Steven Universe The Movie, 2019
Steven Universe (Zach Callison) has finally managed to broken peace with the Diamonds. Along with Garnet (Estelle), Amethyst (Michaela Dietz), and Pearl (DeeDee Magno), he settles in to enjoy a respite from their ongoing struggles. But when an old acquaintance of Steven's mother, an embittered gem named Spinel (Sarah Stiles), appears on Earth, it seems that their peace has been short-lived.
If you are a fan of the
Steven Universe TV show, this movie plays like a pretty good, long-form episode of that show. In fact, considering that each episode is often only 12-20 minutes long, the fact that the writers were able to craft a 90-minute film that doesn't lose its momentum is admirable.
All of the usual themes are here: betrayal, love, trust, loyalty, and atonement for past actions. Something admirable about the TV show, especially when I think about children watching it, is its interest in why people behave the way that they do and how to go about making amends for hurtful actions. In particular, I like the the film allows Steven and his father to miss his mother, Rose, but also acknowledges the way in which her actions hurt others.
As with the TV show, there are songs aplenty, and I enjoyed most of them. They move with a nice energy, and I thought that Spinel's more dramatic, sad song about her abandonment was really moving.
When it comes to the animation, I am a fan of the color scheme of the show and also the overall style of it. I have always appreciated the unforced way that a wide diversity of characters and character types are woven into the main and background casts.
I would say that if you are not familiar with the TV show, many of the characters and character dynamics might seem a bit unclear to you. But for a fan of the TV show this one is an easy recommendation. It was the perfect film on which to end my weekend.