With the impending release ofSonic the Hedgehog 3, audiences are once again looking forward to another colorful tale about one of the most celebrated video game characters in history. It’s almost hard to believe that Sonic, who was first introduced by way of a video game all the way in 1991, is still captivating interest among multiple generations. In 1993, two animated shows based onSonic the Hedgehogwere run simultaneously, with very different approaches to the source material.
The first of these,The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog,was oriented towards a younger audience. The show featured Sonic and his fox cohort, Tails, battling Dr. Robotnik and his robot minions, Scratch and Grounder, with fast-paced action and slapstick. Luckily, for children who were interested in a show with a slightly darker tone and more intricate characters that far exceeded expectations, there was another show simply calledSonic the Hedgehog, airing on Saturday Mornings, which earned it its nickname,Sonic SatAM.
A Realm of Mechanical Dystopia
Sonic the Hedgehog’s setting was a world that could best be described as Orwellian. Dr. Robotnik, who, for all intents and purposes, was depicted as an incompetent half-wit in The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, oversees a dystopian worldnot unlike the one depicted in1984.Mobius, a planet once lush and brimming with life, has been reduced to a cold industrial wasteland, with Robotnik’s army of robots and machines wreaking havoc on nature and converting its inhabitants into robots. To the show’s credit, it didn’t disguise the impact this had on the other characters, as more than once, friends or loved ones would fall prey to this fate.
InSonic the Hedgehog, the titular character and a group of self-professed “freedom fighters” are constantly at war with Robotnik and his mechanized dictatorship. The rebels are led by Princess Sally, who embodies the strong-willed female protagonist with ties to royalty. DespiteSonic the Hedgehogbeing aimed at a younger demographic, there was a considerable amount of romantic tension between the two, which was certainly presented in a charming way, as Sally was the headstrong leader and Sonic was the fearless combatant.
Joining Sonic and Sally on the crusade to end the despotic rule of Dr. Robotnik was Antoine, a coyote who was a typical cowardly dandy, and Bunny, a rabbit with cybernetic enhancements thatfurthered the Cyberpunk aestheticthat the show possessed. Similar toThe Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, Tails embodies the childlike bewilderment that the audience was aimed towards and was Sonic’s surrogate younger brother.The dynamic that existed with the different characters was one of opposites coming together from different backgrounds allied in their common goal to restore the balance of nature.
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Subversive Commentary on Environmentalism
Many movies, shows, and standalone episodes from the 1990s pushed the message of environmentalism and ecological responsibility. However,many of these were pandering and, more often than not, attempted way too hard to push the message on their audiences. Television programs and films of this nature are certainly well-intentioned and implicitly interested in highlighting the necessity of taking better care of the world in which we live.
The downside to these efforts is that they operate on the premise of children not being smart enough to resonate with anything that’s subversive or containing any level of subtlety.Sonic the Hedgehogtook almost the exact opposite route in relaying its message to the audience. In fact, the show ensured that its audience would be able to grasp its themes of environmentalism, which were second tothe adventures of Sonicand his fellow rebels attempting to end the reign of Dr. Robotnik.
One of the ways in which the show depicted environmentalism was through the strong contrast between the sprawling industrial wasteland that Robotnik oversaw and the serenity of nature in Knothole, the name for the location where Sonic, Sally, and the other rebels made their home. Some episodes focused on themes such as Robotnik harvesting wood or drilling for oil, but unlike shows likeCaptain Planet, they weren’t the crux of every episode.Sonic the Hedgehoginstead placed emphasis on the personal impact on the characters that Robotnik and his regime performed, which certainly makes them more impactful to a younger audience than having a message forced down their throats, for lacking a better term.
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Proof That Children Are Capable of Understanding More
In an ideal world,Sonic the Hedgehogwould have had multiple seasons in which characters would be developed further, and more intricate scenarios could be crafted.Unfortunately, the show only lasted two seasons and ended on a cliffhanger, leaving audiences to wonder what might have been. Despite its short run and cancelation that happened all too quickly,Sonic the Hedgehogproved a few facts right.The show was a lesson in adapting a product from a limited source material and taking multiple liberties and the results being far and away much better than anyone could have anticipated.
Moreover,its themes of environmentalism and safeguarding nature were well-established and subversive instead of being forced and repetitive, allowing children to grasp the subject without needing to be preached to. Containing a much darker tone than other animated shows based on video games at the time,Sonic the Hedgehogdeserves praisefor challenging the paradigm and surpassing expectations.
