With the release of the Sonic movie, I thought it would be worth looking back at the animation that was first described as "Sonic the Hedgehog Movie". I'm talking about the Sonic OVA developed by Sega Enterprises, General Entertainment and Studio Pierrot.The Sonic movie is an often forgotten part of Sonic's history that doesn't get referenced very often, nor do things like its musical tracks get included in musical compilations.
Originally released in Japan as a two-part rental only Japanese OVA in 1996, a compilation of both episodes "Welcome to Eggmanland" and "Sonic Vs. Metal Sonic" was released as Sonic the Movie in 1999. Fans of the franchise at the time might have received their first exposure of the OVA from an inclusion of a trailer in the the Saturn Sonic collection "Sonic Jam".
I, for one, watched this trailer on repeat for years. I was enthralled by the notion that this animation was out there and wished that we would see it stateside.
The movie pulls a lot of inspiration from Sonic CD, with the main protagonist of the movie being Metal Sonic. Eggman seeks the aid of Sonic after a "Metal Robotnik" has taken up reign in Robotropolis. With this Metal Robotnik posing a threat to all of the world, Sonic agrees to help. When arriving at Robotropolis Sonic is confronted by Metal Robotnik, only to discover that it's actually Eggman in disguise. It's then revealed that the entire scheme was a plot to capture Sonic and copy his DNA for a sinister mental version of him: Metal Sonic. Accordingly, Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles must defeat Eggman and Metal Sonic before they plunge the world into chaos.
The film is reasonably fun with some great animation, especially when compared to other Sonic animations of the time (looking at you Underground). It has some extra characters that don't add much (Sarah the princess, Oldman Owl, etc.) but the general depiction of Sonic and crew are relatively spot on. The western dub is...not great. It also get some basic aspects incorrect, such as calling Knuckles a Mole and a strange line that claims Knuckles is Sonic's best friend. DVD copies enabled you to change the dub to Japanese which is more manageable.
Oddly the movie has seemingly fallen into legal limbo and there hasn't been a reprint of the DVD for over a decade. Copies of the movie go for quite a lot online and there isn't any word of a re release. Luckily, you can find the full movie online for free on YouTube. I won't provide a link, but it's fairly easy to find.
Anyone else remember this movie fondly?
Originally released in Japan as a two-part rental only Japanese OVA in 1996, a compilation of both episodes "Welcome to Eggmanland" and "Sonic Vs. Metal Sonic" was released as Sonic the Movie in 1999. Fans of the franchise at the time might have received their first exposure of the OVA from an inclusion of a trailer in the the Saturn Sonic collection "Sonic Jam".
I, for one, watched this trailer on repeat for years. I was enthralled by the notion that this animation was out there and wished that we would see it stateside.
The movie pulls a lot of inspiration from Sonic CD, with the main protagonist of the movie being Metal Sonic. Eggman seeks the aid of Sonic after a "Metal Robotnik" has taken up reign in Robotropolis. With this Metal Robotnik posing a threat to all of the world, Sonic agrees to help. When arriving at Robotropolis Sonic is confronted by Metal Robotnik, only to discover that it's actually Eggman in disguise. It's then revealed that the entire scheme was a plot to capture Sonic and copy his DNA for a sinister mental version of him: Metal Sonic. Accordingly, Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles must defeat Eggman and Metal Sonic before they plunge the world into chaos.
The film is reasonably fun with some great animation, especially when compared to other Sonic animations of the time (looking at you Underground). It has some extra characters that don't add much (Sarah the princess, Oldman Owl, etc.) but the general depiction of Sonic and crew are relatively spot on. The western dub is...not great. It also get some basic aspects incorrect, such as calling Knuckles a Mole and a strange line that claims Knuckles is Sonic's best friend. DVD copies enabled you to change the dub to Japanese which is more manageable.
Oddly the movie has seemingly fallen into legal limbo and there hasn't been a reprint of the DVD for over a decade. Copies of the movie go for quite a lot online and there isn't any word of a re release. Luckily, you can find the full movie online for free on YouTube. I won't provide a link, but it's fairly easy to find.
Anyone else remember this movie fondly?
