Releases
At long last, on March 27th, 2007, Shout! Factory released Sonic the Hedgehog: The Complete Series, a 4-disc DVD box set including every episode of the classic Saturday morning cartoon plus a slew of bonus features:
Sonic the Hedghehog: The Complete Series is a unique release, compiled with fan input every step of the way and showcasing art from some of the most talented fans in the SatAM fan community. The cover was designed by none other than veteran Archie Sonic comic writer/artist, Ken Penders. This befitting, long-awaited set is truly one for the collector's shelf.
ToonZone Interview with Shout! producer Brian Ward
For more on how the box set came to be, check out this transcript history, gathered by Ronic from the FUS and SMS forums.
Box Description
Let's do it to it! Sonic the Hedgehog (voiced by Family Matters' Jaleel White), super fast and irreverent, leads a group of freedom fighters bent on restoring their planet's beauty and freeing its citizens from the tyranny of the evil Dr. Robotnik.
The fusion of powerful storylines, witty banter and a dark atmosphere made Sonic The Hedgehog - dubbed SatAM by its legions of fans - a favorite among youngsters and teens when it premiered on ABC in 1993. Inspired by the phenomenon that took the gaming world by storm, Sonic The Hedgehog likewise broke through the barriers of what was expected of a Saturday morning cartoon. All 26 Sonic The Hedgehog episodes are available in this collectors box set!
Program Listing
Disc 1:
Heads Or Tails (Pilot)
Sonic Boom
Sonic & Sally
Ultra Sonic
Sonic & The Secret Scrolls
Super Sonic
Sonic Racer
Bonus Features
Animated Opening Title Sequence (Early Storyboards)
Printable Heads Or Tails Pilot Script
Disc 2:
Harmonic Sonic
Hooked On Sonics
Sonic's Nightmare
Warp Sonic
Sub-Sonic
Sonic Past Cool
Bonus Features
The Fastest Thing Alive: A Conversation With Jaleel White
Disc 3:
Game Guy
Sonic Conversion
No Brainer
Blast To The Past (Part 1)
Blast To The Past (Part 2)
Fed Up With Antoine/Ghost Busted
Dulcy
Bonus Features
Original DiC Concept Art Gallery
Disc 4:
The Void
The Odd Couple/Ro-Becca
Cry Of The Wolf
Drood Henge
Spyhog
The Doomsday Project
Bonus Features
Way Past Cool!: A Conversation With Sonic Writer Ben Hurst
Storyboard-to-Screen: The Doomsday Project
Deleted & Extended Sequences for Drood Henge and The Doomsday Project
Additional Bonus Features: Easter egg interviews, Fan Art packaging, Special thanks to FUS and SatAM fans
Run Time: 570 Minutes, 4 discs, NTSC (Region Free!)
The set is available from some offline (Best Buy, Wal-Mart) and many online retailers including Amazon.com, DeepDiscountDVD, and Shout's own store. The set has a suggested retail price of $29.98, but can be found for significantly less at many retailers.
Also in the U.S. starting in 2008, NCircle Entertainment began releasing DVDs of the series in 4-episode installments:
The Fight for Freedom (September 16, 2008)
- Hooked on Sonics
- Ultra Sonic
- Sonic and the Secret Scrolls
- Warp Sonic
Run Time: 88 Minutes, NTSC
Super Sonic (December 23, 2008)
- Sonic Boom
- Sonic and Sally
- Super Sonic
- Sonic Racer
Run Time: 88 Minutes, NTSC
Sonic Goes Green (March 3, 2009)
- Heads or Tails
- Sonic's Nightmare
- Sub-Sonic
- Sonic Past Cool
Run Time: 88 Minutes, NTSC
Sonic Forever (March 16, 2010)
- No Brainer
- Blast to the Past, Part 1
- Blast to the Past, Part 2
- Fed up with Antoine / Ghost Busted
- The Odd Couple / Ro-Becca
Run Time: 88 Minutes, NTSC
Freedom Fighters UNITE! (May 5, 2009)
- Sonic Conversion
- Dulcy
- The Void
- Spyhog
Run Time: 88 Minutes, NTSC
The Doomsday Project (August 31, 2010)
- Harmonic Sonic
- Game Guy
- Cry of the Wolf
- Drood Henge
- The Doomsday Project
Run Time: 90 Minutes, NTSC
Following the release of Sonic the Hedgehog: The Complete Series stateside, the UK company Delta Music aquired the rights to follow suit with a PAL release of the series in the United Kingdom on September 10th, 2007. The set contains the same content and bonus features from the Shout Factory release, but with different menus, packaging, etc. It also reportedly comes with a set of stickers.
Description
Sonic the Hedgehog is also known as SatAM Sonic because it was originally aired in America in a Saturday morning slot. Based on the video game series of the same name, this TV series
broadcast in the USA from September 18th 1993 to December 3rd 1994 on the ABC network. The series is currently broadcast on UK television channels Pop and ITV2 after originally running on Channel 4 on Sunday mornings.
All 26 episodes of the series are included on three discs while a fourth disc contains extras including:
- Way Past Cool! A Conversation with Sonic Writer Ben Hurst
- The Fastest Thing Alive: A Conversation with Jaleel White
- Storyboard-to-Screen:
-Original DiC Concept Art
- Opening Storyboards Sequence
- Deleted and Extra Scenes
- Printable Pilot Script
Run Time: 632 Minutes, 4 discs, PAL
Interesting to note is the generous use of the fan-name "SatAM" in the box description as well as the front cover. Delta also advertised the set on Saturday Morning Sonic as part of its ad campaign.
Among other retail outlets, the UK box set is available from Amazon.co.uk and Delta's own store. The set has a suggested retail price of £19.99.
In addition to The Complete Series, Delta simultaneously released a single DVD entitled Sonic Boom, containing 9 of the first season episodes:
Program Listing
1. Sonic Boom
2. Sonic & Sally
3. Ultra Sonic
4. Sonic & The Secret Scrolls
5. Super Sonic
6. Sonic Racer
7. Hooked On Sonics
8. Harmonic Sonic
9. Sonic's Nightmare
Run Time: 202 Minutes, PAL
On Feb. 26, 2002 DiC released one DVD titled Super Sonic with five of the first season episodes on it. This is what it looks like:
The episodes on the Super Sonic DVD are:
- Super Sonic
- Sonic Racer
- Sonic Boom
- Sonic and Sally
- Sonic and the Secret Scrolls
Run Time: 85 Minutes, NTSC
The DVD is no longer in production, but used copies can sometimes be found on eBay or Amazon Marketplace.
In addition to the DVD, there were three VHS tapes released much earlier in 1994 consisting largely of the same material. These tapes are usually much easier to find than the DVD, with the exception of Hooked on Sonics, which has become a rare item since it was never re-issued.
Super Sonic and Sonic Racer were re-issued with new box art at the time of the Super Sonic DVD release in 2002:
The episodes on the Super Sonic VHS are:
- Super Sonic
- Sonic and Sally
Run Time: 45 Minutes, NTSC
The episodes on the Sonic Racer VHS are:
- Sonic Racer
- Sonic Boom
Run Time: 45 Minutes, NTSC
The episodes on the Hooked on Sonics VHS are:
- Hooked on Sonics
- Warped Sonic
Run Time: 45 Minutes, NTSC
Check out our Media section for complete box art scans.
