In today’s news in things we aren’t necessarily mad about, Netflix has ordered a Sonic The Hedgehog 3D animated series coming in 2022. The 30-year-old character recently received his live-action debut in 2020’s Sonic The Hedgehog movie starring James Marsden, Tika Sumpter, and Jim Carrey. The film pulled in $149 million domestically and $320 million worldwide. Sega and Paramount have already announced that a sequel is in development. The blue speed demon was already doing a great job of staying relevant across multiple generations, and with the Netflix news, Sonic supremacy will remain strong. There is no knocking the culturally relevant rings out of that hedgehog.
The new series, Sonic Prime, will be 24-episodes and features Sonic in an adventure where the fate of a new multiverse rests on his furry blue shoulders. It’s also not Sonic’s first go at a 3D animated series. Long-time fans might remember Sonic Boom, which aired for two seasons on Cartoon Network. The first Sonic animated series debuted two decades ago in 1991 and featured Jaleel White’s voice, who played the role of Steve Urkel in the ABC ‘90s sitcom Family Matters. As you can see, Sonic isn’t at all new to this. He is true to this.
The Netflix series will be aimed at kids aged six to 11, but there will be reasons for OG fans to stream the series as well. Sonic Prime will be animated at WildBrain’s Vancouver studio. Sega and WildBrain will jointly participate across production, distribution, and licensing. Man of Action Entertainment, creators of the beloved Ben 10, and the characters and team in Disney’s Academy Award-winning feature Big Hero 6 are on board as showrunners and executive producers.
The 1991 Sonic animated series and 2003’s Sonic X are currently available to stream on Netflix for those who can’t wait until 2022 for Sonic Prime.
