Sonic the Hedgehog has had a good run.  Starting off as a video game for the Sega Genesis system in 1991, the fast little hedgehog has stared in numerous video games through the years, as well as comic books, a music CD, and  children's books.  A giant Sonic balloon has even appeared in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.  Amazing as it sounds, Sonic's fourth TV show, Sonic X, is currently airing on Fox.  (The other three series are Adventures Of Sonic The Hedgehog, Sonic The Hedgehog, and Sonic Underground.)  But wait, there's more.  There was also a two part OVA series in Japan, which ADV has decided to release spliced together as a single hour long show entitled Sonic the Hedgehog:  The Movie.

This movie has Sonic with his friend Tails and Knuckles running off into another dimension. Dr. Robotnick has been kicked out of Robotnikland by a metal Robotnick who has overloaded the robot generator.  If the generator isn't stopped, it will blow up destroying the world.  If that wasn't bad enough, there is an evil robot Sonic that is out to stop our heroes.  Can a flesh and blood sonic defeat a robot version?

This 'movie' has the feel of a TV show that you are joining in the middle of the season.  The don't introduce any of the characters, they assume you know them.  This show also does not share continuity with any of the previous Sonic cartoons either, which makes it feel doubly strange.

The story didn't really pull me in at any time.  Granted, it wasn't aimed at me, but the small amount of character development they did wasn't enough to make me care about the characters.  The fights were pretty good, especially the battle at the end, but overall the show was just mediocre.
 

This DVD allows the viewer to watch it in the original Japanese with optional English subtitles, or with an English dub.  I found the voices on the original language track to be more to my liking.  Some of the English voice actors were horrible, especially Tails. Both tracks are stereo, and are acceptable for the show.

Video:

The video for this disc in not too bad.  The movie is presented full frame, and although there was a little aliasing, it had average video quality.  The animation, while not outstanding, was pretty good for a show aimed at young children.

The Extras:

There are a few extras on this DVD, but none of them are very exciting.  They included some trailers, a photo gallery, and text character bios.

Final Thoughts:

Young kids who are big fans of the current Sonic cartoon will surely like this DVD, assuming they are not bothered by the different continuity.  Other viewers who are looking for something new to watch should rent this disc before investing in it.