Sonic Prime premieres on Netflix on Dec. 15, 2022.
Netflix has cultivated a wonderful collection of animated, video game-based shows over the last few years. Arcane, Castlevania, Dota: Dragon’s Blood – each one ranges from good to great thanks to what appears to be a strong understanding of what makes a given property unique. This trend continues with Netflix’s upcoming Sonic Prime series. Full of classic references, excellent voice work, and vibrant animation, it’s one of the better family-friendly shows released this year.
Sonic Prime follows the life of Sonic (Deven Mack) and his friends as they go about protecting their home from Dr. Eggman (Brian Drummond). Taking place sometime in the future, in relation to the game series, the inhabitants of Green Hill are experienced heroes. They’ve foiled every evil plan, defeated every Badnik, and destroyed every exosuit Eggman owns. The fighting is routine at this point and everyone knows it. Things change for the worse, however, when an overconfident Sonic blunders into an obvious trap. The result is the destruction of the Paradox Prism, a powerful artifact that can manipulate time and space, which sends him careening to new worlds via the Shatterverse.
What follows is an entertaining jaunt down memory lane. The new worlds and enemies that Sonic encounters are uniquely designed. That said, the look and feel of it all is clearly inspired by the franchise. The vibrant environments that Sonic dashes through could have easily been featured in any of his games. Each of the brightly colored character models are nearly perfect in terms of their proportions – a social media outcry about “human teeth” isn’t needed as everyone from Sonic and Knuckles to Big the Cat and Amy Rose look great. Even the new characters fit in visually thanks to a strong adherence to a unified look.
The nostalgic trip doesn’t stop there. Sonic Prime is filled with clever easter eggs. Some are more hidden than others; Tail’s secret keypad code being the year he was introduced to the series, for example, is a nice treat. There’s even a reference to Sonic Frontiers, released only last month. The sound of Sonic collecting rings, the dynamic camera moments (that mimic the side scrolling and/or 3rd person views from the games), shifts into pixelation, and the over-the-top nature of the battles are all tailor made for fans of this iconic franchise. That’s not to say that there isn’t anything here for newcomers. Beyond the nods to older content, Sonic Prime also offers a fresh, fun take on a familiar premise.
As this is the sixth animated show based on the speedy hedgehog, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that it’s another series dedicated to the ongoing conflict between Sonic and Dr. Eggman. Sonic Prime slightly elevates that premise, though. While yes, it’s very much about Sonic struggling to stop the latest machinations of an evil scientist, the series also seeks to improve upon his character. Moving through different worlds and bumping into different versions of his friends, Sonic is constantly being made aware of how his actions (or lack thereof) can negatively affect those he cares about. Still, Sonic Prime is family friendly, so the corny one liners and slapstick humor often prevail. That said, those fun aspects don’t supersede the importance of an episode’s message. Essentially, Prime shows the growth of an impetuous teen, who always runs headfirst into danger, to the mature hero/friend Sonic is destined to be.
Those worried about Sonic Prime’s overall tone need not worry. Though it isn’t as lighthearted as recent depictions, it isn’t outright dark either. Rather, the mood changes slightly based on the state of a given world; the goal is to offer a fun and entertaining ride regardless of what’s going on in the plot. One of the main environments, for instance, is shown to be ruled by a group of dastardly villains. The animals that live there are oppressed, living in a constant state of fear as Badniks of all sizes fly about in an effort to keep “order.” Their only hope lies in an underground group of heroes made up of alternate versions of Sonic’s friends. Things certainly look grim. But thanks to the heroic – and sometimes bumbling – efforts of Sonic, there’s always enough levity to lighten the mood.
Deven Mack seamlessly nails the iconic role, making his depiction of Sonic a new franchise staple.
Sonic Prime’s cast does a wonderful job voicing its varied characters. Deven Mack seamlessly nails the iconic role, making his depiction of Sonic a new franchise staple. Brian Drummond’s Eggman is equally pleasing, with lines delivered with the right amount of bluster and camp. Ian Hanlin does a great job with Shadow and Big the Cat. Ashleigh Ball, Shannon Chan-Kent, and Adam Nurada are also solid as Tails, Amy Rose, and Knuckles respectively.
Sonic Prime succeeds in presenting an interesting story and a huge helping of nostalgia in a fun and (mostly) lighthearted package. There are a few issues, though, a key one being the pacing. There are episodes that detract from the whole thanks to their viewing order; it can be difficult to care about “new” characters when they are presented right after a cliffhanger. And while their presence makes sense overall, as each episode’s subplot eventually converges with earlier happenings, there are times when a given episode feels like filler.
There’s also the abrupt end to the season. Reportedly, there are going to be 24 episodes split across three seasons with 8 episodes apiece. The problem is that this batch of episodes ends in a manner that feels incomplete – almost as if this season was meant to have more entries than what’s currently available. The sudden end doesn’t mar the entire experience. It does, however, put a damper on what is otherwise a great show.
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