Fish and Cherries Productions

Summary: There’s a young man named Steven (Zach Callison), son of a human and an alien rock creature called a gem. With his powers, he fights alongside other gems — Garnet (Estelle), Amethyst (Michaela Dietz), and Pearl (Deedee Mango) — as part of the Crystal Gems to save the day. Coming off his biggest adventure yet, he’s finally ready to settle down and enjoy his well-earned happily ever after… but such is not to be. A new gem named Spinel (Sarah Stiles) attacks the Crystal Gems and as a result, all gems involved had their memories erased, bringing them back to how they were first made before they grew and changed. Making matters worse, Spinel has a device that’s slowly poisoning the Earth that only she knows how to stop, but her memory got wiped too. It falls to Steven to restore everyone’s memories by helping them find their true selves… which is tricky because this Spinel is a lot kinder and less homicidal than before.

Review: Steven Universe: The Movie is like an hour and a half long episode of the show, which is good for me because I love the show. But it’s also a throwback to old animation, Spinel in particular harkening back to cartoons like Betty Boop with her rubbery movements and expressions. The film even opens like an old school Disney movie, with the credits accompanied by a soothing song. All this contrasts with the rest of the movie’s modern techniques and sensibilities to show us how far animation has come and highlights just what a game-changer Steven Universe has been.

The story itself is a nice excuse to retread old ground and themes as Steven helps the Crystal Gems rediscover themselves. But don’t think that it’s a knock against the movie because they use this to reinforce character development and even shake things up a bit. Part of Garnet’s rediscovery plays out similarly to her backstory in the show, but also different enough to showcase how strong the sum of her character’s parts are (and if that was vague, it’s only because Steven Universe is one of those stories that I will not spoil under any circumstances). Pearl’s journey is also very noteworthy because it shows how loss can shape and define a person while not being completely bad. It’s one of those rare messages that Steven Universe does so well and it’s why the show has such a lasting impact.

If I had one complaint, it would be the songs — not that they’re bad (quite the opposite, in fact), but there’s just so many of them that it’s hard for all of them to stick in my mind. Again, though, the movie overall is quite fine and full of fun Easter eggs from the show, my favorite being when Amethyst goes through all the different forms she’s had. Naturally, it’s Steven Universe so there are plenty of emotional moments and bits that’ll melt and/or break your heart. I don’t know if it’ll be everyone’s cup of tea because it’s all about peace and love, but those who have room in their hearts to believe in Steven will not be disappointed.

Fun Tidbit: A new character appears voiced by Ted Leo, who is in a band called The Both with another show actress, Aimee Mann, the voice of Opal. This would make sense as the two of them have a duet later in the movie. I guess creator Rebecca Sugar is a fan.