Sonic Colors: Rise of the Wisps is a 2021 two episode web animation meant to tie in with Sonic Colors, specifically the Updated Re-release of Sonic Colors Ultimate. As with the previous specials, Tyson Hesse directs. It is co-written by Hesse and Gigi D.G.note , and the latter also did environment work.
The story takes place during the game in which Sonic and Tails have invaded Eggman's Intergalactic Theme Park to see what he's up to and find that he's captured and enslaved the Wisp inhabitants to power his mind-control machine and take over the world. Naturally our duo and a Wisp named Yacker set out to stop him.
When the trio reach the Sweet Mountain Planet, they come upon a fleeing Jade Wisp, who informs the three of how she escaped from her capture and what happened with several Wisps trying to free their people. What's more, Metal Sonic has shown up to help with Eggman's plans, leading to an inevitable clash with our favorite blue blur.
Videos: Part 1
Part 2 and Full.
The shorts contain the following:
- Adaptational Villainy: Well, not that they were ever on the good guys' side, but Orbot and Cubot, who are normally just generally lackeys and don't really exert much effort against the heroes, are surprisingly gung ho in the short in helping Metal out. Orbot in particular is more than willing to aid Metal where he can.
- And the Adventure Continues: Metal, Orbot, and Cubot are defeated and the Wisps in the area saved. But there are still other containers and Wisps in captivity around the planet. Sonic, Tails, and Yacker depart to go save them while leaving Jade and the rebel Wisps to take care of the deactivated bots.
- Badass in Distress: The Rebel Wisps who ended up captured by Metal Sonic.
- Big Bad: Metal Sonic is the main antagonist of the short. Eggman only shows up in a flashback (and technically isn't voiced, speaking instead through other characters) and leaves Orbot, Cubot and Metal to run things while he's off taking care of other matters.
- Big Brother Worship: The normally apathetic Orbot becomes enthusiastic to work with Metal Sonic, who he regards as his "big bro".
- Brutal Honesty: Sonic to the bots when he's getting ready to head off to the other capsules.Sonic: Well fellas, I'd love to stick around and catch up, but I really don't like any of you. (He throws Metal into a capsule, freeing some of the Wisps)
- Chekhov's Gunman: The Jade Wisp. During Sonic's race against Metal to free the containers, Metal manages to get ahead of Sonic on the last one and makes to ram him. Jade uses her power to allow Sonic to go ghost and phases through Metal to reach it. She likewise uses it to phase through Metal and break the container he was using to store the absorbed Wisp power, returning it to the Wisps he sapped.
- Continuity Nod: Cubot's voice chip is missing at the current and he's cycling through a few of them. Hence why he's not talking in his usual voice.
- Combining Mecha: Parodied. Orbot and Cubot try to help Metal by doing this… only they just end up latching onto Metal's arms, which provide him no benefits against Sonic and the Wisps.
- Darker and Edgier: Downplayed, as there's still plenty of comical moments. But compared to the tone of the game it takes place during, the episodes are surprisingly more serious at points. Metal is treated as a genuine threat, and Sonic even drops the smarm and gets serious himself during the final battle. Also, the effect Eggman's processing system has on the Wisps is not sugar-coated at all.
- Explain, Explain... Oh, Crap!: As Tails translates what Jade is telling them, he becomes horrified when he finds out Metal Sonic was brought in to help Orbot and Cubot round up the Wisps.
- Heroic Sacrifice: The rebel Blue Wisp stalls Metal Sonic long enough to allow Jade to escape.
- Indulgent Fantasy Segue: Jade does this at Sonic's request to spice up the story a little before Tails just tells her to keep it to the facts so they can understand what happened better.
- Insistent Terminology: Sonic refers to his job as "ruining Eggman's whole life". Tails states it's more like a hobby, to which Sonic ends up agreeing as a job wouldn't be as much fun.
- Interquel: The shorts take place at some point during Sonic Colors, focusing on Sonic helping the newcomer Jade Wisp who wasn't in the original version of the game.
- It's All My Fault: Jade feels this way as she got spotted by Metal Sonic when the rebel Wisps were helping the others, leading him back to the rebels in her panic, which resulted in their capture.
- La Résistance: The rebel Wisps who try to save as many of their kind as they can.
- Lemony Narrator: At one point Sonic takes over reading the Jade Wisp's translation, doing Eggman's voice in a mocking tone and ad-libbing some of his lines to make him sound like an idiot. Tails quickly puts a stop to it.
- Mythology Gag:
- Cubot shouts out "GOOD! "GREAT!" "AWESOME!" "OUTSTANDING!" "AMAZING!" while describing Metal Sonic.
- Rather than fight Sonic head on, Metal Sonic insists on racing him for the capsule similar to how the two raced in Sonic the Hedgehog CD and a few of the Sonic games since then.
- No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: Once Metal Sonic is robbed of his Wisp power, Sonic and the Rebel Wisps proceed to thrash him until he's deactivated.
- Not So Above It All: Metal Sonic readily agrees to what is essentially a rush-job to shove a Wisp Battery in his turbine at Orbot's insinuation that it'll give him an edge against Sonic. It does work in his favor though.
- Only Sane Man: With Orbot trying to win his favor, and Cubot currently cycling through voices, Metal Sonic is the only one of Eggman's robots who's taking the job of dealing with Sonic seriously.
- Race Against the Clock: Part 2 has Sonic, Tails, and the Wisps trying to get to all the capsules before they drain the Wisps of their power.
- Revision: Rise of the Wisps introduces the concept that the Wisps will only help those they trust. This doesn't necesarily contradict either the original Sonic Colors or Sonic Forces, where the Wisps helped Sonic and the Resistance.
- Rule of Funny: The normally emotionless Metal Sonic manages to show a slight exasperated face when witnessing Orbot and Cubot's antics upon his arrival to their location.
- Suddenly Voiced: Unlike Sonic Mania Adventures and Team Sonic Racing Overdrive, which featured none of the characters talking, the short features full voice acting for Sonic, Tails, Orbot, and Cubot.
- Vocal Evolution: Having not voiced Tails since 2013, Kate Higgins portrays him without the huskier tone he had in the original Sonic Colors, as well as being able to be as energetic and snarky with his voice as her replacement Colleen had been in later games.
- You Are Too Late: As Tails lampshades it himself, while Sonic is able to free all Jade's friends alongside plenty of others, the rest of wisps still trapped within their capsule and likely drained already. But then it's subverted with the rest of those wisps shown to help their friends escape from their imprisoment.
