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The Adult Appeal of “Steven Universe”

by Kodi Maier • December 2, 2015 • 0 Comments

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Subtle, endearing, and wonderfully complex, Cartoon Network’s Steven Universe
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has been charming kid and adult audiences alike since its pilot aired in November
20 Years of Pixar Features
2013. Each eleven-minute episode slowly reveals the life and world of Steven
30 Years of Blue Sky Studios
Universe, a ten-year-old boy who is half-alien, half-human, and the people in his Acting and Performance
hometown, Beach City. Because Steven’s magical, alien mother, Rose Quartz, Adaptation
sacrificed herself to create Steven, her friends and allies, Garnet, Amethyst, and Adult Animation

Pearl, have stepped in as Steven’s surrogate mothers. Under their guidance Steven Advertising and Promotion
AI
learns to awaken the powers he inherited from his mother and join his family, also
Alternative/Forgotten Histories
known as the Crystal Gems, in defending Earth from monsters and invaders.
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It’s hard to pinpoint a single reason why Steven Universe, a show targeted at
Animation & the Comic Book
children, also appeals to such a large adult audience. Part of the show’s charm lies Animation and animals
in the storytelling. The episodic, semi-serialised format allows Sugar to easily move Animation and Invisibility
between focusing on larger, more action-packed story arcs and zooming in on Animation and Paratextuality
smaller, quieter facets of the show. These simple touches, such as Steven’s love for Animation and Robots
Animation and seriality
Cookie Cat ice cream sandwiches, add texture and depth to the characters, making
Animation and Stardom
Steven’s world appear that much more real.
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Then there is the sheer diversity of the cast. Many communities, feminist and queer
Animation Franchises and the
communities in particular, embrace the show partly because this is the kind of media
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they wish they’d had as children. Although they are alien beings, Garnet’s and animationstudies 2.0
Amethyst’s physical traits code them as people of color and several human citizens Asian Animation
of Beach City are people of color, setting the cast of Steven Universe apart from Book Review

their frequently whitewashed peers in other animated series. Adding to this diversity, Cats in animation
Children's Animation
Amethyst, Steven, Steven’s father Greg, Rose Quartz, and a number of other
Collaboration and animation
characters are all round or fat or overweight in some way. The show never shames
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them for this, but instead celebrates their squishiness. Rose’s and Steven’s size acts Documentary
as a visual cue for their overflowing compassion for fellow Gems and the denizens of DreamWorks Animation
Earth. Early Animation
Education in/and Animation
Similarly, Greg lives in a van and runs a car wash, but he isn’t depicted as a dead- European Animation
beat dad. Quite the opposite: Greg is a vital aspect of Steven’s semi-polyamorous, Exhibition review
Experimental Animation
non-nuclear family, and the show doesn’t imply that Steven will grow up “wrong” or
Fantasy/Animation
“damaged” because of his unusual upbringing. In expressing his feminine side
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through compassion, kindness, powers of healing, or even his choice of clothing, Festivals, Awards and Animation
Steven continuously deconstructs normative male gender roles. Again, Steven’s Gender and Animation
femininity is not condemned in the least but is either taken for granted or Genesis of New Animated Works

encouraged by his community. When Steven figures out how to fuse with his best Genre and Animation
Health Issues and Animation
friend, Connie Maheswaran, they form Stevonnie, a non-binary character that the
Independent animation
show actively celebrates. Because the Gems are technically agender space rocks
Interdisciplinary Opportunity of
who default to using female pronouns, any romantic relationships they form are Animation
inherently queer. In “Jail Break” we find out that Garnet a permanent fusion between Into the Frozen Universe
Ruby and Sapphire, two Gems who are so deeply in love that they can’t bear to be Jim Henson's Animated Universes

separated from each other. There are also hints throughout the series that Pearl Metaphor and metamorphosis in
animation
harbors romantic feelings for Rose Quartz. Mainstream television shows rarely
Miscellaneous
depict lesbian relationships, much less explore them as deeply as Steven Universe
mixed theme
does. Movement
New Theoretical Approaches
On second consideration, it’s possible that the show’s appeal is far more basic: Norman McLaren Centenary:
Steven Universe does not talk down to kids or assume that any subject is “too much” McLaren and Movement
for them to handle. Sugar and her team trust that kids can deal with heavy, adult Philosophy
themes and write accordingly, empowering younger audiences to engage with their Politics in and of Animation
Queer/ing Animation
society and offering fresh, new perspectives to adults.
Representation

Kodi Maier is a third year PhD student at the University of Hull. Their thesis focuses Research in Progress
SAS 2020
on the Disney Princess franchise’s evolution and how the franchise impacts female
She-Ra and the Princesses of
gender roles among young girls in the United States. Outside of gender and
Power
animation, they are also interested in studying comics, popular culture, and other Sound and Music
“geeky” subjects. Stop Motion
Streaming Animation
technological developments in
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