After the response of my last little article on the subject of Sonic’s history with Flash movies, you guys made one thing abundantly clear. There’s way too many classics out there to be covered by just one post!
So here I am with ‘episode 2’ of the often insane world of Sonic the Hedgehog’s animated flash adventures. Let’s waste no time…
Sonic Breaks his Neck (Splapp-Me-Do 2006)
Who’s stupid idea was it to put items in TV screens?
In this rather grotesque little movie, we see Sonic out for a pleasant jog in Green Hill Zone. Things are just peachy until real-world logic starts to take effect, and Sonic’s pals come to learn and mourn (or… celebrate for the most part) the untimely death of Mobius’ greatest hero.
From a personal standpoint, I’m not the biggest fan of the presentation style and what happens as a whole, but the surrealist look and nature of the animation has won it a place in the hearts of Flash lovers everywhere.
Interesting tid-bit of trivia: Splapp-Me-Do was also responsible for that ‘impossible quiz’ that was showing up everywhere once upon a time, and actually featured a round based on this very flash!
Sonic Oddball Crackups (Big Papa Kitsune 2005-2011)
Part 1 – Part 2 – Advance – Prequel
If you read my thoughts in the last article, you’ll know very well that I love a raw, unpolished flash movie. Right here, we have a whole collection of shorts that are gleefully crazy, and with a whole host of different characters. There’s a real Robot Chicken type feel to the comedy here.
The series spanned for several instalments, and then even transitioned into ‘Advance’ territory in later episodes, but still retaining that same sense of crude craziness.
Keep an eye out for MJ in the second episode… 
Tails and His GBA (RupeeClock 2005 – 2006)
Here’s one of my favourites.
In this small series of 3 flash movies, Tails has invented a special Gameboy Advance that not only plays great games on the go, but can also transport the players directly into the game itself! The word gets out, and soon, everyone wants a look, often ending in catastrophic (but often hilarious) results!
This is probably one of my all time favourite flash films that are based around the animation of sprites. The Sonic Advance sprites have always been very expressive, and they naturally lend themselves well when utilised in smart comedy as seen in these films. Each instalment is short and very easy to watch, so go take a look!
Sonic Movie Madness (Roger van der Weide 2004 – 2005)
Ep 1 – Ep 2 – Ep 3.1.1 – Ep 3.1.2 – Ep 3.2 – Finale
This one is very… Hard to explain. Awesome, but hard to explain.
All the teams from Sonic Heroes all go on various movie themed adventures, from Star Wars to Harry Potter, with what could be the largest cast of characters ever assembled into a single Sonic the Hedgehog flash series.
As insane as this whole set up is, all the various storylines tie together really quite cleverly, ending in a very surreal, but awesome finale.
The drawing style in the animation could be seen as loose and unrefined, but everything in it is consistent, and gives the whole series a solid sense of identity that no other flash movie has tried (or probably ever will) match.
Creator Roger van-der Weide has gone on to do several works since this series, including multiple ‘Sonic Game in X minutes’ shorts, as well as a new Youtube Series known as ‘Sonic Dissected’.
Ultimate Flash Sonic (Dennis Gid 2004)
Moving away from the movies, let’s look at the legendary Flash game ‘Ultimate Flash Sonic’, something I believe to still be a truly impressive example of what can be possible in Flash with enough dedication.
The game is a ground-up creation (with the exception of the artwork assets that are borrowed from Sonic Advance 2), featuring great action, speed, loops, grind rails and plenty more.
Remembering that this was released 10 years ago, this game features a truly staggering amount of features given when it was created. It featured 4 characters to choose from which all played differently, 4 playable action stages with two boss stages, a password system and even unlockable characters that also play in their own unique way.
The gameplay nowadays could be seen as unpolished and possibly clunky (especially given the huge debate about what constitutes ‘good’ 2D Sonic gameplay in recent years), but it’s still a great game at its core, and has been reposted to tons of flash game sites for a reason.
Go play it!
And with that, there’s the end of another instalment of Sonic and Flash. Again, this list is in no way exhaustive, so feel free to chat about more of your favourites in the comments below! If response is strong enough, expect a part 3!