Sonic Underground facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sonic Underground Sonic Le Rebelle
Sonic Underground title card
Created by	Jean Cheville Jean Chalopin Andy Heyward Robby London
Directed by	Marc Boreal François Hemmen Daniel Sarriet
Voices of	Jaleel White Maurice LaMarche Garry Chalk Gail Webster Peter Wilds Sam Vincent Michael Stark Louise Vallance Tyley Ross Matt Hill
Theme music composer	Robby London Mike Piccirillo
Opening theme	"Sonic Underground"
Country of origin	France United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of episodes	40
Production
Executive producer(s)	Andy Heyward Michael Maliani Robby London
Producer(s)	Janice Sonski
Running time	21 minutes
Production company(s)	Les Studios Tex S.A.R.L. DIC Productions, L.P.
Distributor	United States DIC Entertainment BKN (Syndicator) Internationally Buena Vista International Television
Release
Original network	TF1 (France) Syndication (BKN Kids II) (U.S.)
Audio format	Stereo
First shown in	France
Original release	6 January (1999-01-06) – 23 May 1999 (1999-05-23)
Chronology
Related shows	Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog Sonic the Hedgehog

Sonic Underground (French: Sonic Le Rebelle) is an American-French animated children's television series co-produced by DIC Productions, L.P., Les Studios Tex S.A.R.L. and TF1. It is the third Sonic the Hedgehog animated series, and also the last one produced by DiC. It follows a main plot separate from all other Sonic the Hedgehog media, where Sonic had two siblings, Sonia and Manic, that were collectively part of a royal family who were forced to separate from their mother, Queen Aleena, upon Doctor Robotnik's takeover of Mobius due to a prophecy told by the Oracle of Delphius. Along the way, they encounter other resistance groups against Robotnik as well as powerful artifacts that could wreak havoc on the world, all the while searching for their long-lost mother Queen Aleena.

Despite the identical settings and animation, Sonic Underground greatly differs from previous series Sonic SatAM, namely with the inclusion of the Chaos Emeralds and Knuckles the Echidna, while excluding any of the characters from SatAM, most glaringly Miles "Tails" Prower, Sonic's best friend and franchise staple. Also, in a series first, Underground portrays Sonic as not only having a twin brother and sister, but being of royalty, making it the most unique and divergent amongst the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise.

The show first aired in France from 6 January 1999 to 23 May 1999 on TF1, and then premiered in the United Kingdom on 2 May 1999 on ITV on the GMTV strand and finally in the United States in the syndicated children's block BKN Kids II on August 30th, 1999 and ended on October 22nd, 1999. It also aired on the Sci-Fi Channel on weekday mornings starting October 1999, lasting until October 2000. The show ran only for one season consisting of forty episodes. It was the first Sonic the Hedgehog television series to be sold on the iTunes Store.

Plot

There was a time when Robotropolis was beautiful. It was then a peaceful city known as "Mobotropolis". But just after my children were born, the evil Doctor Robotnik used his technology... to turn our world... into a place of terror. As the source of Robotnik's money, the aristocrats were left to play, while our people were roboticized... and became slaves. Our royal family was outlawed, a price placed on our heads. Then, the Oracle of Delphius revealed the prophecy to me. (Oracle: Some day, you will reunite with your children to become the Council of Four... and overthrow Robotnik. But there is a price, Your Highness.) For the prophecy to be fulfilled, I had to give up my babies.

The show takes place in a separate canon and continuity than any other Sonic the Hedgehog media. Queen Aleena, the former ruler of Mobius, was overthrown by Dr. Robotnik and his lackeys Sleet and Dingo. Robotnik seized control of the planet and forced Queen Aleena into hiding. To preserve the dynasty, Queen Aleena separated her three children: Sonic, Manic, and Sonia after the Oracle of Delphius told her of a prophecy, proclaiming that one day, Queen Aleena would reunite with her children to form the "Council of Four," and overthrow Robotnik. Meanwhile, Dr. Robotnik did his best to set up an autocratic government, and legally turned anyone who stood against him into robots devoid of free will, and forced the nobles into paying large amounts of money to him as tribute.

When Sonic, Manic, and Sonia grew up, the Oracle of Delphius revealed the prophecy to them. After that, Sonic, Manic, and Sonia decided to go on a quest, searching throughout Mobius for Queen Aleena. Dr. Robotnik, with the assistance of the Swat-Bots and his bounty hunters Sleet and Dingo, tries constantly to capture the royal hedgehogs and prevent the prophecy from being fulfilled.

The Oracle of Delphius has assigned the three siblings powerful "medallions" that can change into musical instruments, and can also be used as weapons. Sonic's medallion is an electric guitar, Sonia's medallion is a keyboard that functions as a smoke machine, and Manic's medallion is a drumset that can be used as an "earth controller" with cymbals that can deflect laserfire. All of the medallions can be used as laser guns. The three use the amulets not only to fight Robotnik's forces but also as instruments for their underground rock band, "Sonic Underground."

Characters

Main

Sonia, Sonic, and Manic (from left to right)

Jaleel White, in addition to reprising his role as Sonic from DiC's previous shows, also provided the voice for the character's siblings Manic and Sonia.

• Sonic the Hedgehog: The eldest sibling and lead singer of many songs performed by the Sonic Underground. His medallion turns into a guitar, which can fire laser blasts. As fast as the speed of sound, Sonic can easily outrun danger. He is a big fan of chili dogs, causing him to be a bit overweight. He also has hydrophobia, being terrified of water as he cannot swim. Sonic wears anti-gravity sneakers that allow him to hover over the ground while running. He was voiced by Jaleel White, and his singing voice was done by Sam Vincent.
• Sonia the Hedgehog: The only female hedgehog member of the Sonic Underground and the sister of Sonic and Manic. Unlike her brothers, she was raised by an aristocratic foster family, giving her an upper class mentality. She hates getting dirty, is skilled at gymnastics and karate, and possesses superhuman strength, a photographic memory, and the ability to spin in a cyclonic manner similar to the Tasmanian Devil and Espio the Chameleon. Her medallion turns into a keyboard, which can fire laser blasts from one end, or create a pink mist when the keys are played. Sonia has a pink motorcycle which can travel as fast as Sonic's running and Manic's hover board (it was destroyed in the 36th episode). She also is the one that does research on Robotnik's plans and provides the technological innovation for the Sonic Underground. Of the siblings, Sonia is the only one to be seen involved in any romance, displaying feelings for her childhood friend Bartleby, despite his snobbishness, as well as other men encountered in her travels. Among these is Knuckles the Echidna, whom she develops an attraction to during the series' Flying Fortress saga. She was also voiced by Jaleel White, and her singing voice was done by Louise Vallance.
• Manic the Hedgehog: The youngest sibling. He is a calculating and sarcastic hedgehog that was raised by thieves, and is a master of their trade. When Manic met his siblings, they disapproved of his thieving tendencies, but his skills as a lock-pick were greatly appreciated. Manic possesses neither Sonic's speed nor Sonia's spin-attack, thus making him the only member of the Sonic Underground who relies on entirely on his medallion for superpowers of his own. Despite his lack of superpowers, his thieving skills proves himself extremely useful to the group from time to time. Manic is the drummer of the Sonic Underground. His medallion turns into drums, which can cause earthquakes; the Oracle of Delphius claims that his drums are the most powerful instruments of the three. He also has a hover board that is as fast as Sonic's running and Sonia's motorcycle. His medallion's string is blue. Like Sonic and Sonia, he was voiced by Jaleel White, and his singing voice was done by Tyley Ross.
• Dr. Robotnik: He is the evil dictator of Mobius, renamed Robotropolis under his rule, having conquered it with his army of Swatbots. He captures and roboticizes anyone who opposes him, transforming them into robotic servants. Though he is depicted as a bumbling villain, one of his goals is to find Sanctuary – where Freedom Fighters hide their children – and exterminate all the children in it. Robotnik's primary minions are Sleet and Dingo, two bounty hunters that will do anything to capture Sonic and his siblings. His voice was provided by Garry Chalk.
• Sleet: One of Robotnik's canine bounty hunters. This cunning wolf leads the bumbling Dingo about on missions to capture the hedgehogs. He has a morphing device that can transform Dingo into anything he wishes. He is constantly being crushed by Dingo and is usually the one who suffers the most from their combined failures. He was voiced by Maurice LaMarche.
• Dingo: One of Robotnik's canine bounty hunters. Dingo is a huge, muscle-bound blonde canid, and is also very ignorant. He is partially roboticised in his hands and his left leg from the knee down, which is never explained. He has a relentless crush on Sonia, but remains fiercely loyal to his partner, Sleet. Due to his name being Dingo, which is also a species of wild dog found in Australia, he speaks with an Australian accent. He was voiced by Peter Wilds.

Recurring

• Queen Aleena Hedgehog: The mother of the Sonic Underground group and former ruler of Mobius before Robotnik's takeover. She had to give them up in order for the prophecy to become true. She spends the series on the run from her own children, until the time is right to reveal herself. Her character has many allies, including the Oracle of Delphius and Knuckles. She also does a bit of narrating in the start of every episode. She is voiced by Gail Webster.
• Knuckles the Echidna: The guardian of one of the Chaos Emeralds and Angel Island, and an acquaintance of Queen Aleena's. He is very protective of his island home, and has set many traps about the island. He has a pet dinosaur called Chomps, and like his game incarnation is shown to be somewhat gullible. His great-grandfather Athair warns him that he must stay on the island in order to play his part in the freedom of Mobius. He turned against the Hedgehogs twice-first being tricked into thinking they were thieves and later thinking that it was the only way to save their planet-but came around and worked with them against the threat of Robotnik and his henchmen. During the Flying Fortress arc, he showed signs of a growing affection for Sonia, including a particular guilt over the prospect of betraying her. He was voiced by Brian Drummond.
• Oracle of Delphius: An odd, wart-covered, reptilian anteater in a cloak. The Oracle prophesied that when Robotnik invaded 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. He is named after the Oracle at Delphi. He is voiced by Maurice LaMarche.
• Sir Bartleby Montclair: A posh, cowardly mink who is one of Robotropolis' richest aristocrats. Bartleby was Sonia's fiancé. He dislikes Dr. Robotnik and is often forced to fund Robotnik's schemes – although in secret he still supports Aleena. He speaks with an upper-class English accent. He is voiced by Philip Maurice Hayes.
• Cyrus: Cyrus is a lion and a technician for the Freedom Fighters. He is an old friend of Sonic. In his first appearance he was working as a spy for Robotnik, but quit upon discovering that the Freedom Fighters' Sanctuary was a hideout for their children. Cyrus's father was roboticized. His voice was provided by Ian James Corlett.
• Trevor: Trevor is a mouse who is a friend of the royal siblings and Cyrus. He dresses like a hippie. He is an ace pilot and helps build and fix mechanical equipment. He is voiced by Matt Hill.

Episodes

Home media

In the United States, Sterling Entertainment released a VHS/DVD titled Dr. Robotnik's Revenge in 2003, containing 4 episodes (3 on the VHS). It was re-released by NCircle Entertainment in 2007. The Sterling versions of the Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 "King Koopa Katastrophe" and The Legend of Zelda "Ganon's Evil Tower" DVDs also included 1 and 2 episodes respectively as DVD bonuses which the NCircle reissues of both releases excluded. Sterling Entertainment's VHS/DVD release of Sonic Christmas Blast also included 3 episodes (2 on the VHS).

Shout! Factory and Vivendi Entertainment have released the complete series on DVD in Region 1 (NTSC) in two volume sets. Volume 1, simply entitled Sonic Underground, was released on 18 December 2007. It contains the first 20 episodes of the show on three discs; a bonus fourth disc is an audio CD containing eight songs from the series, including the opening theme. Sonic Underground: Volume 2 was released on 17 June 2008, featuring the remaining 20 episodes. In May 2013 NCircle Entertainment released Volume 1 along with many of the older SEGA and Nintendo cartoons that were already released by Shout Factory. Most of the newer NCircle's releases are copies of the Shout Factory versions.

As of January 2018^[update], Sonic Underground is available on the iTunes Store.

In the UK, the complete Sonic Underground series, comprising all 40 episodes on 10 DVDs, was released by Anchor Bay UK in 2004, compatible only with region 2 players. The entire series was re-released by Delta, who released a 4 disc DVD set with a 5th DVD containing bonus features for region 0 players in 2007. In return the entire series was re-released by GO Entertain, in the UK, compatible only with region 2 players.

Other media

The Sonic the Hedgehog comic from Archie Comics featured a story in one of its special issues in which the Sonic Underground continuity was featured. According to the comics' plot, the reality in which Sonic Underground takes place is one of many parallel universes that share elements with Sonic's own. In the story, Sonic Prime—hailing from the main universe in the comic series—joins forces with his counterpart and siblings to stop Dr. Robotnik, who has managed to assemble a monstrous battle machine known as the Giant Borg. Robotnik obtained the pieces for this machine due to being mistaken for one of his own counterparts by Evil Sonic, an evil counterpart of Sonic's who later came to be known as Scourge the Hedgehog.

The Sonic Universe spin-off comic was originally scheduled to feature an epilogue to the unfinished Sonic Underground for its 50th issue. However, for unknown reasons this was replaced with a story focusing on one of Sonic's long-running enemies, Metal Sonic. The Underground Epilogue was put on hold indefinitely, possibly due to its lack of relevance to current Sonic games and the comic series as a whole. The Archie Comics Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic Universe series were later cancelled when SEGA terminated the publishing partnership.

at DHX Media

Images for kids

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  Sonic Underground was originally produced to help gain interest in the Dreamcast.

See also

In Spanish: Sonic Underground para niños