Gotta go fast right until the end of the year. Coming off what has been a stellar year for The Blue Blur, Netflix has unveiled a full trailer for its ambitious, upcoming animated series Sonic The Hedgehog, Sonic Prime. Taking a note from cosmic calamities such as Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse, Sonic Prime is set to debut a multiverse-spanning action adventure across time and space.
Cast & Voice Actors
Netflix debuted the trailer, which showcases the voice talents of the cast, including Brian Drummond as Dr. Eggman and D Mack Jr as Sonic the Hedgehog. Sonic is accompanied by a small ragtag team of heroes: Tails the Fox (Ashleigh Ball), Amy Rose (Shannon Chan-Kent) Rouge the Bat (Kazumi Evans), and Knuckles (Vincent Tong).
Plot
Doctor Eggman taps into the unpredictable powers of the Crystal Prism. In the ensuing battle, a calamity of cosmic proportions occurs, shattering the entire dimension and sending the team adrift across entire universes. Sonic winds up in a world under complete control by Dr Eggman and his robotic army, governed by a council of alternate Dr. Eggmans. Sonic is rescued by a resistance, discovering a robotized Amy Rose and Tails the Fox.
It’s clear that Sonic is lost in an entirely different universe, but through unknown powers, he is able to shift between different worlds. Sonic encounters alternate versions of his crew, from pirates to pre-history tribesmen. Somehow, the team must work together across these various dimensions to fix the universe. At the end of the trailer, a familiar Shadow the Hedgehog is teased, voiced by Ian Hanlin.
Great Year for Sonic
It’s been a tremendous year for Sonic, even with a few setbacks. Sonic The Hedgehog 2 became one of the best cinematic sequels in recent memory, and one of the big success stories of the year, especially as the first movie made a strong impact at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sonic Origins was released, containing a legacy of classic Sonic games, and while it was significantly marred by the complications surrounding Sonic 3‘s soundtrack, it was nonetheless well-received. Meanwhile, Sonic Frontiers just launched and has received a far better-than-expected reception, one trending much more positively than expected. With Sonic Prime, the year concludes on a high note for The Blue Blur, establishing newfound popularity and relevance in a cultural landscape devoid of mascots or platformers.
The Future of Sonic Prime
As for the show, this direction is unexpected. With a focus on the multiverse, anything goes in Sonic Prime. Visually, the show is stunning, with much more variation than expected. The inclusion of multiple characters works well, but the focus on multiple dimensions makes for many possibilities. The inclusion of a robotized Amy and Tails does have the show lean closer to the vibes of Sonic The Animated Series, or SaTAM for short. Undoubtedly, callbacks to earlier shows, or games, will likely happen throughout the course of the adventure, especially with 24 episodes ordered at approximately 30 minutes each.
It feels as if Sonic Prime is a soft reboot of sorts for The Blue Blur in animated form, considering the focus on time travel and shifting different universes. This is further emboldened by the voice cast, marking the first time Sonic has been voiced by a Black voice actor since Jameel White in the 90s. The entire cast has been featured in shows such as Gundam Wing, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, and The Dragon Prince. It’s a new chapter for Sonic The Hedgehog and the world is ready for it. Sonic Prime debuts exclusively on Netflix on December 15th.
