Sonic Mania Opening Animation

Kellee Roeder
Sep 3, 2018 · 4 min read

Sonic Mania, published by SEGA in late 2017, is a 2D platform game made to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Sonic franchise. The game opens with a fully animated cutscene introducing the three main characters Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles. The animation was initially only meant to be a trailer to advertise Sonic Mania, but the quality of work was so impressive that the directors placed it inside the game. The animated opening now serves the purpose as a hook that introduces characters, villains, and game mechanics while also getting the viewer alert and excited to start playing.

The Sonic Mania opening was created by illustrator and animator Tyson Hesse with assistance from Studio Yotta. I’ve been a long time fan of Tyson’s work, so seeing his style fully animated in a major release was very exciting to see. His character designs, expressions, and poses are always charming and fun. I felt this animation was a great example of consistent style and dynamic character movements.

The Sonic Mania opening animation received a very positive response when it was released, especially from nostalgic Sonic fans. The designs are meant to be a call-back to the classic Sonic style, with round and bouncy characters with thin limbs and large, expressive eyes. Tyson Hesse was predominantly inspired by the animated opening to the 1993 game Sonic CD. These designs create very readable poses and silhouettes, which lead to easy to follow movements as they run and bounce across the screen.

Sonic is meant to be a fast character, and Tyson uses several techniques to showcase this. One technique is to smear Sonic’s red shoes into a ribbon with lots of motion lines. Another is to create simplified duplicates or “ghosts” of his hands and feet as they move from one location to the next. Through the rest of the video, Tyson’s skill in expressive posing leads to movements that are full of character and fun to watch.

Some of my favorite parts of this animation are the small details. For example, small stars appear throughout in the background, smoke, movements, impacts, and as a special effect. Another detail is how the music includes classic Sonic sound effects found in the game itself.

The Sonic Mania animation does not have any sound besides the background music, but the two blend together to create a cohesive whole. In the beginning, where the three characters are introduced, there is one musical note that plays at the same moment there are cuts from one character to another. Then there is one longer note that raises in pitch, as the scene cuts to an elevator dial lifting from one floor to another [0:09–0:23]. Through the more action-heavy scenes Sonic seems to move and bounce to the tempo and changing tune [0:38–0:42].

The color design is another part of this animation that stands out. The characters and the backgrounds are all bright, primary colors that pop. The only deviation from this is when the game’s villains are introduced, where the pallette gets darker.

The Sonic Mania opening is one of the few examples of a modern, fully animated, 2D opening cutscene to a video game. The result was so polished and well received that SEGA decided to produce a short animated series directed by Tyson Hesse called Sonic Mania Adventures. If you enjoyed the animation in this opening, the series is also very nice! And posted on youtube!

BetweenTheFrames

Animated analysis from UMBC's Intro to Animation class

Kellee Roeder

Written by

BetweenTheFrames

Animated analysis from UMBC's Intro to Animation class

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade