How Sonic The Hedgehog Movies & TV Show Changed His Design

From 1993 to now, Sonic has appeared in loads of TV shows and movies, often getting new designs for each one - but how are they compared to the games?

The Sonic the Hedgehog franchise has covered many different TV shows and movies, each with new Sonic designs. Although the blue blur has received redesigns throughout the video game series, his appearances in each TV show and movie are even more varied. From the early days of the Sonic the Hedgehog series until now, each design has pulled from and changed the game designs in a variety of different ways.

Starting with its first game in 1991, the Sonic the Hedgehog series follows the titular speedster as he takes on a variety of foes. Although the series has humble beginnings, it has now grown into a massive multi-media franchise, spanning film, television, comics, toys, and more. With the franchise’s second live-action movie, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, breaking box office records, the Sonic train seems to be far from stopping.

From Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog to the more recent Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic and friends have sported a lot of wildly different designs. These designs have something to do with recent Sonic games most of the time. Other times, however, it is completely original. So, here is an explanation of how each of Sonic’s different movie and TV show looks and personalities lines up with his video game counterparts.

Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog (1993-1996)

Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog is the first animated series that Sonic appeared in. The show lasted from 1993 to 1996, meaning that it only had the first two games to work with. Sonic’s look in the show is essentially the same as his look in the game’s advertisements, made up of simple shapes and pronounced quills. While it does look a little cheaper than later Sonic designs, there is almost no difference in the silhouettes of Sonic from this show and Sonic from the first game.

Before Adventures, Sonic’s personality was pretty one-note. He was characterized as being “way past cool,” acting as the epitome of 90s one-liners. In the show, Sonic does have hints of this personality, but he more so acts as a Bugs Bunny-type trickster. He often uses costumes and pranks in order to take down Dr. Robotnik and other villains, giving the show a Saturday morning cartoon feel. Finally, Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog is actually the first time one of Sonic’s most well-known traits is established: Sonic’s love for chili dogs.

Sonic the Hedgehog (1993-1994)

Running alongside Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog was Sonic the Hedgehog, better known as Sonic SatAM. SatAM was more focused on the story than its sister show, acting as a darker take on the Sonic universe. Sonic’s design in SatAM isn’t much different from his Adventures incarnation. His head is smaller, with more pronounced quills, and his mouth is slightly different. Besides that, though, the designs are essentially the same.

Sonic’s personality in SatAM is much closer to the personality portrayed in the games. While he is still a cool jokester, Sonic takes on a slightly more mature persona, as he leads a team of rebels known as the Freedom Fighters. Sonic is brave, heroic, and headstrong, leading his team in the fight against Robotnik.

Sonic the Hedgehog the Movie (1996)

Surprisingly, the live-action Sonic the Hedgehog was not the first Sonic movie. Sonic the Hedgehog the Movie, also known as Sonic OVA, is a Japanese original video animation released in multiple parts in 1996. Sonic’s design is fairly simple here compared to his previous iterations, in regards to both looks and personality. By the time of its release, Knuckles had become a prominent character in the games, which is why Sonic teams up with him and Tails in the movie. Besides that, though, not much changed in the creation of this film.

Sonic Underground (1999)

Sonic‘s third television show, Sonic Underground, is really the series’ first major departure from the games. The main contribution of this show is that it gave Sonic an origin and a family. Drawing from the story of Sonic SatAM, Underground follows a younger Sonic and his two siblings as they attempt to find their mother. Every episode of Sonic Underground has a musical number performed by the three siblings, with Sonic being the lead singer and player of a laser-firing electric guitar. Sonic Underground was actually developed as a way to advertise Sega’s Dreamcast console, with the later games lifting some elements from the show.

Sonic X (2003-2006)

Sonic X is the first time that a Sonic series has used the modern Sonic design – the design introduced in Sonic Adventures that is still used today. Sonic looks far more humanoid, with longer legs and a more complex shape. Sonic also frequently works alongside other characters from the Sonic video game franchise, such as Tails, Knuckles, Shadow, Amy, and many more. Sonic X also focuses on making Sonic cool both in-universe and to viewers once again, gaining the adoration of many of his friends as they fight to protect the world and one another. The show solidifies some character traits that have been present in the character since his first game appearances, such as Sonic’s fear of water and his desire to be faster than anyone else. Sonic X‘s Sonic starts out cocky but actually goes through some character development, as the series actually has a fairly in-depth overarching story. Heavily drawing from the Sonic Adventures video game series, this cartoon crafted the first Sonic of the modern era.

Wreck-It Ralph (2012)

Many forget that Sonic the Hedgehog actually made a cameo appearance in Disney’s Easter egg-filled Wreck-It Ralph. This is the first time that the modern Sonic design appeared on the big screen, and although his part is small, it is a great surprise. Sonic is basically the same here as he is in the games, with not much of his personality shining through. He is treated like a celebrity, though, and seems to have tired out Dr. Eggman.

Sonic Boom (2014-2017)

Sonic Boom is the Sonic show that most recently came to an end, lasting two seasons and 104 episodes. Sonic’s design and persona is ripped straight from the Sonic Boom games, as the show was released in order to promote the series reboot. Although his design is more detailed, his personality is not. Sonic Boom is mostly concerned with being a comedy, which is why Sonic is characterized as impatient and sarcastic, constantly quipping and breaking the fourth wall. Although definitely not Sonic’s worst redesign, this design differs from previous iterations in several big ways. Besides the obvious bandages and bandana, one of the most significant changes in Sonic’s arms. Rather than being the same pale color as his mouth and chest, Sonic has blue furry arms in Sonic Boom, as well as a taller body. Although this is one of Sonic’s biggest redesigns, it is exactly the same as the Sonic Boom game design, with this seemingly being the road the franchise was intended to go down.

Sonic the Hedgehog (2020) & Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022)

Sonic’s design in Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog 2, the first two live-action films, is notorious. Initially starting out with a pretty terrifying design, the studio delayed Sonic due to fan demand to change, redesign, and entirely reanimate Sonic. Mercifully, this appears to have been worth it in the long run. Sonic the Hedgehog cherry picks all of the best attributes from various versions of the character, leading to what some consider to be the definitive version of Sonic. Sonic looks like a combination of the classic Sonic and modern Sonic designs, maintaining the simple shapes while still looking like he could exist in the real world. Sonic is also less worried about being cool, acting more like a fun-loving, child that is full of heart.

Unlike previous versions, this Sonic is a departure from some of the modern games which have stuck with the brave, cool, and heroic Sonic. However, things like his relationships with other characters and his powers from the Chaos Emeralds show that, although his personality is different, Sonic’s lore is faithful to the games. The live-action Sonic movies did one thing that no game ever dared to do, though: they disconnected his eyes from one another.

Sonic Prime

The most recent version of Sonic is from the new animated Netflix show Sonic Prime. It hasn’t been released yet, so not much is known about his personality. His look sticks close to the modern Sonic design, except it is sleeker and more cartooney. While this is the newest Sonic design as of now, the Sonic the Hedgehog series has spanned tons of movies, TV shows, and video games, so this redesign is probably far from being the last one.