List of Sonic the Hedgehog features

Last updated

Several television series and features were produced that were based on the Sonic the Hedgehog series of video games, developed by Sega.

Contents

Television series/specials

SeriesSeasonEpisodesOriginally released
First releasedLast releasedNetwork
Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog 1 65September 6, 1993December 3, 1993 First-run syndication
Sonic the Hedgehog 1 13September 18, 1993December 11, 1993 ABC
2 13September 10, 1994December 3, 1994
Sonic Underground 1 40August 30, 1999October 22, 1999 BKN
Sonic X 1 26September 6, 2003March 27, 2004 FOX
FoxBox/4Kids TV
2 26September 18, 2004March 26, 2005
3 26September 10, 2005May 6, 2006
Sonic Boom 1 52November 8, 2014November 14, 2015 Cartoon Network
Boomerang
2 52October 29, 2016November 18, 2017
Sonic Prime 1 8December 15, 2022 Netflix
2 8July 13, 2023
3 7January 11, 2024
Knuckles 16April 26, 2024 [1] Paramount+

Direct-to-video

The first film adaptation of the Sonic series was Sonic the Hedgehog, known internationally as Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie, a 1996 Japanese two-part original animation video (OAV). [2] [3] [4] It sees Sonic and Tails as they venture through Planet Freedom to stop Metal Robotnik and save the Land of the Sky, soon facing a new enemy.

The film was split into two episodes in Japan, being released between January 26—March 22 before being available in retail on May 31, 1996. [5] An English dub was released internationally on September 7, 1999, to coincide with the release of Sonic Adventure . [6]

Films

Attempts had been made as early as 1993 to get Sonic made into a film; the first of these was Sonic the Hedgehog: Wonders of the World, which was pitched to MGM in August 1994 and had Sonic coming into the real world of a kid named Josh, and fighting Eggman (Robotnik). The film would've tied-in to the cancelled Sega Saturn game Sonic X-treme, and despite a positive internal reception, MGM would drop the project without warning. Writer Richard Jefferies suggests the film was dropped due to creative differences between Sega and Trilogy Entertainment Group, who were also producing the film. [7]

Ben Hurst had also attempted to make Sonic the Hedgehog into a film, this time based on the aforementioned SatAM series; the project was dismissed after former comic series writer Ken Penders allegedly told a Sega representative that Hurst was attempting to "co-opt" the franchise. [8] Penders proposed his own film titled Sonic Armageddon in September 2003, which would have incorporated elements from SatAM and the Archie Comics series, but was itself dropped in 2007 due to massive corporate upheaval, and the death of Sega license manager Robert Leffler. [9] The original pitch video still exists, and was uploaded to YouTube in 2017. [10]

FilmU.S. release dateDirector(s)Screenwriter(s)Producer(s)Status
Sonic the Hedgehog February 14, 2020 Jeff Fowler Pat Casey and Josh Miller Neal H. Moritz, Toby Ascher, Toru Nakahara and Takeshi ItoReleased
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 April 8, 2022Pat Casey, Josh Miller and John Whittington Neal H. Moritz, Toby Ascher, Toru Nakahara, and Hitoshi Okuno
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 December 20, 2024
Sonic the Hedgehog 4March 19, 2027TBATBATBAIn development

Sonic the Hedgehog (2020)

Sonic the Hedgehog is an action-adventure comedy film directed by Jeff Fowler and written by Pat Casey and Josh Miller; in the film, Sonic is forced to abandon his home world and ends up on Earth, and eventually is forced to team up with a human named Tom Wachoski to stop Dr. Robotnik; it was originally released in theaters on February 14, 2020. [11]

Originally intended for release in late-2019, [12] Sonic the Hedgehog ended up being pushed back several months due to the overwhelmingly negative response to Sonic's design in the trailer; [13] [14] [15] upon its release, the film was met with mixed reviews from critics, [16] although it was a large commercial success, being the sixth-highest-grossing film in 2020. [17]

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022)

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is an American action-adventure comedy film based on the video game franchise published by Sega. Directed by Jeff Fowler and written by Pat Casey, Josh Miller and John Whittington, it is the sequel to Sonic the Hedgehog (2020). Ben Schwartz reprises his role as the voice of Sonic the Hedgehog, alongside Jim Carrey as Dr. Robotnik, with James Marsden and Tika Sumpter in the roles of Tom and Maddie Wachowski, while Idris Elba joins the cast as Knuckles the Echidna. The film is inspired by the video games Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (1992), Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (1994) and Sonic & Knuckles (1994), but is not a direct adaptation of either. Fowler described the film as "a melting pot" of ideas from several Sonic games. After the events of the first film, Sonic joins forces with Miles "Tails" Prower to stop Dr. Robotnik and Knuckles from finding a powerful emerald that has the power to build and destroy civilizations.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 was released in the United States on April 8, 2022, by Paramount Pictures in association with Sega Sammy Group.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (2024)

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is an American action-adventure comedy film based on the video game franchise published by Sega. Directed by Jeff Fowler and written by Pat Casey, Josh Miller and John Whittington, it is the sequel to Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022). In February 2022, Sega and Paramount confirmed that a third film was in development. [18] The main cast of the previous two films: Jim Carrey, Ben Schwartz, James Marsden, Tika Sumpter, Idris Elba, Colleen O'Shaughnessey, Natasha Rothwell, Adam Pally, Shemar Moore, and Lee Majdoub reprise their roles with Alyla Browne, Krysten Ritter, and Keanu Reeves joining the cast. [19] The film is inspired by the video games Sonic Adventure 2 (2001) and Shadow the Hedgehog (2005), [20] [21] but is not a direct adaption of either. In the film, Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles must ally with Dr. Robotnik to defeat a new enemy, Shadow the Hedgehog.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 was released theatrically in the United States by Paramount Pictures on December 20, 2024.

Sonic the Hedgehog 4 (2027)

During the leadup to Sonic the Hedgehog 3's release, it was reported by Variety that a fourth Sonic film is in development and is set to be released on March 19, 2027. [22] It was later reported by Deadline that the film would be distributed by Paramount on March 19, 2027. [23]

Box office performance

FilmYear Box office gross revenue Box office ticket sales All-time rankingBudget
US & Canada Other markets WorldwideRefUS & CanadaOther marketsWorldwideUS & CanadaWorldwide
Sonic the Hedgehog 2020 $148,974,665$170,741,018$319,715,683 [24] 15,876,790 [25] 25,201,814+ [a] 41,078,604+#338#474$85,000,000 [26]
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 2022 $190,872,904$214,548,614$405,421,518 [27] 18,265,000 [28] Un­known18,265,000+#263#361$90,000,000 [29]
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 2024 $233,270,562$238,900,000$472,170,562 [30] TBATBATBA#177#296$122,000,000 [31]
Total$573,118,131$624,189,632$1,197,307,76334,141,79025,201,814+59,343,604+$297,000,000

Web series and short films

Sonic: Night of the Werehog (2008)

Sonic: Night of the Werehog is the first web animation and 3D computer-animated short, released on November 21, 2008, and produced by Marza Animation Planet, created to promote the release of Sonic Unleashed. In the short, Sonic and Chip enter a haunted house and must contend with the two ghosts Su and Uh, who attempt to take pictures of scared visitors to appease the female ghost Lah. [32] [33]

The three ghosts that appeared in the short film were created by Marza Animation Planet, as the studio's illustration staff members created various illustrations that featured them are posted on Marza Animation Planet's Staff X (Twitter) account.

On October 31, 2023, a brand new short film, featuring the three ghosts, entitled "Ghost Tale", was posted on Marza Animation Planet's YouTube channel.

Sonic Mania Adventures (2018)

Sonic Mania Adventures is the second web animation and first 2D one, initially released as a series in five parts between March 31 and July 18, 2018, as a tie-in to Sonic Mania Plus. [34] [35] The series takes place shortly after the events of Sonic Forces , as Classic Sonic arrives back in his world to find Eggman is once again attempting to collect all the Chaos Emeralds. [36] It was produced by Neko Productions and animated by Tyson Hesse, with supervision from Sega. [37]

The series received generally favorable reviews from various critics, who praised the animation and writing. [34] [38] A Christmas-themed bonus episode, starring Amy Rose, was released on December 21, 2018, a few months after its initial completion. [39] [40]

Team Sonic Racing Overdrive (2019)

Team Sonic Racing Overdrive is the third web animation and a 2D one, released as a two-part series in March and April 2019. [41] The miniseries is a promotional tie-in to Team Sonic Racing, and features Sonic, Shadow, and Amy's teams competing in a race on Planet Wisp while Eggman tries to interfere.

Chao in Space (2019)

Chao in Space is the fourth web animation and a 2D short, released on December 13, 2019. In the short, a Chao dreams up the events of a fictional film titled Chao in Space, in which it endures a spaceship battle against a Dark Chao. As it sleeps, Sonic attempts to prevent the sleepwalking Chao from injuring itself, while Dr. Eggman disguises himself as Santa Claus to try to steal Christmas presents. [42] The animation is based on a gag from Sonic Adventure and Sonic Adventure 2 , which both feature faux advertisements for Chao in Space and its sequel Chao in Space 2. [42]

Sonic Colors: Rise of the Wisps (2021)

Sonic Colors: Rise of the Wisps is the fifth web animation and a 2D one, released in Summer 2021 as a two-episode miniseries, created as a tie-in to the release of Sonic Colors: Ultimate . The series takes place during the game, and follows Sonic and Tails as they work to save the Wisps imprisoned on Sweet Mountain from Metal Sonic, Orbot and Cubot. [43]

TailsTube (2022-present)

TailsTube is the sixth web animation and an online YouTube web series. It stars Miles "Tails" Prower, who acts as a VTuber and host for the show. The show is described as a "fun and informative, Tails-hosted show about all things Sonic".[ citation needed ] The series' episodes are published irregularly, with 10 having been released as of 2025.

Sonic Frontiers Prologue: Divergence (2022)

Sonic Frontiers Prologue: Divergence is the seventh web animation and a 2D short, released on November 1, 2022. The short was written by Ian Flynn and directed by Tyson Hesse, with animation by Powerhouse Animation Studios. Set shortly before the events of Sonic Frontiers, the short explains follows Knuckles on Angel Island, explaining how he was sent to the Starfall Islands. [44]

Sonic & Friends (2023)

Sonic & Friends is the eighth web animation and a 3D computer-animated series, released on Sega's Japanese TikTok account and featuring chibi versions of Sonic characters that originated from Sonic Boom merchandise. The teaser was released on August 7, 2023. [45] [46]

Sonic Superstars: Trio of Trouble (2023)

Sonic Superstars: Trio of Trouble is the ninth web animation and a 2D short, released on September 20, 2023, released as a tie-in to Sonic Superstars . The short has the titular trio, Doctor Eggman, Fang the Hunter, and Trip, searching a ruin as part of a villainous plot. Beforehand, Fang dreams of an encounter with Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy. [47]

Sonic x Shadow Generations: Dark Beginnings (2024)

Sonic x Shadow Generations: Dark Beginnings is a three-episode miniseries that serves as a prequel to the events of Shadow Generations . The series was revealed at Anime Expo 2024, and sees Shadow travelling to the Space Colony Ark, believing that Black Doom has been resurrected, while experiencing flashbacks to his past time on the Ark with Maria Robotnik. Other characters who appear include Rouge the Bat, E-123 Omega, and Emerl, a character who debuted in the Game Boy Advance spin-off game Sonic Battle . [48]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Sonic the Hedgehog (2020) film box office ticket sales:
    • Europe – 12,454,206'"`UNIQ--ref-00000046-QINU`"'
    • Mexico, Peru, Ecuador, Dominican Republic – 8,241,240'"`UNIQ--ref-00000047-QINU`"'
    • Brazil – 3,001,403'"`UNIQ--ref-00000048-QINU`"'
    • China – 698,500'"`UNIQ--ref-00000049-QINU`"'
    • Argentina – 687,740'"`UNIQ--ref-0000004A-QINU`"'
    • South Korea – 118,725'"`UNIQ--ref-0000004B-QINU`"'

References

  1. ↑ Petski, Denise (February 8, 2024). "Knuckles: Sonic The Hedgehog TV Spinoff Gets First Trailer & Premiere Date At Paramount+". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved February 10, 2024.
  2. ↑ "Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie (OAV)". Anime News Network. 221.
  3. ↑ Kevin T. Rodriguez (17 February 2024). "SEGA Wants to Re-Release This Classic Sonic Anime (But a Legal Problem is Stopping Them)". GameRant.
  4. ↑ "The Sonic the Hedgehog '90s OVA Was One of the Blue Blur's Strangest and Silliest Moments". CBR. Valnet Publishing Group. 30 January 2024.
  5. ↑ "studioぴえろ 作品年表(OVA)". Pierrot. Archived from the original on 2009-12-14. Retrieved 2020-02-06.
  6. ↑ "Sonic the Hedgehog DVD!". 1999-09-09. Archived from the original on 1999-11-15. Retrieved 2020-01-31.
  7. ↑ Owen, Luke (February 10, 2020). "The Sonic The Hedgehog Movie That Never Got Made". Kotaku . Archived from the original on November 1, 2016. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  8. ↑ Hurst, Ben (2005). "Ben Hurst on SatAM". Saturday Morning Sonic. Archived from the original on November 13, 2020. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  9. ↑ Penders, Ken [@KenPenders] (March 12, 2019). "Amazing what bullshit gets spread over the Internet. This was NEVER pitched to Dreamworks. It didn't even exist in 2002. It was 1st pitched to SEGA - and ONLY SEGA - in Sept 2003. (I have the documents to prove it.) The ONLY reason it died in 2007 was massive corporate upheaval" (Tweet). Archived from the original on December 13, 2020. Retrieved May 3, 2021– via Twitter.
  10. ↑ CEAON (January 8, 2017). Sonic Armageddon - Ken Penders Movie Pitch. YouTube . Retrieved March 21, 2022.
  11. ↑ Auty, Dan (May 24, 2019). "Sonic The Hedgehog Movie Delayed While Sonic Is Redesigned". GameSpot . Archived from the original on December 29, 2020. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
  12. ↑ Loughrey, Clarisse (February 11, 2016). "Sonic the Hedgehog movie confirmed for 2018, will be 'a live-action and animation hybrid'". Independent. Archived from the original on August 3, 2018. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
  13. ↑ Jackson, Gita (April 30, 2019). "The Internet Is Having A Hard Time With The Sonic The Hedgehog Trailer". Kotaku . Archived from the original on April 30, 2019. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
  14. ↑ Molina, Brett (April 30, 2019). "The 'Sonic the Hedgehog' movie trailer is here, and fans have some issues with it". USA Today . Archived from the original on April 30, 2019. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
  15. ↑ Stuart, Keith (April 30, 2019). "The Sonic the Hedgehog movie trailer is a 200mph slap in the face". The Guardian . Archived from the original on May 1, 2019. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
  16. ↑ "Sonic the Hedgehog". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media. Archived from the original on January 14, 2020. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
  17. ↑ "Sonic the Hedgehog Ends Marvel's 10-Year Run As Highest-Grossing Superhero Movie". Screen Rant . 19 October 2020. Archived from the original on December 29, 2020. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  18. ↑ Kroll, Justin (February 15, 2022). "'Sonic The Hedgehog' Universe Continues To Grow As Sega And Paramount Sign Off On Third Film As Well As A 'Knuckles' Spin-Off Series In The Works At Paramount+ With Idris Elba Reprising Role". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  19. ↑ Grobar, Matt (August 9, 2022). "Paramount Sets 'Sonic The Hedgehog 3' Release, Pushes Date For Smurfs Animated Musical". Deadline. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
  20. ↑ Bradley Russell (2024-04-22). "Sonic 3 producer says it's going to be a "giant, fun, incredible movie" that "takes a lot from Sonic Adventure 2"". gamesradar. Retrieved 2024-12-19.
  21. ↑ Yang, Katrina; Roush, Alex (2024-06-12). "Everything We Know About Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (So Far)". CBR. Retrieved 2024-12-19.
  22. ↑ Lang, Brent (19 December 2024). ""Sonic the Hedgehog 4" in the Works for 2027 Release (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 19 December 2024.
  23. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (2025-01-21). "'Sonic The Hedgehog 4' Coming To Theaters In Spring 2027". Deadline. Archived from the original on January 21, 2025. Retrieved 2025-01-21.
  24. ↑ "Sonic the Hedgehog". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved 2022-04-16.
  25. ↑ Kanzler, Martin; Simone, Patrizia (26 July 2021). Focus 2021 World Film Market Trends. Council of Europe. pp. 43, 47. ISBN   978-92-871-9088-8 . Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  26. ↑ "Sonic the Hedgehog (2020) - Financial Information". The Numbers . Retrieved 2022-11-17.
  27. ↑ "Sonic the Hedgehog 2". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved 2022-04-20.
  28. ↑ "Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022) - United States". JP's Box-Office (in French). Retrieved 2022-05-09.
  29. ↑ "Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022) - Financial Information". The Numbers . Retrieved 2022-04-16.
  30. ↑ "Sonic the Hedgehog 3". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved 2024-12-19.
  31. ↑ Rubin, Rebecca (December 17, 2024). "'Sonic the Hedgehog 3' to Outrun 'Mufasa' at Domestic Box Office but 'Lion King' Prequel Will Rule Globally". Variety . Penske Media Corporation . Retrieved December 18, 2024.
  32. ↑ Chester, Nick (21 November 2008). "Sega presents: Sonic in Night of the Werehog". Destructoid. Archived from the original on September 8, 2011. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
  33. ↑ Romano, Sal (March 16, 2018). "Sonic Mania Adventures animated shorts series announced". Gematsu. Archived from the original on March 16, 2018. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
  34. 1 2 Frank, Allegra (April 3, 2018). "These Sonic Mania shorts need to be a full animated series". Polygon . Retrieved June 19, 2021.
  35. ↑ Barder, Ollie (July 18, 2018). "The Last Episode Of 'Sonic Mania Adventures' Comes Out In Time For The Release Of 'Sonic Mania Plus'". Forbes . Retrieved June 19, 2021.
  36. ↑ "Sonic Mania Adventures: Part 1". YouTube . March 31, 2018. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
  37. ↑ Moyse, Chris (27 July 2018). "Go behind the scenes with Sonic Mania Adventures". Destructoid . Retrieved June 19, 2021.
  38. ↑ Barder, Ollie (April 1, 2018). "The First Episode For 'Sonic Mania Adventures' Is Out And Nicely Ties Back To The Classic Games". Forbes . Retrieved June 19, 2021.
  39. ↑ "Sonic Mania Adventures - Part 6 (Holiday Special)". YouTube . December 21, 2018. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
  40. ↑ Doolan, Liam (December 24, 2018). "Video: Sonic Mania Adventures Animation Returns For A Holiday Special". Nintendo Life . Retrieved June 19, 2021.
  41. ↑ Zwiezen, Zack (March 16, 2019). "Sega Reveals New Sonic Show And Shares More Details About Team Sonic Racing". Kotaku . Retrieved June 18, 2021.
  42. 1 2 Zwiezen, Zack (November 12, 2019). "Sega Reveals New Sonic Show And Shares More Details About Team Sonic Racing". Kotaku . Archived from the original on March 17, 2019. Retrieved March 17, 2019.
  43. ↑ Romano, Sal (May 27, 2021). "Sonic Colors Ultimate announced for PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC". Gematsu. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
  44. ↑ Doolan, Liam (June 7, 2022). "Here's A Sneak Peek At The Sonic Frontiers: Prologue - A New Animated Special Coming Later This Year". Nintendo Life . Archived from the original on June 8, 2022. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
  45. ↑ Alexander, Cristina (August 7, 2023). "Sega Unveils Super Cute Trailer for Sonic & Friends Animated Shorts on TikTok". IGN . IGN Entertainment Inc. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  46. ↑ Mateo, Alex (August 7, 2023). "Sega Unveils 'Sonic & Friends' 3D Animated Shorts on TikTok". Anime News Network . Kadokawa Corporation . Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  47. ↑ Tailby, Steven (September 20, 2023). "Sonic Superstars Animation Features Fang The Hunter And Newcomer Trip". Push Square . Hookshot Media. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  48. ↑ Doolan, Liam (10 July 2024). "Here's Your First Look At Sonic X Shadow Generations: Dark Beginnings". Nintendo Life. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
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