Pac-Man is going to have some competition on the small screen next year, and that’s not in the video-game front. His ghostly adventures may get outed with some cheerful fun with what may be a new interpretation of Sonic the Hedgehog.
The new show is tentatively called Sonic Boom, and it will be a co-production between SEGA of America and Genao Prods. Set to premiere on Cartoon Network in the Fall of 2014, fifty-two 11-minute shorts are going to be made. Maybe it will be a different take from previous cartoons made in the past twenty years. The first iteration, Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog (1993), was more comical in its scope, the second, Sonic the Hedgehog (also in 1993), was more dramatic, the third, Sonic Underground (1999), looked at his family and the last one Sonic X (2003) was more episodic. Other shorts were given a limited release.
This new version will see Sonic’s continuing adventures with his best-friend, Tails, as he does battle with Dr. Eggman, his nemesis. Revealed on SEGA’s blog, rounding out the ensemble are fan favorites Knuckles and Amy Rose, plus a rogue’s gallery of enemies—some familiar to Sonic fans and some brand new.
According to Variety’s report, the show’s producers will work closely with Takashi Iizuka, the head of Sonic Team and driving creative force behind the Sonic games, to make sure it’s true to the Sonic characters and universe.
Evan Baily, formerly executive VP of production and creative affairs for Classic Media (now owned by DreamWorks Animation) will serve as a show runner of the series along with Freiberger, who serves as co-executive producer.
SEGA sees the project as a way to breathe new life into the franchise and attract new players to the games. “Sonic is the star of the SEGA universe and the stage is now set for him to shine like never before,” said Hiroyuki Miyazaki, SEGA’s chief content officer for Sonic. Through the new TV series, “we’re ensuring that the Sonic legacy will be introduced to a new generation of children across the globe.”
For fans thinking about revisiting the original series, Shout Factory has an edition, Sonic The Hedgehog – The Complete Series
