STEVEN UNIVERSE MAKES A CHANGE

On Sept. 2, the Cartoon Network aired the animated movie, “Steven Universe: The Movie.”

The movie was the first no-commercial break movie the network has shown in years, and for good reason.

In a very emotionally driven cartoon series made by Rebecca Sugar and the “crewniverse,” Steven is a human-gem hybrid that is nothing like the other gems in the world the series is based on.

The original series ran for five seasons before the movie was announced at San Diego Comic-Con in 2018.

The movie picks up two years after the Season Five finale, “Change Your Mind.” So, it is highly recommended that you watch the animated series first before diving into this movie.

The show is very much like a musical movie with its extensive soundtrack and songs such as “Other Friends,” sung by Sarah Stiles, who voices the main antagonist of the movie, and “Independent Together,” sung by Ted Leo and Aimee Man. The music alone in the movie is a great reason to watch.

It follows the story of Steven Universe, who is voiced by Zach Callison, and his struggle towards his “happily ever after.” The movie starts off with Steven’s message to the universe, saying that he was planning on staying on Earth with his friends Garnet (Estelle Swaray), Amethyst (Michaela Dietz), and Pearl (Deedee Mango Hall), as well as many other of his gem friends. After Steven returns home, he reminisces about how far he and his companions have come, his feelings expressed by four musical solos from the four main characters of the series. The song represents how hard each have worked to be in the future they’ve built for themselves. 

This “happily ever after” they made is brought to a screeching halt by the main antagonist, of the film who has brought down a machine that will destroy all organic life on the Earth. The villain then hits each of the gems with a weapon that poofs them and resets them all the way to where they started.

Since Steven is half-human he can’t get poofed, but all his powers and things are gone, so he’s like he was at the start of the series. For a majority of the movie he spends his time trying to remind his friends of who they are.

Sugar’s team has been really busy with more content; right after the movie aired they began working on an epilogue series, “Steven Universe Future,” which takes place after the events of the movie. The team who works on Steven Universe is, it would seem, a passionate group of individuals who love to give new content to its dedicated viewers.

Overall, Steven Universe: The Movie may sound like every other cheesy musical in the world, but there are plenty of action scenes and scenes that deal with heavy psychological themes such as abandonment, loss of self, depression, and self-doubt.

This movie is a must-watch if you have a great appreciation for music and animation.