Sonic Prime

Sonic Prime is an animated television series based on the Sonic the Hedgehog video game series, co-produced by Sega of America, Netflix Animation, WildBrain Studios and Man of Action Entertainment. It is the sixth animated television series based on the franchise.

The first season, consisting of eight episodes, was released on Netflix on December 15, 2022. The second season, also consisting of eight episodes, was released on July 13, 2023. According to WildBrain Studios, the show would have 23 episodes in total, including a double length series premiere. The third and final season, consisting of seven episodes, was released on January 11, 2024.

A comic book adaptation of the series is in the works with IDW Publishing and is set to release in January 2025.

Plot
During a battle with Dr. Eggman, Sonic shatters the Paradox Prism, a crystalline artifact with reality-bending powers. This drastically warps reality and creates the "Shatterverse", a new section of the multiverse with five alternate dimensions called "Shatterspaces", each of them formed by one of the Prism shards and inhabited by alternative versions of Sonic's friends (Tails, Knuckles, Amy Rose, Rouge and Big), but lacking their own versions of him.

Sonic first arrives in New Yoke City, a futuristic dystopian version of Green Hill ruled by a group of Eggman variants who call themselves the Chaos Council and used the power of its shard to conquer it. After learning of the Prism's existence, they seek to conquer the Shatterverse by obtaining all five shards, but are opposed by Sonic and a resistance formed from the City's inhabitants. While attempting to reassemble the Prism and restore his reality, which became the dull and lifeless Ghost Hill following the Prism's shattering, Sonic ventures to other Shatterspaces to retrieve the shards before the council can, including the Boscage Maze, a jungle world with feral versions of his friends; the No Place, a flooded world with pirates; and the Grim, a barren wasteland. Along the way, he befriends the respective versions of his friends and helps them with their problems, including Nine, the New Yoke City version of Tails who has grown bitter and untrusting due to not having Sonic to help him with bullies, Rusty Rose, the New Yoke City version of Amy who was converted into a cyborg by the Chaos Council and struggles to figure out her loyalties, and Dread, the No Place version of Knuckles whose obsession with claiming his realm's shard as his personal treasure ends up alienating him with his crew. Later, Sonic's rival Shadow, who managed to avoid Green Hill's destruction by using Chaos Control, reluctantly agrees to help him. Once the Chaos Council's plans for domination begin to endanger the Shatterverse, the natives of each world join the war against them and work with their counterparts.

Eventually, the Paradox Prism is reassembled, but Nine, worried that restoring the primary universe could potentially destroy the Shatterverse and out of anger at Sonic for projecting the original Tails onto him, takes the Prism for himself, wanting to use it to terraform the Grim into a new home. However, use of its power threatens the stability of the other Shatterspaces. Believing that the remaining Prism energy from Sonic's body could be the key to stabilizing the Prism, he creates an army of robotic versions of Sonic and his friends to hunt him down and extract it from him, although it will kill him in the process. This forces Sonic, Shadow and the rest of the Shatterverse's inhabitants to form a truce with the Chaos Council to stop Nine. Ultimately, after a climatic battle, Sonic and Nine make amends after the latter realizes the consequences of his actions, Rusty sides with the resistance after bonding with the other Amy variants: Thorn Rose and Black Rose, Dread lets go of his obsession and appoints Black as the new captain of the crew, and the Chaos Council are banished to the void for their misdeeds. Sonic then decides to use his energy to restore Green Hill and stabilize the Shatterspaces, allowing them and their inhabitants to continue existing, although doing so nearly kills him. After saying farewell to the Shatterverse denizens, Shadow gets Sonic to the gateway in time and they return to the battle with Eggman before the shattering, and manage to prevent him from obtaining the Prism.

Voice cast

 * Sonic the Hedgehog (voiced by Deven Mack): A blue anthropomorphic hedgehog with the power to run at supersonic speeds. Despite being cocky, egotistical, impulsive, and careless at times, he cares deeply for his friends and works hard to protect the world from Dr. Eggman. In the different parts of the Shatterverse, Sonic's footwear grants him different abilities, such as electric capabilities in New Yoke City, climbing walls in the Boscage Maze, hovering across water in No Place, and generating hexagonal platforms and shields in the Grim.
 * Dr. Eggman (voiced by Brian Drummond): A mad scientist with an IQ of 300 who is Sonic's arch-nemesis and seeks to use the Paradox Prism for his plans.
 * Miles "Tails" Prower (voiced by Ashleigh Ball): An anthropomorphic fox who is Sonic's best friend and genius inventor and can fly with his twin tails.
 * Knuckles the Echidna (voiced by Adam Nurada): A red anthropomorphic echidna who likes to punch with his large fists.
 * Amy Rose (voiced by Shannon Chan-Kent): A pink hedgehog who loves nature and wields her Piko Piko Hammer.
 * Rouge the Bat (voiced by Kazumi Evans): A jewel-loving anthropomorphic bat who works as a spy.
 * Shadow the Hedgehog (voiced by Ian Hanlin): A black hedgehog whose air shoes allow his speed to rival Sonic's. As a result of using Chaos Control, he was not split off into the Shatterverse like the rest of Sonic's friends. After seeing the damage the Prism's shattering caused, he makes it his mission to stop Sonic from causing any more damage and help him fix his mistake.
 * Big the Cat (voiced by Ian Hanlin): A purple anthropomorphic cat who likes to fish and is commonly seen with his pet frog Froggy.
 * Orbot and Cubot (both voiced by Deven Mack): Dr. Eggman's robotic henchmen with less-than-average competence. Orbot is the red, sphere-shaped robot while Cubot is the yellow cube-shaped robot. Unlike other characters, Orbot and Cubot do not have counterparts in the Shatterverse.

The Grim

 * Tails Nine (voiced by Ashleigh Ball): Tails' counterpart from New Yoke City. After being constantly bullied for his twin tails, he built seven additional mechanical tails to prove himself and get revenge. He was originally an ally of Sonic's, but later becomes his enemy and seeks to use the Paradox Prism to build his own ideal reality.

New Yoke City

 * Rusty Rose (voiced by Shannon Chan-Kent): Amy's counterpart from New Yoke City. She is a cyborg who was formerly controlled by the Chaos Council but joins Dread's crew after the Chaos Council deserts her. She and Black Rose took command of Dread's crew after Dread betrayed them for one of the Prism Shards. Over the course, Rusty forms a sisterly bond with Black Rose and Thorn Rose during their conflict with Nine.
 * Rebel Rouge (voiced by Kazumi Evans): Rouge's counterpart from New Yoke City. She is the leader of the Resistance, which opposes the Chaos Council.
 * Renegade Knucks (voiced by Vincent Tong): Knuckles' counterpart from New Yoke City, who is a member of the Resistance. He speaks with a Brooklyn accent.
 * The Chaos Council: A group of five Eggman-like figures that act as dictators to the city and each control their own district. After learning of the Prism's power, they make it their mission to obtain its shards.
 * Mr. Dr. Eggman (voiced by Brian Drummond): Dr. Eggman's counterpart from New Yoke City who is the leader of the Chaos Council.
 * Dr. Done-It (voiced by Brain Drummond): A member of the Chaos Council who resembles an older version of Dr. Eggman. He wields a cane that can shoot lasers.
 * Dr. Deep (voiced by Vincent Tong): A member of the Chaos Council, who speaks philosophically and has an oriental flair to him while making more flamboyant gestures than the other members. In battle, he wears a suit equipped with knives and buzzsaws.
 * Dr. Don't (voiced by Vincent Tong): A teenage member of the Chaos Council who is lazy and frequently plays video games, but is a skilled programmer. He can control the Eggforcers with his controller.
 * Dr. Babble (vocal effects by Vincent Tong): An infant member of the Chaos Council who, despite his young age, is as physically and intellectually capable as the other members. Although he only makes baby noises, the other members of the council appear to understand what he is saying.
 * Denizen 1998 (voiced by Ian Hanlin): Big's counterpart from New Yoke City.
 * Chaos Sonic (voiced by Deven Mack): A robot created by the Chaos Council that resembles Sonic and matches him in speed and abilities. His personality is a heavily exaggerated version of Sonic's, much to the latter's annoyance. Being a robot version of Sonic, he is similar to Metal Sonic.
 * Eggforcers (voiced by Brian Drummond and Ian Hanlin): Robots created by the Chaos Council to patrol the streets and punish those who try to step out of line.
 * Squad Commander Red (voiced by Rachell Hofstetter): A member of the Resistance.

Boscage Maze

 * Thorn Rose (voiced by Shannon Chan-Kent): Amy's counterpart from the Boscage Maze. She is overprotective of the forest and attacks those who try to harm it. She is accompanied by Birdie, a giant pink bird. In Season 3, Thorn forms a close bond with her counterparts Rusty and Black Rose, viewing them as her "sisters".
 * Prim Rouge (voiced by Kazumi Evans): Rouge's counterpart from the Boscage Maze. She is the leader of the Scavengers, a group that builds their society atop the trees.
 * Mangey Tails (vocal effects by Ashleigh Ball): Tails' counterpart from the Boscage Maze. He acts like a wild animal, commonly walking on all fours and communicating in growls.
 * Hangry Cat (voiced by Ian Hanlin): Big's counterpart from the Boscage Maze. He stops at nothing to try to scavenge food he can find.
 * Gnarly Knuckles (voiced by Vincent Tong): Knuckles' paranoid counterpart from the Boscage Maze, who is a member of the Scavengers.

No Place

 * Knuckles the Dread (voiced by Vincent Tong): Knuckles' counterpart from No Place who is the captain of his ship, the Angel's Voyage. He is seemingly laid-back, and, unlike the rest of his crew, appears to show trust in Sonic immediately. Black Rose and Rusty Rose later take command of his crew after he betrays them for one of the Prism Shards. After an ultimate change of heart, Dread officially names Black Rose the new captain.
 * Black Rose (voiced by Shannon Chan-Kent): Amy's counterpart from No Place, who is a member of Knuckles the Dread's crew. She and Rusty Rose later take command of Dread's crew after he betrays them for one of the Prism Shards. In the series' climax, Black Rose is officially given the title of captain by the reformed Dread.
 * Sails Tails (voiced by Ashleigh Ball): Tails' counterpart from No Place, who created a mechanical arm on his belt to perform more tasks simultaneously.
 * Batten Rouge (voiced by Kazumi Evans): Rouge's counterpart from No Place, who is a member of Knuckles the Dread's crew and shows loyalty to the current captain.
 * Catfish (voiced by Ian Hanlin): Big's counterpart from No Place, who is frequently seen playing music for the crew to sing songs to.
 * Jack (voiced by Seán McLoughlin): A former member of Knuckles the Dread's crew. After a voyage caused the crew to lose their ship, he and the other crew members left Dread and formed their own crew, with him as the leader.
 * Stormbeard (voiced by Brian Drummond): A former member of Knuckles the Dread's crew who left and formed a crew with Jack.
 * Bunny Bones (voiced by Ashleigh Ball): A former member of Knuckles the Dread's crew who left and formed a crew with Jack.

Production
Sonic Prime was officially announced in February 2021, though the development of the series was initially revealed in a deleted tweet in December 2020. The series has 23 episodes overall. Colleen O'Shaughnessey, known for portraying Miles "Tails" Prower since 2014, responded to a tweet on Twitter that she would not be reprising the role in the Netflix series, due to Canadian content and union laws meaning that a large portion of voice actors portraying roles in Canadian television programs have to be Canadian. In May 2022, it was announced that Deven Mack would voice the titular character for the series.

The series is made by Man of Action and WildBrain Studios, in their second collaboration on a video game based series after Mega Man: Fully Charged, along with Netflix Animation and Sega's animation studio Marza Animation Planet. One of the writers, Duncan Rouleau, stated that the series will be set in "the video game universe created by Sonic Team" and that "possible Sega crossovers are not ruled out." According to executive producer Logan McPherson, the series is canon to the games' timeline. In June 2021, concept art of the series was discovered on a now deleted artist's portfolio.

Duncan Rouleau later confirmed that Ian Flynn, who has written for the Archie, Boom, IDW series and the newly released Sonic Frontiers, would be a consultant. Additionally, The Willoughbys director Kris Pearn worked on the series as a creative consultant with My Little Pony: Equestria Girls director Ishi Rudell as an episodic director.

Release
The first season of Sonic Prime, consisting of eight episodes, was released on December 15, 2022. The first episode premiered on Gamefam's Sonic game on Roblox, Sonic Speed Simulator, on December 10, 2022. The first episode of the first season premiered on YouTube on December 24, 2022.

Season 2 was released on July 13, 2023. The first episode of season 2 premiered on YouTube on July 4, 2023. On July 14, just a day after the release of the second season, writer Duncan Rouleau revealed that the third season will be released at some point in January 2024. Four days later on July 18, 2023, the second episode of season 2 premiered on YouTube. The third season was released on January 11, 2024. The first episode of season 3 premiered on YouTube on January 5, 2024. The second episode of season 3 premiered on YouTube on January 18, 2024.

Home video
The first season of Sonic Prime was released on Blu-ray and Digital by NCircle Entertainment on March 12, 2024, with the second season being planned for release on August 27, 2024.

Audience viewership
On December 20, 2022, Netflix announced that Sonic Prime was ranked number five of the top 10 on English television to be watched with 27.7 million hours watched between December 12 and 18.

Critical response
Sonic Prime received generally positive reviews from critics with praise given to the voice acting, story, and animation; but some criticized its writing, with a few calling it "repetitive". On Rotten Tomatoes, season one holds a 60% approval rating based on reviews from 5 critics, with an average score of 6.3/10.

Polly Conway of Common Sense Media said that it is a fun, frenetic animated series that touts teamwork but that it features violence. Kennet Seward Jr of IGN gave season one a score of 8 out of 10, calling it a "fun and family-friendly" show for new and old fans, said "Sonic Prime is a fun and overall entertaining, family-friendly show. Sitting tonally between the 1992 Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog and 93’ Sonic the Hedgehog – which features a similar 'freedom fighters seeking to overthrow a cruel leader' vibe – it offers an exciting look at the past while presenting some new ideas. It has some issues concerning pacing and the abrupt ending of the first season won't do it any favors. That said, Sonic Prime should be well received by new and longtime franchise fans."

Joshua Kristian Mccoy of Game Rant gave Prime 3.5 out of 5, labeling it "very good" and also calling it a lot of fun: "Sonic Prime is yet another argument for Sonic as a TV star first and a game character second. Sonic fans will love the showcase for their favorite characters and the fast-paced action. Despite some weak writing and a bit too much repetition, Sonic Prime is a lot of fun. Enjoy the Blue Blur's journey into the multiverse."