pretty solid bonus episode. July 6, 2005

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