When I first learned that the Sonic The Hedgehog animated series (also known as SatAM) would be getting a full box set treatment I was thrilled. I like many so many other fans had been waiting for DiC’s second Sonic animated series to get a proper box set treatment as it is a fantastic animation achievement worthy of such a release.

The company behind the box set is Shout Factory, an entertainment company that specializes in putting out retro content. I strongly recommend you check out their site as I am sure you are bound to find items in their inventory that bring back a great sense of nostalgia.

When I ordered the Sonic SatAM DVD set I was excited if only for the fact I would finally have all the episodes of the series. I was very pleasantly surprised when the set arrived and I found out just how much effort was put into.

For starters, I absolutely love the packaging. I’ve seen many different box set designs and I must say that the one used for this set is one of my favorites. It consists of a cardboard case the houses two smaller plastic cases with each plastic case containing two discs. It is a very durable and practical design. Making the packaging even more special is the fan artwork that covers it. Everything form the front cover to the discs themselves contains fan created artwork. The fan involvement with his set is fitting when you consider how many hardcore fans have been pushing for this set for so long.

Like the packaging, the content on the discs also goes above and beyond. You of course get all 26 episodes spread out over 4 discs but on top of that you get a slew of nifty bonus features. An interview with Jaleel White gives interesting insight to the man behind the voice of Sonic. It is admittedly a little short but very interesting never the less. The second interview, one with show writer Ben Hurt, is longer then Jaleel’s and has a lot more intriguing trivia bits. Watching the interview really gives you a sense of how much Hurst loved and still loves the show. Along with the interviews the special features also include storyboard art, concept art galleries, and even a printable pilot script for the episode “Heads or Tails”.

Overall the set is superb and a real treat for the fans that have patiently waited for the series get released in complete form. Shout Factory is currently in the process of releasing other Sonic animated series box sets and you can look forward to me giving those a review sometime in the near future.