In some ways, Cartoon Network’s Steven Universe: The Movie could almost be considered a “Steven Universe: Greatest Hits” album, as not only is it a full feature-length musical, but it also catalogs the series’ key ideas and plot points. Luckily, it also displays many of the qualities that have earned it such a massive following over the years, especially the show’s pointed rejection of cynicism. But sadly for Steven, another one of those aforementioned plot points is the way Steven’s mother Rose Quartz negatively impacted so many throughout the series, namely this film’s antagonist.
Following a two-year time skip from the previous season finale the now 16-year-old and pink jacket-sporting Steven (Zach Callison) is, much like Spider-Man in Far From Home, finally looking for some peace and quiet with his space warrior friends Garnet (Estelle), Pearl (Deedee Mango Hall) and Amethyst (Michaela Dietz). After having saved the galaxy multiple times and seemingly convinced Yellow, Blue and White Diamond to see the errors of their ways, he’s certainly earned it. A rubbery, old school cartoony alien being named Spinel, voiced by Sarah Stiles, disagrees, and is out to destroy Earth in a revenge plot involving a massive poison drill.
The ensuing fight, which displays this special’s increased budget as Spinel’s got some drop-dead gorgeous animation during the song “Other Friends”, sees the four gem fighters disabled by Spinel’s magic scythe, which disrupts the half-human/half-gem Steven’s shield/healing powers and restores the others to “factory settings”- including erasing their memories.
But Spinel has also been brought back to her original Gem state and is now a clueless, friendly goofball who doesn’t remember her evil plan. It’s up to Steven to somehow restore the memory of both his allies as well as this new dangerous foe and save the world, through the power of compassion and song.
The plot of this film unfolds in an interesting fashion, in a manner that feels designed to appeal to long-time fans and also serve as a primer for newcomers to the series. From Pearl’s recapping of her character growth and love of Rose before her rebooting, to the giant Diamonds detailing and singing about how awesome Steven is, there’s enough to enjoy for die-hard gemheads and those people who would have a clueless look on their face if you mentioned “Cookie Cat” to them.
SU’s trademark humor is also still a key component (notably Peridot’s suggestion of using a giant pizza cutter as a weapon), and it also blends in well with the musical numbers as the other gems re-realize the progress they’ve made over the course of the show. I particularly liked Pearl’s bit where Steven’s father Greg tries fusing for the first time.
Also prevalent is SU’s famous focus on displaying unapologetic queer representation in characters like Ruby and Sapphire, who fuse to form Garnet, on top of displaying women in prominent action positions throughout the show without making the male character feel threatened (in fact, Steven’s whole demeanor, aesthetic and abilities are meant to defy gender stereotypes.). You can also expect plenty of tear-jerking drama as well, especially when Steven confronts Spinel about her past and her motivations, trying to ease her sense of loneliness and offer a better alternative.
Now as much as I’ve praised this show for counter-punching so many typical cartoon tropes, at one point watching this movie I thought to myself: what if Steven had to battle a character who didn’t have their heart simply turned upside down, but just literally had no heart? How would they deal with a Michael Myers, a Voldemort, a Tony Montana?
I’ll admit that there’s a slightly twisted side of me that would like to see an antagonist face the Crystal Gems who just went full bore Scarface, refused any sort of peace or empathy offers, and went total ham all the way until they had to be either thrown in the slammer or totally obliterated. “I crack you f***ing gems with these f***ing bullets, mang!”
But I also have to step back and tell myself, that’s not Rebecca Sugar’s objective with this show. Steven Universe is a series meant to push forward themes of kindness, people growing and changing for the better, and finding different solutions to conflicts that aren’t as common in other action cartoons. Even the angry villain Jasper is portrayed as being weaker from resisting the power of friendship. So something like that really wouldn’t jive with the “children’s storybook” atmosphere that’s prevalent in so many episodes, along with this movie.
Said change isn’t just crucial for those Steven has to confront and those he needs to defend, but also for Steve himself. This movie is about him coming to understand that life doesn’t give you a final resolution and then happiness till death. There’s always going to be struggles and joys along your path, and you’re going to have to keep changing to adapt to those peaks and valleys. That’s a nice, universal (no pun intended) lesson that can appeal to just about anyone- and it’s a good indication of how this movie is a great example of what makes this cartoon so damn popular among a wide range of fans.
Personally, I’ll gladly recommend the Steven Universe Movie to both fans and newcomers, but how did you feel about it? Did you love it, did you hate it? As always, head to @Official_FAN on Twitter and tell us what you thought about it!