SoraNews24 —Japan News—

Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today.

TOP

» Canada
TOP

• Japan
TOP

• USA
» Sonic the Hedgehog getting a new CG Netflix series produced in the U.S. and Canada

Featured

Weird
Studio Ghibli
Jobs

Sonic the Hedgehog getting a new CG Netflix series produced in the U.S. and Canada

Casey Baseel Feb 2, 2021
Tweet

Sega video game star to embark on a multiverse “journey of self-discovery and redemption.”

Speed is Sonic the Hedgehog’s greatest strength, and it’s also a critical key to success in the entertainment industry. So following the surprising success of 2020’s Sonic the Hedgehog film, Sega is keeping the momentum going with the announcement of a brand-new CG Sonic animated series.

Titled Sonic Prime, it’ll be hosted on Netflix, which is co-producing the series. Handling animation will be Vancouver’s WildBrain Studios, whose previous 3DCG works include Ninjago, Mega Man: Fully Charged, and Blaze and the Monster Machines. Also involved is U.S.-based writer collective Man of Action Entertainment, serving as showrunners and executive producers, and who were also creative partners on Mega Man: Fully Charged as well as the Bakugan: Battle Planet and Big Hero 6 TV series.

Yes, it's true! SEGA’s legendary video game icon Sonic the Hedgehog will star in a new 3D animated series from @SEGA, @WildBrainStudio and @ManOfActionEnt premiering on Netflix in 2022. pic.twitter.com/ydJto8c8i8

— Netflix Geeked (@NetflixGeeked) February 1, 2021

Conspicuously absent from the production team, however, is Sega of Japan, as it’s the video game developer’s U.S. division, Sega of America, that’s representing the corporate family for Sonic Prime. Considering how freaky the last overseas redesign for the character was, at least initially, the lack of contribution from Sega of Japan artists might be worrying to some fans, but Sonic creator Yuji Naka (who’s also not part of the Sonic Prime team) seems cautiously optimistic, retweeting the announcement with a hedgehog emoji.

🦔 https://t.co/u1A71MtY7z

— Yuji Naka / 中　裕司 (@nakayuji) February 2, 2021

Netflix has greenlit a starting run of 24 episodes for Sonic Prime. WildBrain is describing it as “a high-octane adventure where the fate of a strange new multiverse rests in his gloved hands,” implying that its story will be independent from the existing Sonic video game and movie narratives (we’re also assuming that “high-octane” is just a slightly clumsy metaphor for “fast-paced,” and not a sign that Sonic has become addicted to guzzling gasoline in Prime). The description goes on to say that Sonic Prime is “more than a race to save the universe, it’s a journey of self-discovery and redemption” while also promising to “captivate the imaginations of audiences ages six to 11, as well as legacy Sonic fans of all ages.”

Honestly, that sounds like a lot to take on, especially considering the poor track record the Sonic franchise has when going for high drama.

▼ Why hello there, Sonic ‘06

Still, Sonic Prime isn’t slated to premiere until sometime in 2022, so we’ll have to wait until then to see if turns out to be a high-speed train wreck or a sprint down the fast lane on Sonic’s road to recovery as one of gaming’s most beloved characters.

Sources: PR Times via Otakomu, WildBrain
Top image: WildBrain
● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

Follow Casey on Twitter, where he’s in the “Sonic should only have one eyeball” camp.