Back in the early 1990s, the Sega Genesis emerged on the scene as a true competitor for the original Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). While the NES had established the adventure-seeking Mario Bros. as Nintendo's mascot and flagship franchise, Sega soon found theirs in a bright blue hedgehog with a tendency to zoom across the screen and collect gold rings. Sonic the Hedgehog released in summer 1991, and the character has been a video game mainstay ever since, appearing in countless games, animated television series and comic book series.

Now, however, Sonic's fans will have a whole new take on the character to enjoy. Cartoon Network has released a teaser trailer for its new animated series Sonic Boom, premiering this fall.

The show aims to essentially kickstart a new era in the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, though classic characters like Tails, Knuckles and Amy will figure prominently throughout its run. Roger Craig Smith - who briefly voiced Sonic in Disney's Wreck-It Ralph - will lead the show's voice cast, which also includes Colleen Villard, Cindy Robinson and Travis Willingham. In addition to its action-adventure elements, it looks like Sonic Boom will place a greater emphasis on laughs.

'Sonic Boom'

The new series is clearly aimed at attracting today's youth with its more modern sense of humor (at least judging by this footage) and building the franchise's fanbase ahead of the CG/live-action Sonic the Hedgehog movie that is currently in development over at Sony. To that end, it's easy to see how Sonic Boom may be able to capture both new and existing fans of the series.

Sonic games have been hitting shelves pretty steadily over the past couple of decades (with last year's Sonic Lost World as the most recent), but it's been almost a decade since Sonic's last animated series. However, the character's increasing multimedia presence is another bit of evidence that 1990s nostalgia will continue to grow on and build up momentum on the small screen (Twin Peaks, anyone?).

Sonic Boom also may mark the beginning of a resurrection for other retro gaming icons. With Mario reportedly featured in the in-development Wreck-It Ralph 2, it could be a matter of time before Sonic's biggest rival stages his own comeback. Your move, Nintendo.

Are you a fan of Sonic the Hedgehog, and will you be watching Sonic Boom this fall? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

Sonic Boom premieres on Cartoon Network on November 8.

Source: Cartoon Network