Netflix announces new Sonic the Hedgehog animated series, Crazy Taxi movie

Netflix has announced a partnership with SEGA, which includes a new Sonic the Hedgehog animated series, along with a Crazy Taxi movie. The two sides will also work together on a film for Stranger Than Heaven.

Crazi Taxi will be written by Dan Gregor and Doug Mand with Original Film’s Neal H. Moritz and Toby Ascher and SEGA’s Toru Nakahara, the producers behind the Sonic franchises, on board to produce.

The Sonic animated series is in development with Carlos Stevens and Toru Nakahara. Variety reports that the show will depict “Sonic and his friends as heroes for an upper pre-school audience”. The description mentions that it’s a “high-voltage, comedic, yet emotionally grounded series built for kids who want to feel a little edge, a little attitude, and a lot of ‘that’s my crew’ wish fulfillment.”

Toru Nakahara, head producer at SEGA, said today: “Expect something cute yet cool for ‘Sonic,’ hilariously crazy for ‘Crazy Taxi’ and a badass action drama for ‘Stranger Than Heaven,’ because we’ve got some amazing creative ideas lined up and we are just getting started. The whole team is absolutely thrilled!”

Brandon Riegg, VP of nonfiction and transmedia at Netflix, added: “Great games already have what every adaptation is chasing — characters people love, worlds they know by heart, and fandoms that show up. With ‘Crazy Taxi,’ ‘Sonic’ and ‘Stranger Than Heaven,’ we get to work across three completely different eras of Sega’s catalog, celebrating everything fans love, while introducing them to new audiences.”

Original Film’s Moritz and Ascher also said: “We couldn’t be more excited to continue our longstanding relationship with SEGA and bring ‘Crazy Taxi’ to life with our partners at Netflix. This film is for anyone who’s spent hours behind the wheel of a yellow cab on their Dreamcast, with the music cranked up, smashing through everything in sight just to make the next fare.”

Finally, we have these words from Shuji Utsumi, president and COO of SEGA: “We’ve watched Netflix take on stories across every kind of format and treat each one with real craft, and seeing that same dedication applied to ‘Sonic,’ ‘Crazy Taxi’ and ‘Stranger Than Heaven’ is something we at Sega are incredibly proud to be a part of. The fandoms of these games deserve storytelling that honors what makes each title special, and we know Netflix shares that commitment. This is just the start of what these titles can become.”