Sega's Sonic Team head says company once aimed to outdo Disney

Takashi Iizuka, head of Sega's Sonic Team, told Crunchyroll that in the early 1990s the company set an ambitious goal to surpass Disney with the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. He recalled that the team's passion was driven by a desire to create content "far above and beyond" what Disney was doing, and that this aspiration still influences Sega today.

Iizuka noted that while Sega never fully achieved the original aim, the Sonic brand has endured, later finding success in film adaptations that rival Disney's entertainment reach. The interview highlights Sega's historic competitive mindset within the broader media landscape.