5/5 Great Cartoon? Or Greatest Cartoon?
  by Michael Reyes (Woodbridge, VA USA)
Finally, the Sonic the Hedgehog cartoon that aired on ABC in 1993-1994 (known as "Sonic SatAM" to the fans) comes to DVD in its entirety. Many of those who managed to catch the show on TV well over 10 years ago fell in love with it then, and have been fans ever since. It had just the right blend of comedy, drama, and action, with no one of those standing out too much above the others. It was also a fairly dark show for its time. This is a much anticipated release in the Sonic fan community, and this DVD set contains all 26 episodes, collecting the complete series in one 4-disc set!

This cartoon was made back before the SegaSonic storyline really got developed, and you won't be seeing familiar faces like Knuckles, Amy Rose, or the more recent characters from Sonic Adventure 2, Shadow and Rouge, simply because, well, none of them existed back then (Sonic 3, which was Knuckles' first game, didn't even come out until the year after it started airing). But that doesn't detract from the show at all as there are plenty of well developed characters added here that weren't from the games. This cartoon set-up the first real storyline behind the whole Sonic universe (in the U.S. anyway), and in my opinion, was one of the best American made cartoons ever. The Archie series of Sonic the Hedgehog comics was loosely based on this cartoon, but really failed to capture the quality of writing used to produce this show. (Archie has since moved on to try to emulate the games more).

Despite the age of this show, if you're a Sonic fan, you definitely shouldn't pass this one up. Definitely the best Sonic cartoon ever produced, in my opinion, as well as one of the greatest cartoons of all time. I'd give it more than 5 stars, but well.. that's the most you can give here on Amazon.com :)

5/5 Fans Rejoice! Good buy for new and "true blue" fans alike!
  by CartoonEncyclopedia (LA)
FREEDOM FIGHTERS FOREVER!

The short review: Way Past Cool! If you're a fan of the series you have to have this DVD collection!

The long review:

EPISODES
For anyone who's had to stand watching cut or badly recorded episodes from TV, I can't express how good it feels to watch these in clear stereo with no tracking lines and perfect picture. I can even see the paintbrush strokes in the background art it's so clear! So far as I can tell, everything has been restitched back together wonderfully and I can see no weird edits. It's just like I remember in Ben Hurst's words "fresh - like watching it for the first time!"


BONUS FEATURES
A few people have complained about the lack of bonus features, but I can't say good enough about them. The series was produced 10 years ago, since then most if not all of the artwork in the vaults has been lost, sold online (I've seen a number of cels pass by there) or locked away. The fact they managed to find even a small amount of high-quality artwork makes it well worth the trouble. I too wish there was more, but the stuff they did find is very good. I believe there are really only two bits of the extended/deleted scenes that are truly new material but it's all well archived and the one silent animatic has the script super-scripted in so it's easy to follow. The concept art is beautiful, there are a few new model/expression sheets in the interview with Hurst and tons of background art that will blow you away. This is the same quality one would expect in feature post production work. Both of the interviews are engaging, enlightening and even a little tearful at times, especially Ben's moving speech about Season 3 and his support for the fans. Considering how hard the crew at FUS has worked to get this DVD, they deserve it. The DVD menus themselves are a blast -- I have seen a number of poorly produced menus with "craptastic" art in them and these blow me away. They are thoughtful and even funny! In one part Snively hits the "Bonus Features" button. It's the little things like that which show the effort and care they put into making the DVD.

BOX ART
Okay so some of the artists who contributed art are very young and aren't what you would call "good artists". But to me, it's refreshing to see a company that actually WANTED and ACCEPTED input from the fan base. It shows that we are all united together as fans of Sonic, no matter what our background is. You can tell each of the artists was excited and trying their best to make something to show how much they love the show. I go as far to say a few of these artists ARE exceptional, some of them even drawing "on-model" as we in the animation business say. Ken Penders (while not really a fan per se since he's worked professionally on Sonic Artwork) did a pretty good job with the cover, as it did include most of the cast and it doesn't show anything that isn't there (Thank Goodness his arms aren't blue either :D). Compared to the first test cover, this final one is much better. Dr. Robotnik is the best part of the cover, he's very well drawn.

ANYTHING ELSE?
Just so you know where I'm coming from, I was prime age when SATAM came out, being 10 at the time, and it is a big reason I am who I am today and certainly a reason why I'm going into the animation industry. That being said I can't express enough why it's important to support this release. They did a fantastic job. And I think it's worth buying this for any Sonic fan, especially if you know someone who likes Sonic X --

In Sonic's words, "Get ready to rock, cause this will knock your socks off!" :)

If you're new to Sonic and like this series, I highly recommend checking out Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, and Sonic Underground as well (the other two shows produced by DiC, the predecessor to SATAM and it's later cousin, respectively.) A lot of fans would say otherwise but I just can't get enough of the blue blur!

- Joanie /^>

5/5 SatAM!
  by Geoffrey Colman (Manhattan Beach, California United States)
The Saturday morning Sonic cartoon was always one of those special treats when I was younger. I loved Sonic, but I was rarely up early enough to catch these shows when they were on originally, so I'm especially grateful to see them all in a single DVD package now.

Sonic fans probably already know the premise behind these shows: Sonic and the Freedom Fighters are in a continuous guerrilla war with Julian Ivo Kintobor, or "Robotnik," and his myriad robotic minions. Robotnik is able to augment his armies by "roboticizing" innocent Mobians (the anthropomorphic animals, like Sonic and his friends, that are the chief citizens of planet Mobius). Overall, the story is a dark saga of resistance that may seem somewhat trite (due to the similarities with "The Matrix" and the untold dozens of fictional worlds based upon similar premises), but it's still a good story. Fans of the Archie Sonic comics will easily find themselves at home with these cartoons, as they're essentially the same story and characters.

If you were a fan of the shows to begin with, don't hesitate--get these as soon as you can. Other Sonic fans may have a hard time reconciling the ordinarily bright, cheery Sonic universe with these serious shows, but they're pure gold, and I say go for it.

5/5 Finally!! This show has came to DVD
  by Graeme Kanu (Lockerbie, Scotland UK)
When I heard about Bike Mice from Mars was getting revived last year, after ten years of being cancelled, I wonder about the Sonic the Hedgehog (SatAM) series. I come to find that Sonic the Hedgehog (SatAM) is still being talked about today, and still has a fanbase, if not a bigger fanbase than when the show originally back in 1993

Oh man, I remember I watched this Sonic the Hedgehog series religiously when it original aired, when I was five years old. I can't believe it's FINALLY out on DVD.

I'd get up every Sunday at 8am here in the UK just to watch it, or every Saturday if you're an American viewer. But anyway, this was - and still is, in my opinion - the best Sonic the Hedgehog series ever, nothing against [i]Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog (I used to watch that as well)[/i], or [i]Sonic Underground[/i] or [i]Sonic X[/i]

Sonic the Hedgehog, or SatAM as it now known, had everything. Action, adventure, romance, comedy etc. The show had a great plot, the continuity of the show just kept you watching (especially in the 2nd Season). You didn't know what would happen next.

Also the animation was perfect for the show and added to the tone of the show, which was a darker than the previous series, [i]Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog[/i]. The writing was just brilliant, especially in Season 2. I think overall Season 2 was the more memorable of the two seasons. Thank you for that Ben Hurst, and of course Pat Allee, who co-wrote it.

The voice acting cast on the show was great, you some of the best voice actors in the business. Jaleel White was great as the main character (He IS Sonic the Hedgehog), Kath Soucie, Jim Cummings and Charlie Adler, who gave great memorable performances as Robotnik and Snively, respectively. Especially Jim Cummings, his portray of Robotnik also made Sonic the Hedgehog (SatAM) very memorable.

It ashame that Sonic the Hedgehog (SatAM) ended on a cliffhanger at the end of Season 2, this show has so much potential, and it also HAD a fanbase, which I think is now obvious by the fansites that have appeared in the last few years. I'd be nice to see a revival of Sonic the Hedgehog (SatAM), I know it not likely but you never know.

Hey, if Bike Mice from Mars, which got revived last year - after 10 years of it being gone, surely there still some hope of a Sonic the Hedgehog (SatAM). A new series, or maybe a movie based on the show - I like many fans would love to see those one day. Hey, anything's possible.

What else can I say about Sonic the Hedgehog (SatAM) that hasn't already been said in previous reviews. This the BEST Sonic the Hedgehog series EVER made, if you're a fan of the Sonic the Hedgehog SEGA games or just an animation fans in general. I strongly recommend that you check this series out, you won't be disappointed.

5/5 Sonic the Hedgehog at His Finest
  by Michael Spooner (CT)
While I can't claim to own the DVD set at this point, I have seen the entire "Sonic the Hedgehog" series multiple times and can say that there has never been anything quite like it before or since in children's animation. The concept-- a show based around a commercial video game character-- is one that seemed doomed to mediocrity, yet "Sonic the Hedgehog" was anything but mediocre. Like Mike Reyes below me said, this series was the first to develop the character of Sega's blue mascot and delve into the backstory of the franchise. This is the Sonic that many children of the 80's and 90's fondly remember. It was the basis for the American Sonic story seen in the Archie comic series and subsequent American game translations up until Sonic Adventure on Dreamcast.

The 1993-1995 series, better known as "SatAM" to many of its fans, was born out of a 'renaissance' period of traditional children's animation in the early 90's. It boasted a developed storyline, all-star voice acting cast, and some of the biggest writers, artists, and producers in the industry at the time.

Many Sonic fans have waited 11 years to see this series finally make its way to DVD, and the release itself has shaped up to be quite a package. I am the webmaster of the fan site saturdaymorningsonic.com, and can say that Shout! Factory has consulted fans of the series every step of the way in the production of this box set. From storyboards and interviews with writer Ben Hurst and VA Jaleel White, to the inclusion of fan art and a sweet cover to boot, this box set is going to be one for the collector's shelf. Don't pass this one up!