Summary
As kids’ TV series go, this one is fun and quick, and the characters are full of energy and positivity! As well known as Sonic is, this series 0ffers a fresh, fun take on the familiar.
We review the Netflix animated series Sonic Prime season 1, which does not contain spoilers.
Sonic Prime is a sci-fi animation series where the fate of a strange new multiverse rests in the gloved hands of the speedy, blue Sonic the Hedgehog (voiced by Deven Mack). If you don’t know who or what Sonic is, he’s a famous SEGA Icon character mostly known for being super speedy on his feet; also known as a blue blur.
This series is the most recent adaptation of Sonic the Hedgehog, with there being several animated series based on the character in the past, as well as the more recent and successful Sonic the Hedgehog films that were released in 2020 and 2022. It’s not surprising that Netflix is looking to capitalize on the recent success of the character on the big screen.
The story is easy to understand, taking someplace in the future in relation to the game series. While doing the routine fight against Dr. Eggman (voiced by Brian Drummond), an over-excited and egotistical Sonic is fooled into a trap, which ends in the destruction of the Paradox Prism. This artifact can manipulate time and space and sends Sonic off into new worlds in the Shatterverse. To save his friends and his reality, Sonic goes on an epic quest, meeting new friends and foes across multiple dimensions. This CG animated series has eight episodes, seven of which have a runtime of twenty minutes, and one final special episode will have a runtime of forty minutes.
The story is full of energy, and the large amount of bright colors makes this series stimulating from beginning to end. What I did like was Sonic’s character development — as in, going through the different universes Sonic is forced to look at his actions which got him in this bad situation in the first place, teaching us about taking responsibility and accountability. Don’t worry, it’s all still lighthearted and fun, nothing too serious.
The new characters and environments are very vibrant; they’re uniquely designed with the franchise in mind and fit the series well. There is a unified look, not too modernized with “human teeth” for example. The voice acting is done to a superb standard, the enthusiastic, over-the-top cheesy accents help show the characters’ emotions, and keep audiences entertained.
There are great moments where the series mimics the game with 3rd person rotations and views, so for me, the nostalgia was high watching this. Even as soon as the first episode opened and I saw Sonic collecting coins in Green Hill I was transported back to playing the game as a kid.
My only plight with the series is the order of the episodes, and the first one at over forty minutes felt too long — the rest are all twenty minutes which is enough. The first episode you might as well have gone a bit longer and made a film. I think some of the episodes are clunky with the back-and-forth of universes and time frames, but not devastating.
This series is definitely for younger audiences, I would say for audiences aged 6 to 11, as the threat and violence may be disturbing for younger audiences, and then too bland for older ones. However, this doesn’t mean older audiences can’t enjoy it. For all of you wondering, Shadow is in this series, and you’ll have to watch it, as I won’t share any spoilers!
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