Adventures of Sonic The Hedgehog (1993-1996) 65 episode tv series review

Overall verdict: 6/10

The Good: Genuinely funny at times, wacky animation style, fitting voices

The Bad: Sonic's abrasive personality and speaking style, lack of animation quality control, 

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The first ever audio/visual adaptation of video game icon “Sonic the Hedgehog” owes a lot to Looney Tunes. Heavy on juvenile slapstick humour, THE ADVENTURES OF SONIC THE HEDGEHOG is an unabashedly fun, crazy series that is less like the games it is based on and more like Bugs Bunny against Yosemite Sam or Road Runner against Wile E Coyote.

The titular speedy blue hedgehog is the Bugs Bunny analog. He is a fun loving fast talking little critter embodying the smart mouth slacker type which somehow appeals to kids of that era. Ever ready with an annoying boast or a silly roast directed towards his enemies, Sonic is voiced by Jaleel “Urkel” White in a fittingly nasal voice. 

Peppering his dialogue are catchphrases like “I’m waaaaiiiting” or cravings for chilli dogs or some other quip making him sound like a cross between an impatient spoiled brat. As you can tell by now, I am not too big a fan of his. Accompanying Sonic is his twin tailed baby fox pal Tails, who is much more level headed and comes across as childlike and innocent.

To Sonic’s Bugs Bunny, there is the Yosemite Sam in the form of Doctor Ivo Robotnik and his two mechanical minions Scratch (robot chicken) and Grounder (robot drill thingy). Now this trio is actually funny. The outrageous plots to get back at Sonic, outlandish inventions and crazy capers are not exactly comedy gold but at least they are funny and not annoying. Their voice actors do a reat job with the material they are given, imbuing the baddies with unique albeit exaggerated voices befitting their personalities and appearance.

Episodes are less like stories and more like a series of crazy misadventures designed just for laughs. This craziness extends to the look of the show which, for all intents and purposes, work. Simplistic character designs, trippy background art, all harkens back to its source of influence. It’s classic style only just makes up for its lack of quality control. Characters’ proportions vary wildly within each episode, animation mistakes and scenes where action, foreground, and background don’t seem to be completely integrated happen once too often.

At a whopping 65 episodes Long, the series had Long since overstayed it’s welcome with repetitive scripts and recycled jokes. There is a guilty giggle to be had at its corny comedy which is often so bad it’s good. In a way, this forgettable format makes ADVENTURES OF SONIC THE HEDGEHOG highly rewatchable and accessible. One could just pop in on any episode and be entertained. It is easy lowest common denominator type entertainment to pass the time but little else beyond that.

***********Review***********

Entertainment: A
Art: C-
Animation: C-

Story: C
Voice Acting (English): B+ 

Characters: C-

Music: C-

Replay value: A-
"Brains": D-