WesternAnimation Okay for kids, but can't be seriously enjoyed
In my opinion, nothing about Adventures Of Sonic The Hedgehog is terribly original or enjoyable. The backgrounds and even people's actions are badly animated and feel rushed. Sonic and Tails have annoying voice actors, and the voices of Robotnik's henchmen are even more so. The episode plots are stale and several gags are stolen straight from the Looney Tunes. The jokes could be funny to young children but not outside of that group.
Plus, a lot of the time Sonic feels like a jerk, which kind of ruins the show because it wants us to root for him. Long John Baldry (a blues singer who saved Elton John's life) is pretty funny as Robotnik, but the character doesn't really work. I guess if you're into Ren and Stimpy style cartoons, you may like it. I just happened to find it unrewarding and grating. Often it feels crazy just for the pure sake of doing so, unlike other shows in its mold. I believe truly good shows can be enjoyed at all times, and this one can't.
WesternAnimation Such a blast, insane fun at its finest
As a kid, I watched AOSTH religiously. This was the cartoon for me growing up during the 90s. It had Sonic, who was my gaming idol at the time. It had Long John Baldry playing Robotnik, who is without a doubt the most hilariously entertaining Robotnik to date. It had chaotic slapstick, something that always tickled my funny bone. I grew up with this show, so it's no surprise to me or my friends I've taken a lot of my warped humour from it.
Then I started re-watching this show soon after I turned 20, and my opinion hasn't changed in the slightest, save for one or two elements that I have noticed with hindsight as an adult. The show remains entertaining and humorous in almost every situation, but the highlight has always been Robotnik and his two henchmen, Scratch and Grounder. Compared to the more recent incarnations of Robotnik with two bumbling sidekicks like Sonic X (Becoe and Decoe) and Sonic Colours (Cubot and Orbot), these two are actually likeable to me. Their incompetance and idiotic plans always backfire on them, which sort of rang a Take That Scrappy for me, making these two bearable and entertaining. But to me, this show should really be renamed The Adventures of Doctor Ivo Robotnik. The show seems to focus more on him than Sonic and Tails, what with him chewing the scenery with little effort, his over-the-top expressive animations stealing the show and just his voice actor. All these combined give us a villain who while at times can be intimidating is mostly comic relief with a dash of insanity. If this character wasn't present at all, the show would be awfully stale.
And then there's the issues I've had. I began noticing that most of the time, Sonic isn't the same hero I've known since the video games. At times, he comes off as very impatient and sometimes a bit of a jerk, especially towards Tails. I can even recount one episode he sabotages Robotnik's efforts to become mayor or something, but his actions only resulted in doing more damage than good, though all that got blamed on Robotnik. It's awfully distracting looking back on it now and while Sonic is still the idol kids can look up to, there are just some qualities about him I found jarring.
Otherwise, the series as a whole remains one of my favourites from my childhood, and I recommend it to anyone who has an absurd sense of humour.
WesternAnimation It was fun as a kid, and it's fun now.
In an odd way, this show is a lot like the old sega genesis games of Sonic. Simple, not much to them, but a lot of fun when we were kids. When I was a kid, I liked the over the top zaniness, the slapstick, and just the chaotic nature of the show. Plus, although he comes off as cheesy when looking back as an adult, I thought Sonic was really cool as a kid, and to me, it's easy to see why a kid would enjoy this show. It's about twenty minutes of running around like mad, funny slapstick, and the occasional fat joke. What kid doesn't love that?
Now, looking back as an adult, hearing Sonic attempting to be "edgy" while voiced by friggin Urkel is a bit much. Tails is kind of cute, and the child actor actually wasn't as bad as everyone makes him out to be, although the two of them can be a bit annoying. The plots make almost no sense, the animation is all over the place, model wise, and at times, the show is just bizarre. What makes the show worth watching as an adult then? Much like the old sidescrollers, for me at least, a large part of it is nostalgia. Remembering how I used to have my parents set an automated timer on the VCR on the show all week so I could watch them all day on Saturday morning after the other (much more serious and well written) Sonic show was over, and eating chili dogs my mom made for me (I was about eight years old I think) is just all kinds of warm and fuzzy feeling.
Now, if you didn't grow up with the show like me, however, it's still worth checking out, since a lot of the episodes are on youtube. Why? Three words: Dr. Motherfucking. Robotnik. Long John Baldry's voice acting is so ridiculously over the top it's impossible not to find him absolutely hilarious. The animation for the character, while, as mentioned, is not anything close to stable, is also a kick to watch, as the animation notes for the character, as noted on the main page, were "draw expressively, not well."
All in all, as a kid, to me at least, this show was So Cool Its Awesome, nowadays, it's a resounding case of So Bad Its Good.
WesternAnimation Technically terrible, yet entertaining
Adventures Of Sonic The Hedgehog has all the elements of a bad, cheaply produced show. The animation is lazy, the plots are cheesy kid's fare, Tails has a voice actor that barely shows any emotion, and it has patronizingly Anvilicious Sonic Sez segments at the end. Nonetheless, this remains a beloved childhood classic. Why? Well, okay, a bunch of other children's television shows were just as bad, so those elements don't stand out that much, but that's not the point of this review.
The best part of the show is easily Long John Baldry as Dr. Robotnik. From his goofy appearance to his delicious voice acting, it's no wonder he ended up becoming an Internet celebrity. Who can ever forget his self-absorbed personality, his short temper, and of course, his Catchphrase in all its Large Ham glory: "I HATE THAT HEDGEHOG!"? He may be different from game canon Eggman, but he definitely feels like "Robotnik" regardless. In addition, Scratch and Grounder with their stupidity and chemistry together make great henchmen to take Robotnik's abuse and crazy schemes, so much so that even to this day many Sonic fans think of them as the definitive henchmen despite all the others that have come and gone in future TV series. Sonic's carefree attitude translates nicely despite his toned-down attitude and while Tails suffers from being voiced by an inexperienced child actor, his childish innocence also shines through.
Ultimately, Adventures Of Sonic The Hedgehog is a zany, fun show that captures the spirit of the games despite its many deficiencies from a technical perspective.
WesternAnimation Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog
I've heard about this show. I've heard it is corny, zany, Looney Tunes- and Ren & Stimpy-esque. And I loved it exactly for being like that!
Anyway, I like the show because it's a fun comedy series inspired by what I said above. A highlight, if not, the highlight is Long John Baldry as Dr. Ivo Robotnik.* Jaleel White as Sonic the Hedgehog is a great fit, and so is Christopher Stephen Welch as Miles "Tails" Prower. I like that Sonic and Tails are like brothers here. D'awww...
It may be ridiculous, but that's the strength of the show, in my opinion, at least. And I got some good laughs, too!
I've caught wind about the comparisons between the other show. Let's just say that my opinion is that both, while different, can be enjoyed. Just please, no more "AoStH sucks because it's not like Sonic Sat AM!"! Can't we just enjoy them instead of saying who is better in a bashing way?
In conlusion, Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog is a fun show that has the spirit of the games intact.