The Sonic show

From: Matt Penna <mpenna_at_vivanet.com>
Date: Thu, 14 Mar 1996 16:38:27 -0500

 The Saturday morning Sonic series basically blows away any other
>attempts at US videogame cartoons. Lets face it, the Super Mario
>Bros. Super Show was really lame.

     I think that the Sonic show had some really great things going for it,
which no other cartoon studios seem to have latched on to. Sonic had a
really great plot going for it. that's probably because they didn't just
stay true to the games. I mean, how many characters from the show were
actually in games? 2 or 3? The attitude that cartoon spinoffs have to remain
"pure" doesn't really make sense. The Super mario Brothers cartoons were
pretty lame because the same thing happened every episode; i.e. what
happened in the games. 1) Koopa kidnaps Princess.(Surprise!) 2) Mario
Brothers Attempt rescue (*Gasp!* Can they do it?) 3) Princess is
rescued,(Whew! That was a close one.) 4) Show ends, see ya tomorrow. SMB
isn't the only example of this kind of failure, so why do cartoon studios
continue to turn out this trite and boring material? (Somebody already
brought this up. The answer is $$$MONEY$$$)
     The creative team for Sonic actually tried to be original. New
characters, new ideas, and most importantly, they tried to develop the
characters' personalities. During each show, we learned more about what
makes them tick. They became more familiar and easier to relate to. On the
other hand, most other cartoon characters remain static and really
unrealistic. It seems like many writers don't give kids enough credit. I
really think that an 8 year old can grasp the concept of someone having a
personality. I was around 9 or 10 when the Super Mario Brothers were on, and
I didn't like it. It was too predictable. I've found that most of the stuff
that's on Saturday mornings now isn't even worth watching. Too bad. The
Sonic show was an oasis in a desert of boring television. If they brought
the show back, I would be really happy. Unfortunately, I think we can safely
say that it isn't going to happen. :(
     There's always reruns... :)

Later...

-Matt



Received on Thu Mar 14 1996 - 17:36:08 PST