Teased back in July of 2018, we have been building up to the premiere of Steven Universe: The Movie for over a year now. Months of promos and a full weekend of every episode of Steven Universe has finally led up to the premiere last night. 

SPOILERS AHEAD.

You have been warned. Anything that happens after this point is therefore your own fault.

The movie is set 2 years after the events of “Change Your Mind”. Peace has been established across the galaxies, the Diamonds no longer colonize planets, there is even New Homeworld being established on Earth. Everything is peaceful. Here we are in the future, and it’s a bright one.

For about ten minutes.

Once again, with the arrival of Spinel, Steven must once again answer for his mother’s crimes with arrival of Spinel. Within minutes, Spinel has unleashed all kinds of chaos on earth and on the Crystal Gems. Not only does she bring an injector to destroy Earth, but she also manages to “reset” the Crystal Gems causing them to revert back to their original selves, losing all of their memories. Now Steven must restore the memories of the Crystal Gems, figure out who Spinel is and what Pink did to her that has made her want to destroy Steven, and oh, yeah, save the world.

While music has always been a big part of Steven Universe, this movie is a true musical, with Spinel even declaring “You can’t just make everything better by singing some stupid song!”

While the Diamonds’ musical numbers feel a bit forced, the music is still some of the best we’ve seen. Drift Away especially tugs on your heartstrings as Spinel sings of why she’s come to Earth. Characters who don’t normally sing are finally given voice, including new fan favorite, Bizmuth. There are other surprises in store, including a musical number that includes the singing voice of the fusion named Opal, voiced by the lovely Aimee Mann.

The movie itself is surprisingly deep. Because it is geared toward a younger audience, it seems to be almost a cautionary tale to the next generation to avoid the mistakes our generation made – specifically, the tale of the forgotten friend. It reminds us that friends are not commodities or things to be used and then discarded; they are people with thoughts and feelings who hurt deeply when we abandon them. Beneath the songs and adventure, it’s a message to the lost and forgotten ones:

“We see you, and you are finally found.”

The “Steven Universe: The Movie” soundtrack is available to stream on all major music streaming services. “Steven Universe: The Movie” will be available to purchase on DVD November 12th, 2019 and will feature a behind the scenes documentary on the making of the movie.

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