Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie (1996) User Reviews

It Was a Simpler Time

[runningmonk21 · 6/10 · 20 March 2017]

I'm writing this breakdown in response to other users scathing reviews. I also appreciated a few others' tidbits concerning the transition from it's Japanese to North America release.

The SatAM universe that this movie is often compared to was a great work, especially considering it's cohesion and strikingly well constructed universe. However the SatAM, and by extension the Archie Sonic Comics, were great but entirely separate from the video game series.

My defense for this movie is that at the time, this was a fair representation, even with the NA dubbing. The animation was passable, but the action sequences were fun, the characters were colorful and lively and the voicing could easily have fallen prey to awful "someone from the office" actors that plagued many games and low-budget shows. The voice actors also typically have to match the intensity of the original actors, and compared to some people considering this 'screeching', matched the voicing purposely (Tails is a child, Sara is a brat, etc.). Watching the VHS and the edited DVD release, both of these versions are just enjoyable to watch, beginning to end.

I think this movie falls prey to reviewers who have had plenty of Sonic the Hedgehog (TM) movies, games and TV show series (Sonic X, Sonic Boom (I'm so sorry), Sonic Adventure) that are more palpable than this 1-hour short, but didn't know that at the time to find ANYTHING Sonic the Hedgehog outside of the games was rare.

Decent, if not great

[winged_loner · 7/10 · 6 June 2006]

I saw this movie when I was ten years old and fully into the whole American Anime craze. I was watching DBZ and Pokemon when I saw this film. I haven't seen it since, but for some reason I cant describe, it held a place in my heart. I never forgot that first scene where Sonic is laying on the beach, enjoying a sunbathe and Tails comes up with a jet-propelled body-board and annoys Sonic by blocking his rays. I remembered the first time Knuckles appeared, flying in front of the city with that hat. The character design is inaccurate to the games design, but the animation really makes up for it with beautifully done action pieces that truly defined Sonics sense of speed in the games and integrated into the film. The story is decent and has its fair share of moderately clever twists, but nothing thats going to turn the heads of many critics anytime soon. Sonic has seen rise and fall, but this film was nowhere near his fall.

A guilty pleasure

[MissSimonetta · 6/10 · 2 September 2013]

This little known Sonic OVA from the mid-90s can be grating: the English dub is pretty bad and the story is a bit incoherent. But I won't lie, it has a considerable amount of cheesy 90s anime charm that prevents me from writing it off entirely.

The OVA takes place in a different universe from the games or any of the existing TV series. Sonic and co live on a floating continent, while Dr. Robotnik (or Eggman-- unlike most people, I use the names interchangeably and have no preference) lives in the world below, which is a post-apocalyptic wasteland. The doctor holds the president and his daughter Sara for ransom in order to force Sonic to go to the lower continent to fight one of his robots. Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles emerge victorious, but it turns out the whole thing was a trap designed to obtain Sonic's DNA in order to create Metal Sonic. They have one last battle in the north pole, with the fate of the world in the balance.

Some of the characters are written differently from their game and American TV counterparts (which were already quite different with each other to begin with). Sonic and Tails are about the same, but Knuckles and Dr. Robotnik are distinct. Robotnik, while still an egomaniac, is more of a buffoon than he usually is and a pervert too, lusting after the main female character Sara. Knuckles is much more mellow and not gullible at all. He and Sonic aren't even rivals any longer, and he even refers to the blue blur as his "best friend"! Oh and he's a treasure hunter too.... with an Indiana Jones hat.... oh and he can fly. Not glide. FLY. The new characters can be irritating, but for the most part I found them funny. Sara is like a human version of Amy Rose, pining after Sonic and sporting a violent temper. The owl is a loony geezer and the president is just kind of there.

The style is taken from the full motion video opening and ending of Sonic CD. It's cool looking and I wish it had been utilized in other Sonic media. The music is catchy and very 90s. If you liked the Japanese/European soundtrack for Sonic CD, then you'll love the music here. The voice acting is awful, but more in a "so bad it's good" fashion than in a "so bad it makes you want to cry" manner (like the 4kids dub for Sonic X).

It's not close to touching SATAM, but this OVA is nowhere near the unpleasantness of Sonic Underground or Sonic X. It's one of my guilty pleasures: stupid and obnoxious, but fun.

Better subbed than dubbed

[lissdt · 29 June 2000]

When i saw these pair of videos, (which were apparently paired together for the official US release), they were special order from Japan, and weren't dubbed or even subtitled. You had to guess what was going on. It was interesting. It took years for the Sonic anime to make it over here. Sega wanted five arms and three legs for it, so it was tied up legally. When anime gets dubbed, sometimes alot of stuff is cut out for US audiences. Censorship is poison. And it's out of control. Aside from that, the videos were fairly decent. I am sure the characters would be far more interesting with English subtitles than totally dubbed. I believe the DVD version allows you to watch it in Japanese with subtitles, but I could be wrong. Knuckles is an interesting character. He was never featured in the US tv series for fear of stealing the spotlight off the main character; Sonic. I can only hope that more anime videos will be made in the future.

A Par Sonic Movie.

[bakajordan · 7/10 · 19 January 2006]

I have seen two types of reviews about this movie. Mindless drivel from fanboys about how good it is. and reckless debunking from Anime haters. I (being a sonic fan) can give a fair opinion, unlike most.

THe movie has Many strong points: Cute voice acting, fitting animation, etc. but only enough to pass. It's the type of movie you watch to feed your inner child more than anything, because, lets face it. this is a childish movie. Personally I felt nostalgia as I rooted for sonic ever time he could think of something "witty" to call Robotnik and gasped as I found that metal sonic was actually a nice guy.

That being said there are flaws. To any adult who hasn't the ability to let his inner child loose, the movie falls close to the category of children's movie. And most fans looking for a great adaptation from the game will be heavily disappointed (unless the spikes are enough to glue it to the game, there were spikes) and lastly. Sarah and the president, though being important plot elements were out of their element in this world of furries (excluding robotnik).

For the most part the movie only works on the tow levels of wondrous nostalgia for old sonic fans and Happy sonic joy for the kiddies. Other than that "Sonic: The movie" is seens as nothing but a kids cartoon.

Not bad despite its Flaws

[seansan87 · 6/10 · 24 March 2005]

Sonic: The movie was actually appealing, first it covers the basics of the first sonic games, but only the basics. Second it had campy sonic humour, though some plot elements were missing.

Though the animation looked a little childish and frankly out of place to me (Growwing up with the freedom fighters) It got the job done, I liked the spin dash attacks and such, as that makes the movie seem true to form of its content.

But, The were several plot holes, first, The planet here is called "Freedom" The planet was officially called "Moebius" Years back. Second, Moebius was never divided into two parts, and third, Sara was more of a chipmunk squirrel thing, not a monkey elf teenage girl. Fourth, Sonic is well past puberty and Knuckles isent his "Best Friend".

Once you get passed this (The voicing in the Japanese version was 100% better) The movie is pretty good....for a one hour television special.

The music was good, *MOST* of the characters were well defined, the campyness of the sonic series is there.

Thought not a flawless transition to movie form (Could've been longer and more true) Its alright.

Good Flick, Okay Dub.

[MBoards05 · 6/10 · 10 March 2007]

This is not a movie. It is a 2-episode OVA (Original Video Animation) in Japan from 1996. A British company known as ADV Films got the rights to dub it and release it pasted together in USA and Europe calling it a movie. I don't know the fact if it's rated "G" by the MPAA or not rated by the MPAA at all.

When Old Man Owl sent an urgent message from the president to Sonic and Tails personally, The dynamic duo flew to his office. The president and his daughter are hosteled by Dr. Robotnik (Dr. Eggman in original japan version) and his army. When they arrive, Robotnik tells them that his hometown Robotropolis (Eggmanland in JAP version) located in the Land of Darkness was attacked by a creature named Metal Robotnik (Black Eggman in JAP version). Our heroes accepted this mission, little did they knew that Metal Robotnik is a trap to activate Hyper Metal Sonic, Robotnik's most powerful robot yet.

If you are bored and don't know what to do, watch this and be absorbed by the film.

FACTS:

CONCEPT: 2 animals trust a villain on destroying big robot to trap Sonic.

STORY: Original - like a follow-up to Sonic CD

ACTING: The JAP one has good voice acting. The dub was ANNOYING! Sonic sounded like he was a dork trying to be cool. Tails sounded like he had a cold. Knuckles sounded like another dork. The president sounded dumb and goofy - even at times he should be serious like the REAL president. Robotnik sounded.... Same as the president's.

ANIMATION: Original - but not that decent. Same animation of the Sonic CD intro and ending.

REPLAY: After watching it, you wouldn't feel like seeing it again until your friends come over to have a little show-off.

I give the JAP one a 7/10, and the DUB one (as seen above) a 6/10 for a bad job on voice acting. But the time must come when a REAL live-action/CGI Sonic movie that will top the charts!

Seriously? :O

[Irishchatter · 3/10 · 3 April 2015]

I am so disappointed with this movie like for the love of god, Sonics voice was terrible. It sounded like a kid having a tantrum but worse!With Tails, he sounded as if his nose was blocked, it was extremely annoying.

Bill Wise didn't do a too bad of a job of voicing Knuckles, however he shouldve acted more rougher and his hat was cool. To be honest, I think Edward Neal & Charles Campbell did great on their roles as Eggman and Old Man Owl. For the rest of them, it was gullible and needed work!

I think I'll be sticking with the game series and the modern Sonic. I am hoping that SEGA won't ever make another film because of this. Actually they shouldn't have made a film in the first place! You have been warned!

One of the best movies I have seen in my life.

[pierceburbank · 9/10 · 5 May 2017]

I watched this movie many times in my young childhood and still watch it today. It is absolutely outstanding even now, and that's not to mention the nostalgia from re-watching. This movie has a phenomenal soundtrack, incredible animation, a- in my opinion- well-written plot, and humor that I found hysterical. I completely adore this film and I see no reason fit to explain the hate it received on IMDb from one of the reviewers. I highly recommend this movie.

It's okay, but it could've been a lot better.

[CartoonKing2 · 6/10 · 6 June 2011]

"Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie" is a direct-to-video anime film released by ADV films in 1999. It's actually not a movie though. It's really two failed Sonic anime pilots put together to make a 60 minute movie. While this movie is very close to the Sonic games, it's really not as good as the previous Sonic cartoon, a short-lived animated TV series on ABC simply titled "Sonic the Hedgehog". I believe that show is one of the greatest cartoons of all time. So of course it's gonna be pretty hard to live up to that show. And even though this movie is okay, I truly think it could've been so much better. Here are my problems with the film:

• Terrible voice acting. Sonic sounds like Fanboy from the terrible CGI Nicktoon "Fanboy and Chum Chum", Tails sounds like he has a cold, and Robotnik sounds like an ordinary, generic villain. Not only are the voices annoying, but the voice actors just don't show any effort in doing good voices. It's like they're trying to be annoying. The ABC Sonic show had a superb voice cast with stars like Jaleel White, Kath Soucie, Jim Cummings, Rob Paulsen and Tim Curry.

• Weird characters. Some of the new-to-this-movie characters are just plain weird. Like that human girl Sara. Why does she have cat ears and a cat tail? I did like the old man Owl though.

Overall this movie is decent. It has a lot of funny moments, I love how the animation looks like the cut-scenes in "Sonic CD" and the story was pretty good. It has nothing on Sonic SatAM, but it's an okay movie.

Rating: 6/10 "Decent"

The tagline........it hurts.

[xamtaro · 3/10 · 22 August 2010]

Released in 1996 as two OVa episodes and edited together into a movie in 1999, Sonic the Hedgehog is a fun little animated outing for the light-speed blue hedgehog and his fox friend Tails. However, "fun" is all that this movie has going for it, especially when compared to other animated adaptations of Sonic that have graced TV screens over the years.

Its first most obvious flaw is its animation, which for all intents and purposes seems worse than some of the episodes in 1993's Sonic the Hedgehob TV series. It boggles the mind how an OVA, which is meant to have a higher animation budget than a TV show, can look worse than TV animation from years ago. The animation and artwork can only be classified as "lazy". For example, Tails no longer flies by spinning his tails like a helicopter. His tails disappear and in their a brown and white disc forms over his head which gives him the ability to levitate. Similarly, whenever Sonic runs, you do not see a blur of feet but a simple red ribbon-like object that is meant to represent his feet.(at times those said "feet" are not even attached to his body). A couple of scenes do stand out such as Black Eggman chasing sonic and tails through the streets of "EggmanLand" and some scenes involving Metal Sonic, they look really good. But overall, the artwork and coloring is flat and the characters lack a sense of fluidity. Some off-model art does creep in, possibly due to poor quality control.

Depending on one's expectations, the story could be seen as either a flaw or a boon. But either way, one cannot deny the childish nature of the story nor the absurdity the plot. Dr Eggman has kidnapped the president and his daughter in order to enlists the help of Sonic and Tails to destroy "Black Eggman" who has taken over his realm of EggmanLand. However, it is all a ruse to trick Sonic into being an unwilling subject in Dr Eggman's latest evil plot. One involving the might Metal Sonic. Sure the games were not exactly shining examples of good storytelling either, but an anime deserves to be compared to others of its kind. And sadly, it falls short in the comparison.

Most fatal flaw of all is the portrayal of the characters. Despite many claims of the superiority of the Japanese version over the English version, it does not do justice to the characters at all. THe character of Sonic has always been a smart mouth and a braggart, but in this movie he definitely crosses the line and comes across as a truly unlikable jerk. This impression is further amplified by the Japanese script which as a good bit of harsh language coming from both Sonic and Tails (tails screaming at Sonic to "Go to Hell" kinda kills the whole innocent perception of the character). As villains go, Dr Eggman is a complete idiot and the President's daughter, Sarah, is one of the most irritating damsels in distress in anime history.

Fans of the game, do check out the much superior Sonic the Hedgehog series from 1993(Known in fan circles as "Sonic satAM), or the Japanese version of Sonic X. This so called "movie" is not even worth the time to stream on youtube.

A crazy good movie

[donovanmcrale · 10/10 · 21 June 2018]

Sweet story, good animation, amazing music, definitely worth watching.

Good, but don't take it too seriously

[judasfm · 7/10 · 2 September 2005]

Watching this gave me a distinct feeling of The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog meets Pokemon. First things first: The dubbing from Japanese is actually not bad, as dubbing goes. My main criticisms would be on the sound of the actors rather than their talent: Sonic sounds a little like an old-fashioned cowboy, Knuckles sounds far too young (and WHAT is up with that HAT??) and Tails...well, Tails sounds like he has a bad cold.

The story isn't too bad; it's just strong enough to keep the movie going. Introducing the President's daughter (or even the President) was a big mistake; the characters don't fit at all. The writers appear to have completely disregarded the planet and backstories set out in the original Sonic franchise, creating a completely new planet called Freedom. That said, this one-off planet does feature more aspects from the games than most of the other TV series, with the spikes, springs and well-known bots such as Caterkiller.

Robotnik came across as a six year old having a bad day. I've heard the TV series The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog called slapstick...well, this goes way beyond slapstick. Certain things like Robotnik blowing raspberries at Sonic at his (supposed) moment of victory...well, I won't bore you with the details. Metal Sonic was good though, and the fight between him (it?) and Sonic was well done. A good movie, entertaining but not a patch on Sonic X or The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog. Fantastic for younger viewers though.

Sonic and Tails are in some futuristic planet doing things that have nothing to do with scraping knuckles and catching tails.

[Hagaren_Otaku726 · 4/10 · 6 May 2006]

It's an mediocre OVA if you had no expectations and an open mind. The storyline itself is actually pretty decent, but the English voice actors don't add to the quality. This OVA also contains THE most annoying Sonic world character I have ever encountered in my life. Sara. She's selfish, arrogant, and loud, among other things. The ending theme of "Look-A-Likes" by Riu Konaka was pretty good. The words make no sense early on though, and it's only when you really think about it do SOME parts make sense. Knuckles fans who liked the dedication he has in other universes will cry. There's no sign of a Master Emerald anywhere, and the closest thing to hinting of it is in the fact that he likes to treasure hunt. There are a few questionable scenes in the OVA, but they're all really subtle. I didn't even notice most of them, so they're mostly only obvious if you're looking for them. The story is an overused one, though it's probably the best part out of the OVA. Sonic and Tails are tricked into going down to Robotropolis to deactivate a bomb, and meet Knuckles on the way down. From the DVD description, you can probably tell how Metal Sonic is involved in all of this. There's some fighting, but no blood, and lots of yelling. There are some useless characters that had little roles in the movie's context, but it didn't get to the point where it was overly ridiculous. Overall, the OVA was rather disappointing, but a mediocre film for those who had few expectations anyway.

Underestimated product of the Sonic realm.

[spilskinanke2097 · 24 September 2004]

Unfortunately, many people were turned off by this movie; first problem being that it was not so much a movie as it was a long cartoon. Never the less, there was enough content to fill the time.

I don't quite understand what beef people have with the story line, it wasn't much more of a deviation from something you would encounter in one of the games. The only difference this time was that it was the first introduction of Sonic into a "real" world (disregarding the US cartoons, because this movie passed under the inspection of Sonic Team, making it essentially legit). I thought it proposed a decent solid story line, it introduced the characters, the problem, etc etc...

The movie was the best animated representation OF the whole Sonic/Robotnik rivalry, while still keeping the same "friendship"/interaction with all the characters that people have grown to know; Sonic and Knuckles giving each other a hard time, Tails following Sonic around like a puppy, Sonic and Robotnik fighting while Sonic always remains light hearted about it all in the end.. Although they introduced alternate, "non-Sonic" characters, this is also actually the best animated representation of a world that Sonic exists in. The president reigns over "South Island", which is a place the Japanese manual for Sonic 1 references when talking about the Chaos Emeralds. Sonic and Tails' trek to the center of Robotropolis brings them through scenery and obstacles that are immediately reminiscent of the early Genesis games (I loved the scenes with the Caterkiller and the Buzz Bombers).

The inclusion of Metal Sonic was the pinnacle of the movie, though... Metal Sonic has developed a HUGE fan-base in the Sonic community, and it was only proper he finally be given a real character background and personality. There are multiple versions of him throughout the Sonic games, he had a different design for every one of these games: Sonic 2 (Genesis/MegaDrive), Sonic 2 (GameGear/Master System), Sonic CD, Sonic & Knuckles, Knuckles' Chaotix (final boss), Sonic Heroes (final boss). But the design that caught on the most was from Sonic CD, Chaotix (first encounter w/ him), and Heroes (after his new form was defeated, he reverted back). While alternate universes exist within many other long running series (be they TV, Movie, or games), no real beginning of Metal Sonic was ever explained or described, other than the game manuals saying Robotnik designed a copy of Sonic. The movie gave life to this character.

The English voices weren't the greatest, but they at least fit the characters very well... Sort of like how the American music for Sonic CD is more appropriate for the level designs than the original music is, despite the original music being more popular. They should have used some of the voice actors from the animated cartoons here in the US, rather than getting new people; but the voices were still better than the English voice actors Sonic Team used in the most recent Sonic games.

The animation was excellent, cleanly drawn, very expressive character movements. The animators captured the way Sonic moved and attacked perfectly, about as "realistic" as you can get with animation.

Take reviews with a grain of salt... don't believe just one person's opinion. I say it's good, other people may say it's bad. See it for yourself, just don't approach it expecting a miracle. It's a fun getaway, retreat from the norm...and savior from Sonic X.

Nice Tribute to a Video Game Idol

[TheHande · 7/10 · 10 September 2006]

People seem to think that the anime adaptations of video-games are somehow better than the films based on games using live-actors. Personally what I can't stand is how people who make this kind of anime always have to crowbar anime-conventions into places where they don't belong, in pathetic attempts to add some depth to the characters and their game-world. Undoubtedly some of the goofier elements of Anime do find their home in the Sonic Anime, but the over-all plot is rather ridiculous in hind-sight.

That's not to say that the OVA doesn't look good, but for some reason OVAs just tend to disappoint me with their lack of comprehensive closure, just like with Burn Up W and New Dominion Tank Police. Why OVAs can't look to Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki for a way to keep an OVA alive, I just don't understand.

As a side-note (and notice that this did not affect my vote): I have always thought that of all Sonic cartoons this has had the worst English-speaking voice-cast. The Japanese voices were decent, but none of the characters sound themselves in the English dub.

Sonic Anime is a nice tribute to the old-school Sonic-fans, but other than that there's nothing very appealing about it.

Greatness Achieved!

[TailsPrower · 7/10 · 31 August 2003]

This movie is awesome! Great animation, good plot, awesome characters...nice and true to the personalities. The big flaw (like on Sonic X) is the English dubbing. If you have the chance, watch it in Japanese too to see my point. But the movie is great. Watch it. I suggest it in both languages, though...

😒meh

[dawsondad-61785 · 7/10 · 14 February 2020]

Well for me I liked this movie and it had a lot of funny stuff there to. But I don't get how dr eggman wants to date that looking like a 15 year old girl and have babies like that is weird 😑

Ugliness Begins Here

[gregoryofthepillar · 1/10 · 11 March 2016]

When Sonic the Hedgehog debut in video games, the games were such a hit that some studios went on the make TV shows based on the games. The early games and early TV shows were things done in the appropriate way, therefore making them like classics. But this "movie" marks the beginning of a certain ugliness the would eventually change the Sonic franchise forever. I'm starting to wish it never happened.

After appearing in successful video games, Sonic was picked up to appear in two TV series: Sonic SatAm, and the Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog. What makes those two shows good is that the selection of the cast is good. In fact Tails is played a boy in both series.

Then they made this movie which had little or no theatrical run. I wonder. Why was a bimbo selected to play Tails instead of a boy? Is a boy too difficult to hire? Whatever that is, it certainly started the ugly era where bimbos overtime take over the role of that fox in both video games and TV series. Such a sick thing that makes me want to quit my fandom in Sonic stuff.

Captures the charm of the Sonic CD Videos.

[staticsaber · 8/10 · 23 February 2006]

I remember back when I was around 10 I saw this movie on VHS at my local Fred Myers and being the huge sonic fan I was (and still to this day is) I bought it and I loved it through voices and all and I dunno if I followed the plot that well either. Now years later, I get my hands on the DVD with the Japanese sub and now heres where my real opinion of the movie comes in.

The plot is actually really clever, as far as a 60 minute movie goes. Eggman comes to Sonic and Tails for help. He's been kicked out of his home by a monster known as Black Eggman (metal Robotnick or something in English). Why should Sonic care? The generator powering Eggman's city is about to explode putting all of Planet Freedom in danger and everyone is counting on him. The whole trip seems like its from a Sonic video game itself and things get really heated up when Sonic and Tails face Black Eggman in a deserted city. When things look bad, the two get a helping hand from Knuckles and a well animated battle takes place what with great action (how they take out Black Eggman was pretty cool) and some nice humor (After taunting Black Eggman, Sonic and tails begin to leave him until he reveals a pair of metal wings and rocket jets, getting ready to run them down. Their expressions are great and how they both say the exact same thing "Noooo waaaayyy..." always cracks me up.) But Sonic soon has to fight something much more dangerous than Black Eggman, or anything Eggman has ever cooked up. A robot that not only looks like Sonic but thinks like Sonic, acts like Sonic, and fights like Sonic takes on the his perfect match, the fastest thing alive.

I remember the days of Sonic CD and boy oh boy did I love that intro. Never got to see the ending until Sonic Mega Collection. It was these two videos that opened my eyes to what the blue hedgehog can do. Never slowed down, thinking on his feet, looking cool all the while. The animators, as probably most of you know, where behind this. Compared to todays standards the animation might seem dated, but it still works nicely The voice overs in Japanese are done real nicely. Sonic has a tough voice with a bit of sarcasm thrown in there. Tails sounds more like a female, but in turn sounds younger and his voice is much more tolerable than the English. Knuckles sounds tough but in a way friendly. Eggman sounds good, though he sounds more goofy than serious usually. Supporting characters have fitting voices as well.

I will be honest, I haven't heard the movie in English in years so I can't compare ^^; The music deserves to be put on CD, nothing seems out of place really and the main theme of the movie, Look Alike, is done very nicely.

As for my rating I'm taking one point off for some dated animation and another point for the English dub over. At least they didn't edit anything and the dialogue is pretty much the same in either one.

Recommended to Sonic fans, highly recommend Japanese dub. 8/10 I have heard some complaints about this movie that have to do with this film being to different from the cartoons of the early 90's, like being set on Planet Freedom and not Mobius. The game is based off of Sonic CD and from what I can tell the the writers used most of the ideas from the game for the movie (Metal Sonic *of course*, time warps, and the areas in the movie reminded me of the game as well.) This Sonic world was made in Japan so it has nothing to do with the cartoons and comics of America. At least I don't think Mobius was the planet they used in Japan.

Comparing them seems a little unfair in my eyes. And don't give me a hard time if I'm wrong.

An insult to the Sega video games. Was this made by Nintendo?

[StormSworder · 1/10 · 19 March 2005]

I absolutely loved the Sega Sonic games on the Genesis/Megadrive, which is why I was looking forward to seeing this. Hmm. I've noticed over the years how many stars of cartoons have been made into truly awful video games. I think the same works in reverse, as this deadbeat film proves. For what it's worth, the threadbare plot concerns Sonic going down into the underworld where he faces an evil robot Sonic.

Everything about this film stinks. The drawings are dire and the plot is slow. Racing along and spin-attacking robots makes for good games, but watching it happening in a cartoon is like watching someone playing a video game and becoming increasingly impatient as you wait for your go. The same pieces of animation are used over and over, and the dubbed voices are a joke. Sonic is a whining brat, Tails sounds like he has a cold, the princess is an irritating tantrum-throwing madam and Robotnik is a laughably-accented buffoon who poses no threat whatsoever. Stick to playing the video games.

A mediocre dubbed, but great 60 minute anime!

[segabeat · 8/10 · 23 November 2004]

This movie is just cool.

Dr. Robotnik, Sonic's enemy, says that the generator in Robotropolis is acting very werid. And if it isn't stopped by sunrise the next day, it will explode and destroy their world. Sonic agrees to take the task. Although, when he arrives down there, there's some trouble waiting for Sonic...

This movie definitely worth watching to fans of Sonic the Hedgehog, or anime. This movie has slightly below average voice acting, but it isn't bad enough to disturb you while watching. The humor is funny, and the battle scenes are super action packed. This is worth watching.

9/10

Why, SEGA, Why do this to your fans?

[Sheng.Long · 1/10 · 3 November 2000]

I am one of those people who, despite having a age teen-or-above, loved the SatAM version of Sonic The Hedgehog. I looked at this. I read the plot. I watched the first half. I got a refund. They are murdering the memory that loyal fans have of Sonic! I would have accepted a Movie based on the comics, but this is Sonic Underground all over again! SEGA, Either ditch the 'hog now, or give him his old pad in Nutwood back, and leave him and Sally to it. Don't do this again!

Ridiculous but fun.

[MrInitialMan · 9 March 2006]

Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie.

First law of watching movies: If it says "The Movie" at the end of the title, it won't be good, and should not be taken seriously.

Second law of watching movies: If it's based off a KID'S GAME, it's gonna be a KID'S MOVIE. Do not expect a wonderful plot, impeccable dialog, or deep personalities in the characters. It's a KID'S MOVIE. Such movies are quite shallow, and, again, should not be taken seriously.

Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie, fulfills both laws, and thus, should not be taken seriously. Deal with it.

Okay, now to my own impression of this cartoon. It was a silly movie, but I kind of enjoyed it. Nice action, a few characters worth a snicker (like a kooky owl), and the setting of some scenes were great.

That it was set on Freedom Planet gave me the idea that this had little to do with the continuity of the games. Such suspicions were confirmed by a few new characters (a gutless king and a screaming brat of a princess), with only Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles as familiar characters.

I did have a few complaints. Number one, the princess drove me up the wall. I hate screaming brats; I hated the screaming girl in "War of the Worlds" and I hated this one. However, it was a Japanese movie, and I thought I read somewhere that the Japanese see temper tantrums and behaving like a little girl as a good thing. Whether or not that's true, I found it a little annoying.

Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles sounded like KIDS. Seriously. Mind you, in the comics, they are teenagers. I thought Sonic had way too much of a "screw you" attitude. Some might have thought it cool, I found it irritating. Tails was often hollering for help, especially in the beginning of the movie. (Interesting note here, Tails' real name is Miles.) Knuckles, I thought, was the best of the lot. He was laid-back, confident, and mature. Too bad he showed up so late in the movie.

Unlike a lot of movies with a shallow plot, this one's actually possible to follow. Maybe rather strange, but it does pick its way through a sequence of events, that are, at least when you let your inner child out, believable.

All in all, this wasn't a bad movie, if you know what to expect. If you're looking for something great and thought-provoking, don't watch this. If you want to watch a kid's movie that requires no thought whatsoever, enjoy.

Not as great as the video game series

[Criticman12 · 5/10 · 15 May 2011]

Sonic the Hedgehog is one of the greatest video game characters ever made next to Mario and Luigi from, "Mario Bros.", Fox McCloud from, "Star Fox", and Samus from, "Metroid". It was so good, that it ended up spawning a comic-book series and four T.V. Shows. I have played some of the video games and I'm not a fan of the series.

But in 1999, there were two OVA's that were merged and became a movie.

The story is really simple, Sonic and his friends have to defeat Dr. Robotnik and Metal Sonic to save the world.

The film has some good animation, funny moments, and I did like the idea of putting Metal Sonic in the movie.

The problem's I have with this film is that the plot and story were weak, the English dub was pretty bad and I didn't care too much about the other character's in the movie.

"Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie", is not an awful movie, but it won't entertain a lot of people. If you're a fan of the series, then you would like this movie. If you're not a fan of the series, then this movie is not for you.