Sonic Boom is a funny, fast, and sometimes loose take on Sega’s speedy blue hedgehog. The show ran for two seasons, 104 episodes, and first aired on Cartoon Network and Boomerang on 2014-11-08, ending 2017-11-18. It is the fifth animated series tied to the Sonic games, and the first made in computer animation and high-definition.
Trailer, via OfficialTGAvideos.
What Sonic Boom Does
The show follows Sonic (Roger Craig Smith), his sidekick Tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessey), and their friends Knuckles (Travis Willingham), Amy (Cindy Robinson), and newcomer Sticks (Nika Futterman), as they try to stop Dr. Eggman (Mike Pollock) from taking over the world. Eggman’s side is covered by his robots Orbot (Kirk Thornton) and Cubot (Wally Wingert), as well as a string of evil interns and giant, robotic monsters.
The show is built on stand-alone plots and comedy, not a long story that moves from episode to episode. That is a deliberate choice, and it works more often than it fails.
The Cast and Its Voice Talent
The voice work is the show’s strongest point. Roger Craig Smith carries Sonic’s energy, Colleen O’Shaughnessey gives Tails a warm, playful edge, and Travis Willingham brings real feeling to Knuckles. Cindy Robinson’s Amy is sharp and funny, and Nika Futterman’s Sticks, the new member of the group, gets some of the best comic lines in the series. Mike Pollock’s Eggman is a delight, and Kirk Thornton and Wally Wingert give Orbot and Cubot distinct, odd voices that play well off each other.
Bill Freiberger voices Comedy Chimp and Lady Walrus, small but consistent roles that give the show a few extra laughs.
The Games and the Warning
Sonic Boom is part of a larger franchise that includes three video games: Rise of Lyric, Shattered Crystal, and Fire & Ice; a comic series from Archie Comics; and a toyline from Tomy. None of that helped the show’s path. The games failed in reviews and sales, and the new character designs did not sit well with all fans. The show itself gained a following online for its wit and jokes about itself, but it never fully shook the shadow of its video game cousins.
That context matters when watching Sonic Boom today. The show is not trying to be a serious revival of the franchise; it is trying to be a funny, fast show for kids, and it mostly succeeds at that.
What Works
- Tails’s wit and cleverness
- Sticks’s new ideas and odd inventions
- Orbot and Cubot’s constant oddity
- The show’s jokes about itself and the Sonic games
- The bright, tropical setting of the jungle
What Falls Short
- Some episodes feel thin once you step back from the jokes
- The stand-alone structure means there is no single story to follow
- The show leans on its cast more than it leans on its plot
Sonic Boom is not a great animated show, but it is a solid one. It knows what it is, and it delivers on that promise with voice talent, jokes, and a large cast of characters that fans of the games will recognize. The show’s failure to catch fire with the wider public is a shame, because there is real talent here, and a real sense of humor that is easy to enjoy.
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